Low Genetic Variability in the Hawaiian Monk Seal

The Hawaiian monk seal (   Monachus schauinslandi) is a critically endangered species that has failed to recover from human exploitation despite decades of protection and ongoing management efforts designed to increase population growth. The seals breed at five principal locations in the northwestern Hawaiian islands, and inter-island migration is limited. Genetic variation in this species is expected to be low due to a recent population bottleneck and probable inbreeding within small subpopulations. To test the hypothesis that small population size and strong site fidelity has led to low within-island genetic variability and significant between-island differentiation, we used two independent approaches to quantify genetic variation both within and among the principal subpopulations. Mitochondrial control region and tRNA gene sequences (359 base pairs) were obtained from 50 seals and revealed very low genetic diversity (0.6% variable sites), with no evidence of subpopulation differentiation. Multilocus DNA fingerprints from 22 individuals also indicated low genetic variation in at least some subpopulations (band-sharing values for "unrelated" seals from the same island ranged from 49 to 73%). This method also provided preliminary evidence of population subdivision (  F'_st estimates of 0.20 and 0.13 for two adjacent island pairs). Translocations of seals among islands may therefore have the potential to relieve local inbreeding and possibly to reduce the total amount of variation preserved in the population. Genetic variation is only one of many factors that determine the ability of an endangered species to recover. Maintenance of existing genetic diversity, however, remains an important priority for conservation programs because of the possibility of increased disease resistance in more variable populations and the chance that inbreeding depression may only be manifest under adverse environmental conditions.     

Demographic Consequences of Changed Pupping and Hauling Sites of the Hawaiian Monk Seal

Abstract: During the last 30 years, changes in the size of Hawaiian monk seal populations at several locations have been associated with the amount and type of human disturbance. Recreational beach activities caused monk seals to alter their pupping and hauling patterns. Survival of pups in suboptimal habitats was low, leading to gradual population declines. During the last decade at Kure Atoll, the process has been reversed human disturbance on beaches has decreased and traditional pupping and hauling sites have been reestablished Subsequently, high survival rates of young seals, coupled with two successful enhancement programs for female pups, have led to dramatic changes in the age and sex composition of the population. Based on these changes, the monk seal population at Kure Atoll soon should begin to increase. Apparently small behavioral changes in such vital activities as feeding and reproduction can have large demographic consequences. Therefore, monitoring of endangered species should include data on habitat use and age and sex composition, as well as estimates of abundance.     

Range‐Wide Genetic Connectivity of the Hawaiian Monk Seal and Implications for Translocation

Abstract: The Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) is one of the most critically endangered marine mammals. Less than 1200 individuals remain, and the species is declining at a rate of approximately 4% per year as a result of juvenile starvation, shark predation, and entanglement in marine debris. Some of these problems may be alleviated by translocation; however, if island breeding aggregates are effectively isolated subpopulations, moving individuals may disrupt local adaptations. In these circumstances, managers must balance the pragmatic need of increasing survival with theoretical concerns about genetic viability. To assess range‐wide population structure of the Hawaiian monk seal, we examined an unprecedented, near‐complete genetic inventory of the species (n =1897 seals, sampled over 14 years) at 18 microsatellite loci. Genetic variation was not spatially partitioned (_w=?0.03, p = 1.0), and a Bayesian clustering method provided evidence of one panmictic population (K =1). Pairwise F_ST comparisons (among 7 island aggregates over 14 annual cohorts) did not reveal temporally stable, spatial reproductive isolation. Our results coupled with long‐term tag‐resight data confirm seal movement and gene flow throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago. Thus, human‐mediated translocation of seals among locations is not likely to result in genetic incompatibilities.     

濒危植物脱皮榆种群结构与分布格局研究

对山西南部中条山和霍山脱皮榆的种群结构与分布格局进行了研究,其中根据大小结构图和存活曲线分析脱皮榆种群动态,应用扩散系数、聚集指数、平均拥挤度、聚块性指数、聚集强度、Cassie指数(1/K)、Poisson分布和负二项分布的χ2拟合检验等方法研究分布格局.结果表明,脱皮榆种群幼苗个体比例较大,总体上近于增长型种群.脱皮榆分布格局呈聚集型,这主要与物种本身的生物学和生态学特性密切相关,同时受群落内生境异质性的影响.图2表2参14     

Population Viability Analysis for an Endangered Plant

Abstract: Demographic modeling is used to understand the population viability of Furbish's lousewort, Pedicularis furbishiae , a perennial plant species endemic to the St. John River Valley in northern Maine. Environment-specific summaries of demographic parameters (survivorship, growth, and fecundity) over four years, organized into stage-based projection matrices, provide predictions of future population dynamics given a deterministic extension of past conditions. Stochastic modeling, using (I) empirically observed variation in demographic parameters, and (2) estimated rates of natural catastrophes, leads to predictions of extinction probability.
P. furbishiae viability has varied widely over the study period Viable populations with finite rates of increase > 1 are found where cover is low, woody plants do not dominate, and disturbance does not occur. Rates of increase vary over time, suggesting that stochastic analyses would be realistic. Stochastic measures of population viability incorporating environmental variation suggest that early successional environments, especially wetter sites, can support viable populations in the absence of disturbance. However; observed rates of natural catastrophe dominate viability estimates of individual populations. Metapopulation dynamics feature extinction rates that are greater than recolonization rates, and may be affected by land use in the watershed Species management needs to consider a large-scale view of the riverine corridor.     

