Preserving Population Allele Frequencies in Ex Situ Conservation Programs

Abstract: Optimization of contributions of parents to progeny by minimizing the average coancestry of the progeny is an effective strategy for maintaining genetic diversity in ex situ conservation programs, but its application on the basis of molecular markers has the negative collateral effect of homogenizing the allelic frequencies at each locus. Because one of the objectives of a conservation program is to preserve the genetic composition of the original endangered population, we devised a method in which markers are used to maintain the allele frequency distribution at each locus as closely as possible to that of the native population. Contributions of parents were obtained so as to minimize changes in allele frequency for a set of molecular markers in a population of reduced size. We used computer simulations, under a range of scenarios, to assess the effectiveness of the method in comparison with methods in which contributions of minimum coancestry are sought, either making use of molecular markers or genealogical information. Our simulations indicated that the proposed method effectively maintained the original distribution of allele frequencies, particularly under strong linkage, and maintained acceptable levels of genetic diversity in the population. Nevertheless, contributions of minimum coancestry determined from pedigree information but ignoring the genealogy previous to the conservation program, was the most effective method for maintaining allelic frequencies in realistic situations.     

Population Bottlenecks and Increased Hatching Failure in Endangered Birds

Abstract: Severe population bottlenecks are expected to lead to increases in inbreeding depression and to reduce the long‐term viability of populations. We compared hatching failure across 51 threatened bird species to test the relation between the size of population bottleneck and population viability. Bottleneck size was defined as the lowest population size recorded in a species. Hatching failure was estimated as the proportion of eggs that failed to hatch due to infertility and embryonic death, both of which increase with inbreeding. The size of the bottleneck varied from 4 to 20,000 individuals across species and had a significant negative effect on hatching failure, a pattern that was consistent when we controlled for the confounding effects of phylogeny, body size, clutch size, time since the bottleneck occurred, and latitude. Hatching failure varied from 3 to 64% across species and was more than 10% in all populations passing through bottlenecks below 100–150 individuals. Our results show that the negative consequences of bottlenecks on hatching success are widespread in the populations of species we examined, and emphasize the conservation benefit of preventing bottlenecks below 150 individuals.     

Spatial and Temporal Changes of Suspended Matter in Relation to Wind and Vegetation Cover in A Mediterranean Shallow Coastal Environment

Abstract

Seasonal and spatial changes in seston, (POC), particulate organic carbon, (PON) particulate organic nitrogen and chlorophyll-a concentrations were studied on a monthly basis in a Mediterranean shallow coastal area (Stagnone di Marsala, Western Sicily) in order to gather information on factors controlling particulate organic matter distribution and composition. Seston concentration and composition were connected to the main physicochemical and biological driving factors, such as temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, wind-speed and biomass of submerged vegetation. the Stagnone di Marsala is characterized by high temperatures with strong seasonality (range: 11–28°C), while values ranged from 33 to 45 salinity. Total suspended organic matter concentrations (by ignition loss) ranged from 2 mg l^?1 (in summer) to 12mgl^?1 (in winter) and chlorophyll-a concentrations from 0.02 to 2 μgl^?1. Despite a low POC/PON ratios (ranging from 5 to 11), the ratio of POC to chlorophyll (CHL-a) displayed very high values (annual average of 647). the data reported in this study, highlighting the oligotrophy of the Stagnone di Marsala area, indicate that the trophic state of the basin was controlled by different degrees of wind exposure (mean monthly wind velocity at exposed sites ranged between 4.2 and 6.7 m s^?1) and by gradients in vegetation cover. These two factors induced clear changes in the concentration and composition of the suspended particles, but played a different role in exposed and sheltered areas. Exposed areas with limited vegetation were characterized by large resuspension processes and wide temperature and salinity fluctuations caused by wind induced turbulence. in these areas, autotrophic biomass (as chlorophyll-a), due to phytoplankton and/or re-suspended microphytobenthos, appeared to play an important     

