Genome resource banking for wildlife research, management, and conservation

Cryobiology offers an important opportunity to assist in the management and study of wildlife, including endangered species. The benefits of developing genome resource banks for wildlife are profound, perhaps more so than for traditional uses in terms of livestock and human fertility. In addition to preserving heterozygosity and assisting in the genetic management of rare populations held in captivity, frozen repositories help insure wild populations against natural and human-induced catastrophes. Such banks also are an invaluable source of new knowledge (for basic and applied research) from thousands of species that have yet to be studied. However, it is crucial that genome resource banks for wildlife species be developed in a coordinated fashion that first benefits the conservation of biodiversity. Spurious collections will be of no advantage to genuine conservation. The Conservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG; of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources' Species Survival Commission) has promoted international dialogue on this topic. CBSG working groups have recognized that such repositories be developed according to specific, scientific guidelines consistent with an international standard that ensures practicality, high-quality ethics, and cost-effectiveness. Areas requiring priority attention also are reviewed, including the need for more basic research, advocacy, and support for developing organized repositories of biomaterials representing the world's diverse biota.     

Testate amoeba communities of the drained Hula wetland (Israel): implications for ecosystem development and conservation management

This study investigates the testate amoeba communities of semi-aquatic environments in two anthropogenic wetland ecosystems within an extensive drained wetland complex in northern Israel. Aims are to add to the species record for the region, test the similarity in amoeba communities and ecology to more studied sites and regions and investigate processes of wetland development and the implications of this for conservation management. The testate amoeba community is predominantly composed of cosmopolitan taxa but the community composition is distinct from that of previous studies. Redundancy analyses show that much the strongest environmental control is hydrology (depth to water table). Surprisingly, strontium (Sr) is an important secondary control, probably representing the trophic gradient. With a few exceptions the autecology of taxa identified here agrees with their preferences indicated by previous studies. There are significant differences in species richness and community structure between the amoeba communities of the two sites. Partly the difference may be due to differences in nutrient state, although some of the difference is independent of all environmental variables tested here. The lower species richness of the more recently created site suggests the testate amoeba community may be at an earlier successional stage.     

The strategic pillars of communal natural resource management: benefit, empowerment and conservation

Originally prepared as a keynote address for the 2008 La Tapoa Workshop on Natural Resource Management (NRM) and Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM), this paper examines the Southern African experience in CBNRM over the past 20 years. From this experience the paper draws lessons on when and where CBNRM is appropriate, what can make it work, and what can make it work better. These lessons are discussed under the three categories of benefit, conservation and empowerment. Benefit is usually conceptualized in terms of financial revenue, and using a Zimbabwean case study the paper shows how in unusual circumstances this can be substantial. Normally, however, natural resource production can only supplement inputs from agriculture and other modes of production, and the paper warns against regarding CBNRM as a panacea for rural poverty. Benefit should also be understood in non-pecuniary terms, and when economic benefit is linked with authority and responsibility large increments in social capital can result. The conservation interests of donors are often perceived as being at odds with local perspectives, a perception which fails to take into consideration means-end-sequencing. A socially constructed stalemate often occurs when external agencies impose their agendas upon local populations, a stalemate which can be broken when communities are given the authority and responsibility necessary to create internally legitimate regimes. A new science which combines professional and civil inputs is required to achieve CBNRM’s goal—empowered and dynamic local regimes integrated into larger scale systems of conservation and development.     

