Scientists Combat Extinction in Eastern Hellbenders With Population Augmentation – via Herp Digest

In an effort to combat extinction in salamanders, researches the effectiveness of translocation. Documenting population growth over a four year period, the published study in Herpetological found this method to be successful

LAWRENCE, KAN. (PRWEB) DECEMBER 31, 2018

Herpetologica –With one-third of amphibian species facing extinction, the use of translocation, including population augmentation, is one of several tools available to minimize the risk of local extinctions. By intentionally moving an organism from one location to another, it is believed that the organism could thrive in a new habitat and contribute to future reproductive efforts.

In an article published in the journal Herpetologica, researchers from Purdue University utilized hellbenders, a type of large, aquatic salamander primarily found near moving bodies of water, to examine the impact of translocation and population augmentation. The researchers used radio telemetry to track the hellbenders’ movements, comparing the responses of wild-caught and captive-raised individuals as they were released into a suitable habitat.

Between 2011 and 2013, a total of 41 hellbenders were followed at two sites along a 112-kilometer stretch of the Blue River in southern Indiana. The researchers quantified site fidelity, movement distances, home range sizes and shelter preferences of all subjects. The study findings indicated that adult hellbenders had a higher site fidelity compared with the juveniles, and both adult and juvenile translocates exhibited a greater movement distance, which led to larger home range sizes. The researchers also created artificial nests to help ease the transition for translocates and noted that the adult translocates were more likely to use these nests in comparison to both adult residents and juvenile translocates.

The researchers reported a single gender-based difference in the behaviors of the hellbenders: females chose a more covered shelter than the males, which was attributed to mating patterns because males are generally more active in order to successfully find a mate. It was also shown that seasonality impacted the movements. The hellbenders were more likely to move at farther distances during the autumn than during the summer.

Translocation and population augmentation of the hellbender salamanders were successful conservation strategies during this study. This achievement was shown to be even more evident in the wild adult translocates compared with the juveniles, because successful reproduction was documented at one of the recipient sites four years after the start of the project.

Full text of the article, “Movement and Habitat Use of Eastern Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) Following Population Augmentation,” Herpetologica, Vol. 74, No. 4, 2018, is now available at http://www.hljournals.org/doi/abs/10.1655/Herpetologica-D-17-00044.1.

More bears needed to sustain Pyrenees population: activists

December 26, 2018

A protest by shepherds in Pau, southwest France, this year against the reintroduction of bears in the Pyrenees mountains

The release of additional bears into the Pyrenees mountains straddling France and Spain is needed to ensure the fledgling population's survival, the activist group charged with the bears' protection said Wednesday.

"The good news of 2018 is without doubt the release of two bears in the Bearn region in October," the Ferus association said, referring to the border region.

"But there's still a long road ahead of us," it added.

Government officials have pushed ahead with plans to reintroduce brown bears in a bid to boost biodiversity, despite fierce resistance by sheep and other livestock producers.

Around 40 bears currently roam the mountains since France began importing them from Slovenia in 1996, with Ferus hoping the two newest, Claverina and Sorita, will have cubs sometime next year.

Environmental activists say they are crucial for maintaining a fragile ecosystem threatened by human activity and climate change.

Some farmers, however, have vowed to shoot the bears on sight, saying they are decimating flocks, which now require costly protection from the predators.

Claims by farmers for government compensation have soared, rising by 70 percent this year to 448 cases in the single French department of Ariege, where opposition to the bears has been particularly intense.

"Complete security for the bears is far from assured because of an anti-bear minority which remains violent," Ferus said.

Read more at:

First tally of US-Russia polar bears finds a healthy population

Date:  November 14, 2018

Source:  University of Washington

Not all polar bears are in the same dire situation due to retreating sea ice, at least not right now. Off the western coast of Alaska, the Chukchi Sea is rich in marine life, but the number of polar bears in the area had never been counted. The first formal study of this population suggests that it's been healthy and relatively abundant in recent years, numbering about 3,000 animals.

The study by researchers at the University of Washington and federal agencies is published Nov. 14 in Scientific Reports, an open-access journal from the Nature Publishing Group.

