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25th International Congress for Conservation Biology • Auckland, New Zealand • 5-9 December 2011 many calves. To facilitate conservation seven families had moved out of wild yak areas which herders regularly patrol. I joined a patrol and saw 20 wild bulls where winter herds >100 are seen. I also saw 50 bulls in bordering areas indicating the opportunity for expansion of this approach, and there is interest from a local NGO in selling hybrid bulls. Loss of domestic yak cows into wild herds can be a problem, and herders lose about one cow every five years. Wild yaks in the area are still black, however, suggesting that the wild bloodlines are pure. Wild relatives of domestics are important genetic resources for future threats e.g. climate change and disease, and this research shows a promising way to add value to and promote wild yak conservation. 2011-12-06 17:15 Assessing patterns of genetic diversity: essential data for implementing plant reintroduction strategies Byrne, M*, Science Division, Department of Environment and Conservation; Coates, DJ, Science Division, Department of Environment and Conservation; Millar, MA, Science Division, Department of Environment and Conservation; Assessing patterns of genetic diversity and understanding causal factors such as reproductive biology, historical isolation and contemporary gene flow can be critical for designing strategies for threatened plant species reintroductions. One strategy might be to increase genetic diversity by combining germplasm from different populations to maximise evolutionary potential under environmental change. Another could be to keep historically divergent lineages within a species as separate reintroductions with local adaptation a key goal. These are ends of a spectrum of possibilities when considering how to establish new populations to ensure species persistence, and require an understanding of genetic structure and the breeding system of the target species. Here we present data from studies on the molecular ecology of three animal pollinated woody shrubs in the Proteaceae that highlight different approaches required for effective reintroduction programs in these species. We demonstrate how understanding evolutionary relationships among populations is critically important for implementing reintroduction strategies that maximise persistence and evolutionary potential of species. 2011-12-08 18:30 Do Rainforest Mammals Exhibit Micro-scale Avoidance Behaviour to Roads? Byrnes, P.J.*, James Cook University; Road avoidance is typically indicated in the literature by changes in species abundance, density or diversity over reasonably large distances, comparing spatially distant sites or following these factors along transects perpendicular to the road. Very few studies have examined small-scale avoidance effects. Three species of tropical rainforest mammal (Hypsiprymnodon moschatus, Uromys caudimaculatus and Perameles nasuta) showed no preference for forest interior over habitat adjacent to a highway or dirt road through rainforest in northeast Queensland, Australia. Do these broad-scale observations reflect what is occurring within the road edge habitat? Do animals active within the edge zone exhibit micro-scale avoidance behaviour? Animals were trapped adjacent to roads and tracked using spool-and-line tracking techniques, with tracks analysed in 1 metre segments after omitting post-release flight. None of the species showed a preference for that part of their home range further from the road compared with near the road. Additionally, the probability of animals moving away from roads was not significantly different to their probability of moving towards it, while their direction of turning and mean angle of movement was also unaffected. The study species did not avoid either highway or dirt road at the micro-scale and we conclude that roadside habitat may represent a favourable environment that overrides any natural responses to disturbance and threats posed by the road. 2011-12-08 10:30 Rodent dynamics in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania: implications of climate and land use change for East African savanna ecosystems Byrom, AE*, Landcare Research, PO Box 40, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand; Metzger, K, Centre for Biodiversity Research, 6270 University Boulevard, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada; Craft, M, Division of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland G12 8QQ, United Kingdom; Nkwabi, A, Serengeti Biodiversity Program, TAWIRI, PO Box 661, Arusha, Tanzania; Durant, S, Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, United Kingdom; Reed, D, Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C3200, Austin, TX 78712, USA; Ruscoe, WA, Landcare Research, PO Box 40, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand; Sinclair, ARE, Centre for Biodiversity Research, 6270 University Boulevard, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada Little is known about the dynamics of rodents in Serengeti. We investigated this lesser-known component of the ecosystem by combining scattered data collected over four decades (1968–2010) with intensive trapping data 1999– 2010. Rodents reached high numbers every 3-5yr (‘outbreaks’), driven by short-season rainfall. Small mammalian carnivores and birds of prey peaked in abundance after rodents. Rodent outbreaks may benefit conservation of carnivores and birds of prey because rodents provide pulses of food (prey) at critical times. To the west and north of Serengeti National Park are agricultural villages. The area is undergoing unprecendented development and intensification of land use. Rodent outbreaks cause economic losses because they damage crops and stored grain. In outbreak years they also transmit diseases directly to humans, or to domestic dogs and cats, which transmit diseases back to wild carnivores. In human-impacted areas rodents are therefore regarded as a pest. Climate change projections for East Africa suggest that the amount and variability of rainfall will decrease over the next two decades, resulting in fewer rodent outbreaks. This is good news for managing rodents in agricultural areas, and may reduce disease outbreaks in wildlife and humans. Conversely, rodents are a vital part of the natural savanna ecosystem because they provide food for threatened carnivores. This sets up a complex conflict between natural and human-dominated ecosystems in East Africa. 