Features and conservation of the Brazilian Pantanal wetland

The Pantanal is a 140,000 km² sedimentary floodplain in western Brazil and one of the largest wetlands in the world. The main landscapes and phytophysiognomies, according to flood origin, are briefly described and some of the characteristic plant species are mentioned: (a) river flood (1–5 m) on clayey eutrophic soils with gallery forests, pioneer forests and scrub, Tabebuia and Copernicia parks, seasonal swamps, grasslands and oxbow lakes; and (b) rain flood (10–80 cm) mainly on dystrophic sandy soils (72% of the total area) with savanna (cerrado) grasslands and woodlands, with or without ponds. Regulating factors of the vegetation such as wet-and-dry cycle and management are considered. Dynamics of the vegetation, in particular the aquatic types, are shortly depicted. The role of grazing for conservation is discussed, and we suggest that 200 years of cattle ranching apparently did not cause major changes in the vegetation, except turning tall grass into short swards, as the domestic herd found a nearly empty niche. However, severe threats to the flora and fauna of the Pantanal originate outside the floodplain. Siltation of the Taquari river is pointed out as the worst environmental problem, changing the hydrology (wet-and-dry to wet), fauna and flora, e.g. eliminating riparian forest.This revised version was published online in March 2005 with corrections to the issue cover date.     

Hydrological assessment for wetland conservation at Wicken Fen

Wicken Fen in East Anglia, UK is a unique habitat and a wetland of international importance. A comparison of water table measurements made between 1928 and 1931 with contemporary observations indicates that summer minimum water table elevations are between 0.20 m and 0.45 m lower than in the past. The disparity cannot be attributed to differences in rainfall. There are a number of reasons why the Fen may be 'drying', but it was not possible to identify a single dominant cause. A simple water balance model that simulates groundwater levels in different areas of the Fen has been developed. This indicates that although locally important, in most years flows of water from ditches into the Fen comprise less than 10% of total summer inputs and in wet summers there is a net outflow from the Fen into the ditches. Based on an assessment of the water requirements of desired vegetation communities, a more active water management strategy than is presently implemented is proposed. This paper highlights how a better quantitative understanding of ecosystem functioning and the impact of human interventions are a pre-requisite for the development and implementation of sustainable wetland conservation strategies.     

Tug-of-war model for the two-bandit problem: Nonlocally-correlated parallel exploration via resource conservation

We propose a model - the “tug-of-war (TOW) model” - to conduct unique parallel searches using many nonlocally-correlated search agents. The model is based on the property of a single-celled amoeba, the true slime mold Physarum, which maintains a constant intracellular resource volume while collecting environmental information by concurrently expanding and shrinking its branches. The conservation law entails a “nonlocal correlation” among the branches, i.e., volume increment in one branch is immediately compensated by volume decrement(s) in the other branch(es). This nonlocal correlation was shown to be useful for decision making in the case of a dilemma. The multi-armed bandit problem is to determine the optimal strategy for maximizing the total reward sum with incompatible demands, by either exploiting the rewards obtained using the already collected information or exploring new information for acquiring higher payoffs involving risks. Our model can efficiently manage the “exploration-exploitation dilemma” and exhibits good performances. The average accuracy rate of our model is higher than those of well-known algorithms such as the modified ?-greedy algorithm and modified softmax algorithm, especially, for solving relatively difficult problems. Moreover, our model flexibly adapts to changing environments, a property essential for living organisms surviving in uncertain environments.     

The genetics of host-pathogen coevolution: implications for genetic resource conservation

The results of long-term studies of coevolution in the Hordeum vulgare-Rhynchosporium secalis pathosystem are summarized. The genetic systems of barley (host) and R. secalis (pathogen) are complementary: Gene-for-gene interactions among loci affect many traits, leading to self-regulating adjustments over generations between host and pathogen populations. Different pathotypes differ widely in their ability to damage the host, and different host-resistance alleles differ widely in their ability to protect the host from the pathogen. Among 29 resistance loci in the specific host population studied, several played major roles in providing stable resistance, but many had net detrimental effects on the yield and reproductive ability of the host. Resistance alleles that protected against the most damaging pathotypes increased sharply in frequency in the host populations. It is concluded that the evolutionary processes that take place in genetically variable populations propagated under conditions of cultivation can be highly effective in increasing the frequency of desirable alleles and useful multilocus genotypes. This enhances the value of the evolving populations as sources of genetic variability in breeding for disease resistance and other characters that affect adaptedness.     