"This work represents a decade of research that gives us a first estimate of the abundance and status of the Chukchi Sea subpopulation," said first author Eric Regehr, a researcher with the UW's Polar Science Center who started the project as a biologist in Alaska with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "Despite having about one month less time on preferred sea ice habitats to hunt compared with 25 years ago, we found that the Chukchi Sea subpopulation was doing well from 2008 to 2016.

"Sea-ice loss due to climate change remains the primary threat to the species but, as this study shows, there is variation in when and where the effects of sea-ice loss appear. Some subpopulations are already declining while others are still doing OK."

Of the world's 19 subpopulations of polar bears, the U.S. shares two with neighboring countries. The other U.S. subpopulation -- the southern Beaufort Sea polar bears, whose territory overlaps with Canada -- is showing signs of stress.

"The southern Beaufort Sea subpopulation is well-studied, and a growing body of evidence suggests it's doing poorly due to sea-ice loss," Regehr said.

Read on  

New discovery, more bees mark Michigan's first, full bee census

Date:  December 7, 2017

Source:  Michigan State University

     

The first complete bee census, led by Michigan State University scientists, confirmed a new species and revealed that the actual number of bee species in Michigan exceeded earlier estimates.

Identifying potential pollinators, including the 38 new bees recorded in the state, is crucial, especially in the face of declining honey bee populations. All pollinators make an estimated $14 billion annual contribution to U.S. agriculture, so it's imperative to understand wild bee populations and their benefits to crops and the environment.

"Pollinator conservation is not possible without a good understanding of what bees we have and where they are found," said Jason Gibbs, former MSU graduate student now with University of Manitoba. "We need better and more thorough sampling of our wild bee communities and an increased emphasis on understanding their basic taxonomy and natural history."

Continued  

Sardines, anchovies, other fast-growing fish vulnerable to dramatic population plunges

Overfishing, climate variability appear to be culprits, says marine biologist

Date: August 4, 2015

Source: Rutgers University

Summary: A marine biologist studying the rise and fall of fish populations worldwide recently made a counterintuitive discovery: ocean species that grow quickly and reproduce frequently are more likely to experience dramatic plunges in population than larger, slower growing fish such as sharks or tuna. In nearly all of the cases, overfishing was the culprit. Combining climate variability with high levels of fishing greatly increases the risk of population collapse.

Continued ...

Citizen science: Rabbit and hare population mapped

By Helen Briggs

BBC Environment Correspondent

3 April 2015 

From the sectionScience & Environment

Biologists are calling on the public to report sightings of rabbits and hares as part of a conservation effort.

The animals are easier to spot in spring when vegetation is low and the breeding season is under way.

Hares may be declining in parts of the UK, while rabbits have been hit by myxomatosis and other viral diseases, says the Mammal Society.

People are being asked to send in photographs of rabbits and hares to help map the UK population.

Dr Fiona Mathews, senior lecturer in mammalian biology and chair of the Mammal Society, said: "We have very poor information on rabbits and hares - and it's important to know if numbers are going up or down.

"They are part of the ecosystem and lots of other animals depend on them, either through grazing of their habitat or as a food source for foxes or birds of prey."

Mammal atlas

She said some parts of the UK had very low populations of rabbits and hares, particularly where there had been disease outbreaks. However, in other regions they have become so abundant they have become agricultural pests.

continued ...

Kaziranga’s vital Indian rhino population increases despite poaching

Rhino population increasing slowly

March 2013. Despite an increased level of poaching in Kaziranga National Park, the latest rhino census has recorded a 37% increase since 1999 (And a few rhinos that were relocated to found a new population in Manas National Park).

Kaziranga's rhino population has increased from 1672 in 1999, to 2048 in 2009 and 2290 in 2013.

Kaziranga is a vital habitat for the Asian one horned rhino, containing more than 60% of the world's entire population, as well as more than 50% of the world's wild water buffalo population. Kaziranga, in Assam, is a World Heritage Site.
The census was undertaken by more than 250 trained staff riding on elephants.

Poaching
Last year, more than 20 rhinos were poached in Kaziranga, and 14 have been poached so far this year as poaching has increased.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/kaziranga-rhino-census013.html