Spatial and Temporal Changes of Suspended Matter in Relation to Wind and Vegetation Cover in A Mediterranean Shallow Coastal Environment

Seasonal and spatial changes in seston, (POC), particulate organic carbon, (PON) particulate organic nitrogen and chlorophyll-a concentrations were studied on a monthly basis in a Mediterranean shallow coastal area (Stagnone di Marsala, Western Sicily) in order to gather information on factors controlling particulate organic matter distribution and composition. Seston concentration and composition were connected to the main physicochemical and biological driving factors, such as temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, wind-speed and biomass of submerged vegetation. the Stagnone di Marsala is characterized by high temperatures with strong seasonality (range: 11-28°C), while values ranged from 33 to 45 salinity. Total suspended organic matter concentrations (by ignition loss) ranged from 2 mg l^-1 (in summer) to 12mgl^-1 (in winter) and chlorophyll-a concentrations from 0.02 to 2 μgl^-1. Despite a low POC/PON ratios (ranging from 5 to 11), the ratio of POC to chlorophyll (CHL-a) displayed very high values (annual average of 647). the data reported in this study, highlighting the oligotrophy of the Stagnone di Marsala area, indicate that the trophic state of the basin was controlled by different degrees of wind exposure (mean monthly wind velocity at exposed sites ranged between 4.2 and 6.7 m s^-1) and by gradients in vegetation cover. These two factors induced clear changes in the concentration and composition of the suspended particles, but played a different role in exposed and sheltered areas. Exposed areas with limited vegetation were characterized by large resuspension processes and wide temperature and salinity fluctuations caused by wind induced turbulence. in these areas, autotrophic biomass (as chlorophyll-a), due to phytoplankton and/or re-suspended microphytobenthos, appeared to play an important     

Influence of Fragmentation and Bottlenecks on Genetic Divergence of Wild Turkey Populations

Abstract: There are few empirical studies of the effects of human-induced fragmentation and bottlenecks on the genetic structure of field populations. Assessment of these effects is necessary to evaluate the relevance of predictions obtained from simulation and theoretical models to the management of wild populations. The genetic structure of populations of the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), which have been heavily influenced by human activities, was examined using allozyme electrophoresis Allele frequencies at four polymorphic loci were estimated for 27 localities using 461 turkeys The estimated proportion of genetic variation resulting from differences among populations (F_st= 0.102) was one of the highest reported for any avian species and was also much higher than that observed between turkey populations that had not passed through known bottlenecks Almost all of the variation (89%) among populations was accounted for by differences between groups of populations with different histories of manipulation Fragmented distributions and population bottlenecks due to human activities appear to have increased genetic differentiation among populations of wild turkeys. This observation agrees with theoretical predictions concerning the effects of isolation and bottlenecks on the genetic structure of field populations.     

High Spatial and Temporal Variability of Dry Deposition in a Coastal Region

A real meteorological situation characterized by strong spatial and temporal variability of the meteorological fields in a coastal region of eastern Denmark is examined in view of the transport of a passive tracer and dry deposition. Model simulations using a full mesoscale NWP model (COAMPS^TM) at different horizontal resolutions are performed. A realistic simulation showed that the differences in the amount of dry deposited matter can reach one order of magnitude and larger, during the period of one afternoon, depending on the model horizontal resolution. In addition, the results of an idealized experiment with straight coastline indicate that the horizontal model resolution alone is responsible for most of the differences. This study confirms the importance of high spatial and temporal resolution modelling for environmental applications.     

