Captive Breeding, Reintroduction, and the Conservation of Amphibians

Abstract: The global amphibian crisis has resulted in renewed interest in captive breeding as a conservation tool for amphibians. Although captive breeding and reintroduction are controversial management actions, amphibians possess a number of attributes that make them potentially good models for such programs. We reviewed the extent and effectiveness of captive breeding and reintroduction programs for amphibians through an analysis of data from the Global Amphibian Assessment and other sources. Most captive breeding and reintroduction programs for amphibians have focused on threatened species from industrialized countries with relatively low amphibian diversity. Out of 110 species in such programs, 52 were in programs with no plans for reintroduction that had conservation research or conservation education as their main purpose. A further 39 species were in programs that entailed captive breeding and reintroduction or combined captive breeding with relocations of wild animals. Nineteen species were in programs with relocations of wild animals only. Eighteen out of 58 reintroduced species have subsequently bred successfully in the wild, and 13 of these species have established self‐sustaining populations. As with threatened amphibians generally, amphibians in captive breeding or reintroduction programs face multiple threats, with habitat loss being the most important. Nevertheless, only 18 out of 58 reintroduced species faced threats that are all potentially reversible. When selecting species for captive programs, dilemmas may emerge between choosing species that have a good chance of surviving after reintroduction because their threats are reversible and those that are doomed to extinction in the wild as a result of irreversible threats. Captive breeding and reintroduction programs for amphibians require long‐term commitments to ensure success, and different management strategies may be needed for species earmarked for reintroduction and species used for conservation research and education.     

Orchid conservation in the biodiversity hotspot of southwestern China

Xishuangbanna is on the northern margins of tropical Asia in southwestern China and has the largest area of tropical forest remaining in the country. It is in the Indo‐Burma hotspot and contains 16% of China's vascular flora in <0.2% of the country's total area (19,690 km²). Rapid expansion of monoculture crops in the last 20 years, particularly rubber, threatens this region's exceptional biodiversity. To understand the effects of land‐use change and collection on orchid species diversity and determine protection priorities, we conducted systematic field surveys, observed markets, interviewed orchid collectors, and then determined the conservation status of all orchids. We identified 426 orchid species in 115 genera in Xishuangbanna: 31% of all orchid species that occur in China. Species richness was highest at 1000–1200 m elevation. Three orchid species were assessed as possibly extinct in the wild, 15 as critically endangered, 82 as endangered, 124 as vulnerable, 186 as least concern, and 16 as data deficient. Declines over 20 years in harvested species suggested over‐collection was the major threat, and utility value (i.e., medicinal or ornamental value) was significantly related to endangerment. Expansion of rubber tree plantations was less of a threat to orchids than to other taxa because only 75 orchid species (17.6%) occurred below the 1000‐m‐elevation ceiling for rubber cultivation, and most of these (46) occurred in nature reserves. However, climate change is projected to lift this ceiling to around 1300 m by 2050, and the limited area at higher elevations reduces the potential for upslope range expansion. The Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden is committed to achieving zero plant extinctions in Xishuangbanna, and orchids are a high priority. Appropriate in and ex situ conservation strategies, including new protected areas and seed banking, have been developed for every threatened orchid species and are being implemented.     

Critically evaluating best management practices for preventing freshwater turtle extinctions

Ex situ conservation tools, such as captive breeding for reintroduction, are considered a last resort to recover threatened or endangered species, but they may also help reduce anthropogenic threats where it is difficult or impossible to address them directly. Headstarting, or captive rearing of eggs or neonate animals for subsequent release into the wild, is controversial because it treats only a symptom of a larger conservation problem; however, it may provide a mechanism to address multiple threats, particularly near population centers. We conducted a population viability analysis of Australia's most widespread freshwater turtle, Chelodina longicollis, to determine the effect of adult roadkill (death by collision with motor vehicles), which is increasing, and reduced recruitment through nest predation from introduced European red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). We also modeled management scenarios to test the effectiveness of headstarting, fox management, and measures to reduce mortality on roads. Only scenarios with headstarting from source populations eliminated all risks of extinction and allowed population growth. Small increases in adult mortality (2%) had the greatest effect on population growth and extinction risk. Where threats simultaneously affected other life‐history stages (e.g., recruitment), eliminating harvest pressures on adult females alone did not eliminate the risk of population extinction. In our models, one source population could supply enough hatchlings annually to supplement 25 other similar‐sized populations such that extinction was avoided. Based on our results, we believe headstarting should be a primary tool for managing freshwater turtles for which threats affect multiple life‐history stages. We advocate the creation of source populations for managing freshwater turtles that are greatly threatened at multiple life‐history stages, such as depredation of eggs by invasive species and adult mortality via roadkill.     

