Securing the Demographic and Genetic Future of Tuatara through Assisted Colonization |
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Authors: | KIMBERLY A. MILLER HILARY C. MILLER JENNIFER A. MOORE NICOLA J. MITCHELL ALISON CREE FRED W. ALLENDORF STEPHEN D. SARRE SUSAN N. KEALL NICOLA J. NELSON |
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Affiliation: | 1. Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington 6140, New Zealand;2. School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Building 18, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia;3. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, 13 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI 48824, U.S.A.;4. Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, WA, Australia;5. Department of Zoology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand;6. Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, U.S.A.;7. Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia |
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Abstract: | Abstract: Climate change poses a particular threat to species with fragmented distributions and little or no capacity to migrate. Assisted colonization, moving species into regions where they have not previously occurred, aims to establish populations where they are expected to survive as climatic envelopes shift. However, adaptation to the source environment may affect whether species successfully establish in new regions. Assisted colonization has spurred debate among conservation biologists and ecologists over whether the potential benefits to the threatened species outweigh the potential disruption to recipient communities. In our opinion, the debate has been distracted by controversial examples, rather than cases where assisted colonization may be a viable strategy. We present a strategic plan for the assisted migration of tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus), an endemic New Zealand reptile. The plan includes use of extant populations as reference points for comparisons with assisted‐colonization populations with respect to demography, phenotypic plasticity, and phenology; optimization of genetic variation; research to fill knowledge gaps; consideration of host and recipient communities; and inclusion of stakeholders in the planning stage. When strategically planned and monitored, assisted colonization could meet conservation and research goals and ultimately result in the establishment of long‐term sustainable populations capable of persisting during rapid changes in climate. |
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Keywords: | assisted migration climate change ecological replacement managed relocation reintroduction translocation tuatara cambio climá tico migració n asistida reemplazo ecoló gico reintroducció n translocació n traslado tuatara |
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