Temporal dynamics of antagonism and mutualism in a geographically variable plant-insect interaction

Variation among sites and years in the local ecological outcome of interspecific interactions can generate a geographic mosaic of coevolution, as indicated by recent mathematical models. We evaluated whether local temporal dynamics of ecological outcome in the interaction between the moth Greya politella (Prodoxidae) and its host plant Lithophragma parviflorum (Saxifragaceae) are likely to mitigate or magnify geographic differences in ecological outcome found in earlier studies. The moths are highly host-specific pollinating floral parasites, and the mutualism can be swamped in some populations by the presence of effective co-pollinators. Hence, differing community contexts can shift the outcome of the interaction from mutualism to commensalism or antagonism. During each of four years, we evaluated the effect of Greya oviposition on seed development through a paired design that controlled for plant genotype and microenvironment. At Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge in Washington State, the interaction was significantly mutualistic in all four years. Mutualism in this population was indicated by a higher probability of development of capsules visited by ovipositing Greya than capsules not visited by Greya on the same plant. At Rapid River, Idaho, the interaction was commensalistic in three years and antagonistic in one year. Antagonism in this population was indicated by selective withering of capsules containing Greya eggs. Overall, the results suggest stable geographic differences in the range of ecological outcomes in this plant-insect interaction under different community contexts.     

Temporal patterns of populations in a warming world: a modelling framework

In this paper, we present an approach for describing the environmentally induced temporal pattern of structured populations by partial integro-differential equations. Populations are structured according to size or stage. Growth, energy allocation and stage transitions are affected by environmental conditions of which temperature, photoperiod, water depth and food supply were taken into account. The resulting modelling framework was applied to describe, analyse and predict alterations in populations with continuous development, populations with distinct state structures and interacting populations. Our exemplary applications consider populations of freshwater Amphipoda, Isopoda and Odonata. The model was capable of simulating life cycle alterations in dependence on temperature in interaction with other environmental factors: (1) population dynamics, (2) seasonal regulation, (3) water depth-dependent dispersal, (4) intraguild predation and (5) consumer-resource dynamics.     

Hereditary Blindness in a Captive Wolf (Canis lupus) Population: Frequency Reduction of a Deleterious Allele in Relation to Gene Conservation

Numerous cases of hereditary diseases and disorders have been reported in wild animals bred in captivity, but little attention has been paid to the particular genetic management problems that arise when such defects occur. These problems include the obstacle of eliminating the deleterious allele(s) without contemporary loss of genetic variability. In this paper we use the statistical methods of pedigree analysis to address questions regarding a previously presumed hereditary form of blindness observed in a captive wolf population bred for conservation purposes in Scandinavian zoos. The most likely mode of inheritance coincides with an autosomal recessive allele with either a full penetrance or a reduced penetrance of 0.6 (depending on the reliability of studbook records). Using these two models of inheritance, we calculate the probability of carrying the blindness allele for each living animal. Analysis of the effect of removing high-probability carriers on founder allele survival and level of inbreeding demonstrates that the frequency of the deleterious allele can be significantly reduced without seriously affecting founder allele survival or current degree of inbreeding in the wolf population.     

Severe storm disturbances and reversal of community structure in a southern California kelp forest

Regular observations made over a period of 5 yr in four permanent transects provided data on plant, sea urchin, and fish densities which indicate that two unusually severe winter storms in 1980 (Storm I) and 1983 (Storm II) had different effects on a southern California kelp-forest community. Storm I removed all canopies of the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera, but spared most understory kelps, mainly Pterygophora californica. Hence, the previously large accumulation of detached drift kelp, mostly M. pyrifera, disappeared. Denied their preferred diet of drift kelp, the sea urchins Strongylocentrotus franciscanus and S. purpuratus then emerged from shelters to find alternative food. Without effective predators, they consumed most living plants, including the surviving understory kelps. This weakened the important detritus-based food chain, as indicated indirectly by declining abundances of algal turf and fish (Embiotocidae) that eat small animals living in turf. In 1983, Storm II reversed the process by eliminating exposed urchins, while clearing rock surfaces for widespread kelp settlement and growth. By summer 1984, the kelp grew to maturity to form extensive canopies despite elevated water temperatures during summer and fall of 1983. Thus, severe storms may have vastly different effects on community structure, depending on the state of the community before the disturbance.     