Shifting Baselines and The Extinction of The Caribbean Monk Seal

The recent extnction of the Caribbean monk seal Monachus tropicalis has been considered an example of a human‐caused extinction in the marine environment, and this species was considered a driver of the changes that have occurred in the structure of Caribbean coral reef ecosystems since colonial times. I searched archaeological records, historical data, and geographic names (used as a proxy of the presence of seals) and evaluated the use and quality of these data to conclude that since prehistoric times the Caribbean monk seal was always rare and vulnerable to human predation. This finding supports the hypothesis that in AD 1500, the Caribbean monk seal persisted as a small fragmented population in which individuals were confined to small keys, banks, or isolated islands in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. This hypothesis is contrary to the assumption that the species was widespread and abundant historically. The theory that the main driver of monk seal extinction was harvesting for its oil for use in the sugar cane industry of Jamaica during the 18th century is based primarily on anecdotal information and is overemphasized in the literature. An analysis of reported human encounters with this species indicates monk seal harvest was an occasional activity, rather than an ongoing enterprise. Nevertheless, given the rarity of this species and its restricted distribution, even small levels of hunting or specimen collecting must have contributed to its extinction, which was confirmed in the mid‐20th century. Some sources had been overlooked or only partially reviewed, others misinterpreted, and a considerable amount of anecdotal information had been uncritically used. Critical examination of archaeological and historical records is required to infer accurate estimations of the historical abundance of a species. In reconstructing the past to address the shifting baseline syndrome, it is important to avoid selecting evidence to confirm modern prejudices. Puntos de Referencia Cambiantes y la Extinción de la Foca Monje Caribeña     

Correlates of Population Recovery Goals in Endangered Birds

Abstract: Endangered species recovery plans commonly set goals for population size that are used to define the success of recovery efforts. We examined variation in these population recovery goals for bird species listed under the U. S. Endangered Species Act to determine whether there were simple predictors of recovery population size. The median population sizes that must be met for a species to be removed from the list or downlisted to the threatened category are 4000 and 1500 respectively, but the thresholds varied considerably. Most variation in population recovery goals ( ≥75%) was explained by the population size when the recovery plan was written. Species listed when their population's size was relatively large have higher population recovery goals, whereas those listed when populations were small have lower population goals. Population sizes set for recovery also increased over time and were higher for species listed throughout the United States rather than for part of the country. In combination, these three variables explained 86% of the variance in population goals for delisting and 94% of the variance in goals for downlisting. Body mass, annual fecundity, maximum lifespan, whether the population was listed as threatened or endangered, and whether a formal population viability analysis was conducted were variables not significantly associated with population recovery goals. Thus, we found that variables relating to the circumstances under which the populations were listed could explain almost all of the variance in recovery population goals, and that biological traits of the endangered birds explained little of the variance.     

濒危植物桫椤种群生态场研究

通过构建桫椤种群生态场模型,对福建瓜溪桫椤自然保护区内不同地段的桫椤种群生态场特性进行了分析和讨论.研究结果显示,在个体数量差异不大的情况下,种群生态场作用的强弱与种群内植株个体的大小具有明显的相 关关系.地段Q3、Q4、Q5、Q6的桫椤种群以大、中型植株为主,个体生态场作用大,彼此间叠加强烈,形成的种群等势线较多,具有明显的梯度,呈现疏密不均变化;三维卒间势曲面总体水平高,闭合范同大,种群内场作用强烈,作用空间大.地段Q1、Q2、Q7、Q8的桫椤种群以小型植株或幼苗、幼株为主,种群场内以个体场为主,或有微弱的叠加场.种群场等势线少.没有形成梯度;三维势曲面总体水平低,或呈现独立的个体场势面,不发生场叠加,种群内场作用弱,场波及范围小.     

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.     

中国特有珍稀濒危树种银缕梅种群结构和空间格局

选择浙江和安徽两地的银缕梅(Parrotia subaequalis)种群为研究对象,以空间序列代替时间变化的方法研究银缕梅种群结构,采用方差/均值比的t检验法进行分布格局的判定,并结合丛生指数(Ⅰ)、负二项参数(K)、Cassie指数(CA)和聚块性指数(IPA)分析聚集度.结果表明,银缕梅种群分布格局表现为由低龄级的集群分布向高龄级的随机分布过渡的趋势,但总体上呈集群分布,这主要与银缕梅种群的萌蘖繁殖方式、种内自疏及生境异质性有关.对种群龄级结构、种群存活曲线和静态生命表的分析,均反映出银缕梅种群结构波动性较大,稳定性差,更新能力不足,为衰退型种群.     