2011-12-06 14:30 A framework for assessing the vulnerability of Australia’s elapid snakes to climate change Cabrelli, AL*, Macquarie University; Hughes, L, Macquarie University; In view of the accelerating rate of climate change, there is an imperative to assess which species are likely to be most vulnerable to its impacts so that conservation priorities can be set. To date, vulnerability assessments have largely been based on projected changes in range size derived from the output of Environmental Niche Models (ENMs). However, the major limitation of these models as risk assessment tools is that many traits that are important contributors to the vulnerability of species are not explicitly incorporated into the modelling process. We developed a novel, point-scoring framework for ranking species according to their climate change vulnerability that combines the output of ENMs with information on species’ traits. We applied this system to Australia’s elapid snakes, a taxonomic group that has been little studied in relation to future vulnerability. We found that species’ scores varied widely, ranging from 5.3 (least vulnerable) to 45.0 (most vulnerable) out of a possible 56. Using the list of ranked species we identified two ecoregions within Australia, the Brigalow tropical savannah and the Mitchell grass downs, which are particularly rich in vulnerable species. By providing a more comprehensive and rigorous method for assessing vulnerability than those based solely on ENMs, this framework provides more objective justification for resource allocation, and can help guide decisions regarding the most appropriate adaptation strategies. 2011-12-08 14:30 Coral recruitment at Lord Howe Island – closed or open populations? Cameron, KA*, Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University; Harrison, PL, Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University; Scleractinian corals are the foundation species of coral reefs worldwide. Coral recruitment is a critically important process in the maintenance of coral reefs, especially in the recovery and replenishment of reefs following disturbance. The proportion of coral recruits derived from dispersed larvae of broadcast spawning corals versus localised recruitment from corals that brood larvae changes with latitude. Broadcasting corals dominate recruitment at lower latitude tropical reefs, with brooding corals tending to dominate at higher latitude subtropical reefs. Lord Howe Island lies off eastern Australia and has the most southerly true fringing lagoonal coral reef in the world. Initial work to explore recruitment patterns in the early 1990s found that brooding coral recruits were dominant at Lord Howe 22
25th International Congress for Conservation Biology • Auckland, New Zealand • 5-9 December 2011 Island. The methodology for studying coral recruitment has been refined since this time. New surveys conducted at Lord Howe Island over 2011 are currently quantifying the distribution and abundance of scleractinian corals by examining settlement on replicate recruitment tiles at five sites, comparing recruitment patterns between sites and within sites over three seasons. This will enable assessment of whether coral recruitment patterns have changed over the last two decades in response to changing climate. It will also assist in quantifying the likely period required for the recovery of coral communities damaged by an extensive coral bleaching event at Lord Howe Island in 2010. 2011-12-06 14:00 Coffee habitat complexity influences blackthroated blue warbler use of Jamaican coffee farms: implications for an ecosystem service Campos, BR*, Humboldt State University; Johnson, MD, Humboldt State University; Ecosystem services provisioned by mobile organisms are delivered as a function of the movements of those organisms – movements that are influenced by the availability of the habitats selected by those organisms. On Jamaica’s coffee farms, birds serve as agents of biological control of the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei), coffee’s most devastating pest worldwide. Using radio-telemetry we investigated the habitat selection, home ranges, and coffee habitat use of black-throated blue warblers (Dendroica caerulescens), likely the foremost predator of coffee berry borer, on two coffee farms of differing vegetative complexity in western Jamaica. We developed population-based models of habitat selection of four coffee habitat variables. Birds demonstrated strong and consistent selection of home range placement in areas of increasing canopy cover and coffee crop cover, and at intermediate distances from uncultivated habitat on both farms. Home range size decreased with increasing use of coffee habitat at the farm with high vegetation complexity, whereas this trend reversed on the other farm. Home range size also decreased with increasing canopy cover within the home range on both farms. As expected, birds at the farm with higher vegetation complexity spent significantly more time in coffee habitat. We conclude that knowledge of birds’ selection for vegetation complexity can enable farm managers to promote bird-provisioned ecosystem services in Jamaica’s coffee landscapes. 2011-12-06 12:00 Conservation status of three primate species (Callicebus ornatus, Saimiri sciureus albigena and Aotus brumbackii) at Colombian Llanos Carretero-Pinzón, X.*, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia ; Ruíz-García, M., Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia ; Three primate species (Callicebus ornatus, Saimiri sciureus albigena and Aotus brumbackii) are threatened in Colombian Llanos by an increment in habitat loss, fragmentation, palm oil plantations and livestock activities. We made an assessment in the conservation status of these species based on different sorts of data, including habitat availability, population information from some areas of their distribution and several genetics results. Reduction in at least 40 % of their distribution area and variable density estimated values (C. ornatus ranges 0.18 x 10-2 – 57.94 ind/ km2, S.s. albigena ranged 7.69 – 167.62 ind/ km2 and A. brumbacki ranged 4.35 – 15.24 ind/ km2) shows problems for such species and their respective populations as crowded populations in small fragments, higher predation risk during dispersion events and low census numbers that can lead them to local population extinction and higher threatened status. Some genetics statistics showed relatively low gene diversity for S.s. albigena and A. brumbackii compared with other taxa of these genera in areas with less anthropogenic alterations. Use of fence rows of different heights and covertures, education programs and joint work with livestock farmers and palm oil plantations can reduce the population isolation, disturbance and local extinction of these Colombian endemic primate species. 2011-12-07 15:00 Googling wildlife connectivity: how new tools for analysis of the structure of the internet can help map habitat linkages Carroll, C*, KCCR; McRae, B, The Nature Conservancy; Natural areas that are linked into networks are often more effective than isolated areas at preserving biodiversity. However, existing tools for mapping habitat connectivity poorly reflect complex patterns of animal movement. Methods for analysis of large graphs such as the structure of the internet can also be applied to habitat linkage mapping and landscape-level centrality analysis. Centrality refers to a group of landscape metrics that rank the importance of sites as gatekeepers for flow across a network, to determine which areas, across the landscape as a whole, would be priorities for measures to facilitate connectivity. These methods can also be applied to the more common question of mapping habitat linkages between a pair of source and a target patches, and to analyzing connectivity across time as habitat shifts under changing climates. Centrality analysis can be applied in single species and multi-species planning efforts, at a range of scales from local watersheds to large regions. Recent examples include projects to identify key linkages for Northern Spotted Owl in the Pacific Northwest, for gray wolf in western North America, and for a suite of focal species in British Columbia. Although corridor mapping functions have long been available in GIS, connectivity conservation planning will increasingly involve comparison of a variety of diverse metrics, include those described here, and validation with genetic data that records the effects of past dispersal movements. 2011-12-07 17:15 Impact of regulatory fragmentation on the ability of species to adapt to climate change Carroll, Jennifer*, University of Notre Dame; McLachlan, Jason, University of Notre Dame; Camacho, Alejandro, University of California, Irvine; Johnson, Dylan, University of Notre Dame; Dalby, Christopher, University of California, Irvine; As the climate changes, species are expected to shift their home ranges; however, overlaying this movement is a fragmented regulatory landscape, resulting in few landscapes subject to a single management authority. To investigate how regulatory fragmentation will impact the survival of species already struggling with climate change, we selected Coachella Valley in California as a case study. We categorized the relevant federal, state and local regulations and polices according to their effect on species movement. We then used a maximum entropy algorithm to produce climate envelope projections under the IPCC A2a scenario for a set of species from a range of taxa and conservation statuses. We next used Circuitscape to determine how a fragmented regulatory landscape will impact the path and ability of species to move. The challenges posed by climate change will expose the limitations of static fragmented resource management to address emerging conservation issues. Although innovations such as the Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan in Coachella Valley improve on conventional management by attempting to link management of parcels within a landscape, they nonetheless fail to account for new challenges such as the shift in community composition. Interagency information sharing and an adaptive governance framework that requires agencies to monitor and adapt their decisions and programs will help mitigate the regulatory barriers to climate change adaptation. 2011-12-08 18:30 Implications of behavioral plasticity for conservation of New Zealand tuatara Carter, Anna L.*, Victoria University of Wellington School of Biological Sciences, Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution; Nelson, Nicola J., Victoria University of Wellington School of Biological Sciences, Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolutio; Plasticity in life-history traits is an important mechanism by which populations respond to environmental change and, consequently, either survive or become extinct. Particularly for species with temperaturedependent sex determination (TSD), individual variations in reproductive behaviors have crucial implications for both offspring fitness and population demographics, as increasing temperatures will likely lead to biased sex ratios. The New Zealand endemic tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus), a long-lived, slowly reproducing reptile with TSD, provides an opportunity to examine if plasticity in reproductive behavior influences survival of a threatened species with low evolutionary potential. We investigate latitudinal variations in climate, enclosure effects (for captive populations), and maternal effects of laying date and nest site selection (e.g. shade, nest depth, temperature) for tuatara throughout New Zealand sourced from a 23
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Index Benini, Rubens 42 Beniston, M
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Index DeWan, Amielle 14 Dianne Brun
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Index Hilborn, Ray 27 Hill, CM 176
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Index Loutit, R. 116 Louwe Kooijman
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Index Ottewell, K 81 Overton, J 61,
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Index Sequeira, Ana 151 Serebryakov
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Index Winandy, L 181 Winner, J. 112
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