Marine Protected Area Design and the Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Cetaceans in a Submarine Canyon

Abstract: The Gully, the largest submarine canyon off the coast of eastern Canada, is currently under consideration as a marine conservation area, primarily because of the increasing interest in oil and gas production on the Scotian Shelf. Cetaceans, as a guild of abundant, large organisms that are relatively sensitive to such threats, provide a reliable means to determine the boundaries for a conservation area in this region. We compared the abundance of cetaceans between the Gully and other parts of the Scotian Shelf and Slope and found that abundance was higher in the Gully. We also assessed cetacean distribution and relative abundance within the Gully relative to search effort for several spatial and temporal parameters: depth, slope, sea surface temperature, and month. Distribution within the Gully was most strongly correlated with depth, but was also significantly correlated with sea surface temperature and month. Five of the 11 cetacean species commonly found in the Gully, and all those for which the Gully formed significant habitat on the Scotian Shelf, were concentrated in the deep (200–2000 m) mouth of the canyon. We suggest that a year-round marine protected area is necessary for the Gully. A core protection zone should be defined in the Gully based on depth and bounded by the 200-m isobath. A buffer zone around the core zone should be defined to provide protection from activities with further-reaching effects, such as noise, dredging, and chemical pollution.     

Temporal and spatial components of variability in benthic recruitment,a 5-year temperate example

Deployment of artificial substrata is a common method of investigating early community development and recruitment, but rarely are such experiments of long enough duration to include even year time scales. We placed replicate, machined-slate panels (15×15 cm) in the intertidal and at depths of 6 and 12 m at two sites of differing flow rate at Lough Hyne, SW Ireland. These were serially replaced every 30–60 days for a period of 5 years (1997–2002), except in the intertidal (2000–2002). The number and identity of all recruits were recorded. Recruitment varied over several orders of magnitude both on temporal and spatial scales. The greatest source of variability was between the intertidal (with few species or recruit numbers) and the subtidal zones (many species, some with thousands of recruits per panel per 30 days). Highest levels of recruitment occurred at the low-flow site (Labhra Cliff). Here, recruitment was dominated by the serpulid polychaete, Pomatoceros sp., reaching ~4000 individuals per panel per 30 days. Highest species richness occurred, however, at the high flow site (Whirlpool Cliff). At this site more colonial forms (e.g. bryozoans) settled. Season was found to be the dominant pattern explaining subtidal recruit and species number variability. Year, however, was the dominant temporal pattern explaining change in diversity (Shannon–Wiener H). In space, depth explained most variability of recruit numbers, whereas site explained more variation in species richness. Both these spatial factors contributed similarly to variability of diversity (H). Recruitment has long been known to vary considerably over large spatial scales, such as with latitude and isolation, but we that show changes of a similar magnitude in recruitment can occur across small spatial scales. Individual taxa showed varied temporal patterns of recruitment including continuous, regular seasonal fluctuations and irregular pulses in particular years.     

Temporal and spatial variation in bacterial production in the water column over a coral reef

Production and doubling times of the bacterial populations in the water around and over the reefs at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef were measured during summer and winter, 1982 and 1983. Bacterial productivity, determined from the rate of tritiated thymidine incorporation into DNA, was high over the reef flats and a Thalassia hemprichii sand flat (28 to 58 g Cl^-1 d^-1). Bacterial growth rates increased during the day and fell at night over the reef flats and seagrass bed. Growth rates were slower over the reef front and in open water. Doubling times ranged from about 2 d in the open water to about 3 h over the reef flat in summer. As numbers did not increase, grazing was probably intense on the reef flats. Growth rates were much slower in winter. The main source of organic nutrient used by the bacteria was probably mucus released following photosynthesis in the corals. The cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. was sometimes very numerous, especially in summer when 2×10⁸ cells l^-1 were recorded in one water mass. The number of bacteria was also very high in summer, with values ranging from 1×10⁹ to 2.5×10⁹l^-1.