Developments in amphibian captive breeding and reintroduction programs

Captive breeding and reintroduction remain high profile but controversial conservation interventions. It is important to understand how such programs develop and respond to strategic conservation initiatives. We analyzed the contribution to conservation made by amphibian captive breeding and reintroduction since the launch of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Amphibian Conservation Action Plan (ACAP) in 2007. We assembled data on amphibian captive breeding and reintroduction from a variety of sources including the Amphibian Ark database and the IUCN Red List. We also carried out systematic searches of Web of Science, JSTOR, and Google Scholar for relevant literature. Relative to data collected from 1966 to 2006, the number of species involved in captive breeding and reintroduction projects increased by 57% in the 7 years since release of the ACAP. However, there have been relatively few new reintroductions over this period; most programs have focused on securing captive‐assurance populations (i.e., species taken into captivity as a precaution against extinctions in the wild) and conservation‐related research. There has been a shift to a broader representation of frogs, salamanders, and caecilians within programs and an increasing emphasis on threatened species. There has been a relative increase of species in programs from Central and South America and the Caribbean, where amphibian biodiversity is high. About half of the programs involve zoos and aquaria with a similar proportion represented in specialist facilities run by governmental or nongovernmental agencies. Despite successful reintroduction often being regarded as the ultimate milestone for such programs, the irreversibility of many current threats to amphibians may make this an impractical goal. Instead, research on captive assurance populations may be needed to develop imaginative solutions to enable amphibians to survive alongside current, emerging, and future threats.     

镉胁迫对银条内镉残留及其品质的影响

为探索重金属Cd对银条（Stachys floridana Schuttl.ex Benth.）地下茎品质的影响及其Cd残留情况,将银条地下茎在经消毒的沙子中发芽生长,并浇灌改良Hoagland营养液,待银条长到第一朵花的花蕾出现时,对生长状况良好的银条按一定周期浇灌不同质量浓度的Cd^2＋（CdCl2分析纯）,以不施镉为对照,两个月成熟后采其地下茎进行品质测定,并利用电感耦合等离子体发射光谱仪测定经消解的样品中Cd的含量。实验结果表明,随着Cd胁迫质量浓度的增加,可溶性糖、可滴定酸、可溶性蛋白含量逐渐降低,呈负相关关系,相关系数分别为-0.984 9^＊＊、-0.991 2^＊＊和-0.893 3^＊＊,其含量分别为对照的58.40%、57.56%和75.68%;可溶性固形物、维生素C含量呈先稍微上升然后再下降的趋势,而粗纤维的含量则逐渐升高,但数值变化不是很明显;Cd在地下茎中的残留随着Cd胁迫质量浓度的增加而升高,且各处理与对照呈极显著差异,并与国家蔬菜卫生标准相比,Cd含量严重超标,在250 mg·L^-1的Cd质量浓度下其残留是国家标准的16.46倍。     

短序醉鱼草的化学成分研究

为研究短序醉鱼草中具有血管紧张素转化酶(ACE)抑制活性的成分,从该植物地上部分95%乙醇提取物中首次分离并鉴定了11个化合物,分别是洋芹素(1)、芦丁(2)、槲皮素(3)、E-对-羟基肉桂酸(4)、β-谷甾醇(5)、β-胡萝卜甙(6)、豆甾醇(7)、3,4-二甲氧基肉桂酸(8)、木樨草素(9)、丁香醛(10)和华良姜素(11).化合物1、3和9显示一定的ACE抑制活性.图1表1参15     

Assessing the global zoo response to the amphibian crisis through 20‐year trends in captive collections