AFLP: a useful tool for biodiversity conservation and management

The access to new molecular markers is not always possible for all researchers, due to limited laboratory and economical resources. A new technique, called AFLP, seems to be a simple and robust method to obtain a large number of variable molecular markers. In this article I show the results of AFLP analysis in three different conservation projects requiring different level of genetic variability. I also compare the multi-locus AFLP results with single-locus markers (microsatellites) and haploid organellar marker (mtDNA) sequences. The results suggest that the AFLP technique could be very useful in a wide range of conservation studies.     

Huastec noncrop resource management: Implications for prehistoric rain forest management

The Huastec have interacted with elements of a diverse flora in northeastern Mexico for 30 centuries. A Huastec plant-management model is derived from patterns reflected in all anthropogenic vegetation zones, from the dooryard to the forest, and used to discuss the possible effects of human activities upon the prehistoric rain forest. Huastec plant management is discussed from an analytical perspective which views plant management as resulting from the integration of two types of plant manipulation: the manipulation of vegetation en masse and the manipulation of individual plants. Decisions about plant manipulation reflect a concern for minimal labor investment to place the resource at hand. Noncrop plant manipulation practices potentially influence the evolution of individual plants and plant communities primarily by affecting species' distribution and population parameters. Since the impact of plant-management practices clearly goes beyond domestication, ways of evaluating such practices in order to expand our understanding of ethnobotanical interactions and their impact are suggested.     

A legacy of climate and catchment change: the real challenge for wetland management

Wetland managers are faced with an array of challenges when restoring ecosystems at risk from changing climate and human impacts, especially as many of these processes have been operating over decadal–millennial timescales. Variations in the level and salinity of the large crater lakes of western Victoria, as revealed over millennia by the physical, chemical and biological evidence archived in sediments, attest to extended periods of positive rainfall balance and others of rainfall deficit. The recent declines in the depth of these lakes have been attributed to a 15% decline in effective rainfall since AD 1859. Whilst some sites reveal state shifts following past droughts, the response of most wetlands to millennial-scale climatic variations is muted. Regional wetland condition has changed comprehensively, however, since European settlement, on account of extensive catchment modifications. These modifications appear to have reduced the resilience of wetlands limiting their capacity to recover from the recent ‘big dry’. These sedimentary archives reveal most modern wetlands to be outside their historical range of variability. This approach provides a longer-term context when assessing wetland condition and better establishes the restoration challenge posed by the impact of climate change and variability and human impacts.     

Peatland archaeology: a conservation resource on the edge of extinction

The dichotomy between the Arts and Sciences has meant that much valuable information in terms of conservation strategies available from the archaeological record has tended to be ignored by the conservation bodies and pigeon-holing within science itself further leads to an ignorance of the palaeoecological record and its relevance. Similar charges can be levelled at archaeologists for their failure to understand the relevance of their research to the modern world. An attempt is made to draw these various strands together in terms of recent work in wetland archaeology and the development of raised mires and their conservation in Britain, with particular reference to the Humberhead Levels of South Yorkshire and adjoining counties. A plea for more effective dialogue and a joint approach is entered.     

Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) in tropical Latin America: implications for biodiversity conservation, natural resource management and human nutrition

Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) is a multi-purpose palm tree native to tropical Latin America, which is predominantly cultivated by smallholders in agroforestry systems. The fruits are rich in starch and contribute importantly to food security and the cash income of farmers who cultivate them. Complex value chains have emerged that link producers to consumers, but irregular product quality and market chain inequalities undermine the economic well-being of producers and retailers. Peach palm is genetically diverse, but screening for traits of commercial and nutritional interest is required to enhance the use of its genetic resources. Alliances between public organizations and private enterprises are needed to realize the potential for processing novel products from peach palm, especially in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic sectors. The diverse challenges that emerge at different stages of production, processing and marketing require participatory research that directly involves stakeholders from the beginning.     