Global amphibian declines are one of the biggest challenges currently facing the conservation community, and captive breeding is one way to address this crisis. Using information from the International Species Information System zoo network, we examined trends in global zoo amphibian holdings across species, zoo region, and species geographical region of origin from 1994 to 2014. These trends were compared before and after the 2004 Global Amphibian Assessment to assess whether any changes occurred and whether zoo amphibian conservation effort had increased. The numbers of globally threatened species (GTS) and their proportional representation in global zoo holdings increased and this rate of increase was significantly greater after 2004. North American, European, and Oceanian GTS were best represented in zoos globally, and proportions of Oceanian GTS held increased the most since 2004. South American and Asian GTS had the lowest proportional representation in zoos. At a regional zoo level, European zoos held the lowest proportions of GTS, and this proportion did not increase after 2004. Since 1994, the number of species held in viable populations has increased, and these species are distributed among more institutions. However, as of 2014, zoos held 6.2% of globally threatened amphibians, a much smaller figure than for other vertebrate groups and one that falls considerably short of the number of species for which ex situ management may be desirable. Although the increased effort zoos have put into amphibian conservation over the past 20 years is encouraging, more focus is needed on ex situ conservation priority species. This includes building expertise and capacity in countries that hold them and tracking existing conservation efforts if the evidence‐based approach to amphibian conservation planning at a global level is to be further developed.     

改性纳米零价铁对稻田土壤As污染的修复效能

为实现对稻田土壤As污染的高效修复,通过制备C-NZVI(壳聚糖基稳定化纳米零价铁),分析其对还原态亚砷酸〔As(Ⅲ)〕的吸附动力学和等温吸附特征,阐明典型竞争性阴离子/分子对C-NZVI吸附As(Ⅲ)效率的影响;在此基础上,重点研究淹水和拮抗性肥料对稻土As的强化溶出效应,揭示C-NZVI对稻土液相As的异位吸附去除与原位补充钝化作用.结果表明:准一级动力学和Langmuir等温吸附模型能很好地描述C-NZVI对As(Ⅲ)的吸附过程特征,该材料对As(Ⅲ)的最大吸附量为145.09 mg/g;当竞争性K₂HPO₄、H₃BO₃、Na₂SiO₃和CH₃COOH的摩尔浓度为0.05~0.50 mmol/L时,C-NZVI对As(Ⅲ)的去除率依然高达99%.在对稻田土壤进行淹水和依次施用NH₄H₂PO₄、(NH₄)₂C₂O₄、Na₂SiO₃三种拮抗性肥料条件下,稻土中累积溶出w(水溶态As)(18.1 mg/kg)达到土壤w(As)的30.0%;对强化溶出反应后的淹水稻土进行排水并利用C-NZVI对各步分离获得的含As液相进行异位吸附,As去除率为91.3%~99.8%,该过程使稻土中w(As)减少43.4%~52.6%;进一步利用1%和5%的C-NZVI对强化溶出后的稻土进行补充钝化,可使稻土中w(非专性吸附态As)降低94.7%~100%.研究显示,淹水强化条件下,利用C-NZVI对稻田土壤As污染进行异位去除与原位钝化的联合修复可为有效减控稻田土壤As生物有效性提供有益途径.      

喜马拉雅山区葇籽草和棘豆样品中PCBs、PBDEs和PCDD/Fs的分析

应用同位素稀释-高分辨气相色谱/高分辨质谱(HRGC/HRMS)法分析了喜马拉雅山区海拔5000 m以上的葇籽草和棘豆样品中多氯联苯(PCBs)、多溴联苯醚(PBDEs)和二噁英(PCDD/Fs)的含量.这两种植物样品中污染物含量与世界其它偏远地区的水平基本保持一致.其中PCBs的总含量在1.94—3.62 ng.g-1干重(dw)范围内,平均值为2.60 ng.g-1dw;PCB-28和PCB-52的浓度明显较高,约占7种指示性PCBs总量的90%以上.14种PBDEs的总浓度在83.3—142 pg.g-1dw之间,平均值为116 pg.g-1dw;除BDE-85、-138、-154,以及高溴代的BDE-190和BDE-209未检出外,其它9种单体均有不同程度的检出,且以低溴代的BDE-28为主,含量占45%以上.样品中PCDD/Fs基本上未检出.由于样品采集点位于喜马拉雅山人迹罕至的珠穆朗玛峰北坡地区,周围并无工业污染源,因此植物样品中PCBs及PBDEs可能是污染物发生大气长距离传输和生物富集的结果.     

毛叶山桐子培育新方法及其工程化研究

毛叶山桐子的人工培育困难,至今没有人工林地。本研究通过小型试验、扩大试验和工程化试验,对毛叶山桐子的育苗方法进行了系统研究,得出了毛叶山桐子育苗的最佳条件。