Matchmaking: An extensible framework for distributed resource management

Federated distributed systems present new challenges to resource management. Conventional resource managers are based on a relatively static resource model and a centralized allocator that assigns resources to customers. Distributed environments, particularly those built to support high-throughput computing (HTC), are often characterized by distributed management and distributed ownership. Distributed management introduces resource heterogeneity: Not only the set of available resources, but even the set of resource types is constantly changing. Distributed ownership introduces policy heterogeneity: Each resource may have its own idiosyncratic allocation policy. To address these problems, we designed and implemented the Matchmaking resource management framework. Customers and resources are all described by classified advertisements (classads) written in a simple but powerful formal language that describes their attributes and allocation policies. A Matchmaker server uses a policy-independent matching operation to discover pairings. It notifies the parties to the match, which use a separate, bilateral claiming protocol to confirm the allocation. The resulting framework is robust, scalable and flexible, and can evolve with changing resources. Matchmaking is the core of the Condor High Throughput Computing System developed at the University of Wisconsin — Madison. Condor is a production-quality system used by scientists and engineers at sites around the world. Condor derives much of its flexibility, robustness and efficiency from the matchmaking architecture. We describe the use of matchmaking in Condor, presenting several examples that illustrate its flexibility and expressiveness. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Science priorities for seamounts: research links to conservation and management

Seamounts shape the topography of all ocean basins and can be hotspots of biological activity in the deep sea. The Census of Marine Life on Seamounts (CenSeam) was a field program that examined seamounts as part of the global Census of Marine Life (CoML) initiative from 2005 to 2010. CenSeam progressed seamount science by collating historical data, collecting new data, undertaking regional and global analyses of seamount biodiversity, mapping species and habitat distributions, challenging established paradigms of seamount ecology, developing new hypotheses, and documenting the impacts of human activities on seamounts. However, because of the large number of seamounts globally, much about the structure, function and connectivity of seamount ecosystems remains unexplored and unknown. Continual, and potentially increasing, threats to seamount resources from fishing and seabed mining are creating a pressing demand for research to inform conservation and management strategies. To meet this need, intensive science effort in the following areas will be needed: 1) Improved physical and biological data; of particular importance is information on seamount location, physical characteristics (e.g. habitat heterogeneity and complexity), more complete and intensive biodiversity inventories, and increased understanding of seamount connectivity and faunal dispersal; 2) New human impact data; these shall encompass better studies on the effects of human activities on seamount ecosystems, as well as monitoring long-term changes in seamount assemblages following impacts (e.g. recovery); 3) Global data repositories; there is a pressing need for more comprehensive fisheries catch and effort data, especially on the high seas, and compilation or maintenance of geological and biodiversity databases that underpin regional and global analyses; 4) Application of support tools in a data-poor environment; conservation and management will have to increasingly rely on predictive modelling techniques, critical evaluation of environmental surrogates as faunal "proxies", and ecological risk assessment.     

四川省湿地水鸟资源现状与保护

为保护四川省湿地生境及生物多样性提供科学依据,于2014年12月至2018年12月对四川省湿地水鸟资源与栖息地进行了调查。在川西高原区、川西南山地区和四川盆地区共设置调查区域(点) 27个。调查记录湿地水鸟141种,加上以前有记录而本调查没有记录到的24种,四川湿地鸟类共计165种。实地调查到的141种湿地鸟类隶属于11目、23科,分别占全国水鸟目、科、种的73. 33%、65. 71%和43. 79%,其中国家一级保护鸟类7种,二级保护鸟类9种,四川省保护鸟类19种,CITES附录Ⅰ有3种,附录Ⅱ有8种。留鸟20种,夏候鸟23种,冬候鸟41种,旅鸟56种,迷鸟1种。区系组成包括古北界79种(59.57%)、东洋界33种(23.40%)、广布种29种(20.57%)。四川盆地区的物种数和种群数量最丰富,其次为川西高原区。四川盆地区与川西南山地区主要以冬候鸟和旅鸟为主,川西高原区则以夏候鸟为主。四川省湿地水鸟物种丰富,但人类活动导致湿地资源遭到破坏,影响了物种多样性,必须加强保护。