Population dynamics of Hawaiian seabird colonies vulnerable to sea-level rise

Globally, seabirds are vulnerable to anthropogenic threats both at sea and on land. Seabirds typically nest colonially and show strong fidelity to natal colonies, and such colonies on low-lying islands may be threatened by sea-level rise. We used French Frigate Shoals, the largest atoll in the Hawaiian Archipelago, as a case study to explore the population dynamics of seabird colonies and the potential effects sea-level rise may have on these rookeries. We compiled historic observations, a 30-year time series of seabird population abundance, lidar-derived elevations, and aerial imagery of all the islands of French Frigate Shoals. To estimate the population dynamics of 8 species of breeding seabirds on Tern Island from 1980 to 2009, we used a Gompertz model with a Bayesian approach to infer population growth rates, density dependence, process variation, and observation error. All species increased in abundance, in a pattern that provided evidence of density dependence. Great Frigatebirds (Fregata minor), Masked Boobies (Sula dactylatra), Red-tailed Tropicbirds (Phaethon rubricauda), Spectacled Terns (Onychoprion lunatus), and White Terns (Gygis alba) are likely at carrying capacity. Density dependence may exacerbate the effects of sea-level rise on seabirds because populations near carrying capacity on an island will be more negatively affected than populations with room for growth. We projected 12% of French Frigate Shoals will be inundated if sea level rises 1 m and 28% if sea level rises 2 m. Spectacled Terns and shrub-nesting species are especially vulnerable to sea-level rise, but seawalls and habitat restoration may mitigate the effects of sea-level rise. Losses of seabird nesting habitat may be substantial in the Hawaiian Islands by 2100 if sea levels rise 2 m. Restoration of higher-elevation seabird colonies represent a more enduring conservation solution for Pacific seabirds.     

"Mobbing" in Hawaiian Monk Seals (Monachus schauinslani): The Value of Simulation Modeling in the Absence of Apparently Crucial Data

Several small populations of Hawaiian monk seals ( Monachus schauinslani ) exhibit male-biased adult sex ratios and "mobbing," an aggressive behavior in which adult males injure and often kill adult females and immature seals of both sexes during mating attempts. Mobbing appears to be limiting the growth of some populations of this endangered species. The frequency of mobbing deaths appears to increase as a population's sex ratio becomes increasingly male-biased, although the exact relationship between these two variables (the mobbing response) is unknown. We developed a stochastic demographic model of a small Hawaiian monk seal population using several different assumptions about the mobbing response. We used the model to explore the origins of male-biased sex ratios in monk seal populations and to determine whether it was possible, given the lack of data on the mobbing response, to evaluate the probable effects of alternative management strategies to address the mobbing problem. Small populations (100 to 200 seals) and those with slower growth rates were more likely to develop male-biased adult sex ratios. Almost all of our modeling scenarios supported the immediate removal of males from populations where mobbing occurs. Our conclusions were relatively unaffected when the assumptions regarding the mobbing response were varied. Thus, a model was helpful even when apparently crucial data were unavailable.     

Evolution of Nesting Height in an Endangered Hawaiian Forest Bird in Response to a Non‐Native Predator

Abstract: The majority of bird extinctions since 1800 have occurred on islands, and non‐native predators have been the greatest threat to the persistence of island birds. Island endemic species often lack life‐history traits and behaviors that reduce the probability of predation and they can become evolutionarily trapped if they are unable to adapt, but few studies have examined the ability of island species to respond to novel predators. The greatest threat to the persistence of the Oahu Elepaio (Chasiempis ibidis), an endangered Hawaiian forest bird, is nest predation by non‐native black rats (Rattus rattus). I examined whether Oahu Elepaio nest placement has changed at the individual and population levels in response to rat predation by measuring nest height and determining whether each nest produced offspring from 1996 to 2011. Average height of Oahu Elepaio nests increased 50% over this 16‐year period, from 7.9 m (SE 1.7) to 12.0 m (SE 1.1). There was no net change in height of sequential nests made by individual birds, which means individual elepaios have not learned to place nests higher. Nests ≤3 m off the ground produced offspring less often, and the proportion of such nests declined over time, which suggests that nest‐building behavior has evolved through natural selection by predation. Nest success increased over time, which may increase the probability of long‐term persistence of the species. Rat control may facilitate the evolution of nesting height by slowing the rate of population decline and providing time for this adaptive response to spread through the population.     

Demographic Viability of a Relict Population of the Critically Endangered Plant Borderea chouardii

Abstract:   In addition to human-caused changes in the environment, natural stochasticity may threaten species persistence, and its impact must be taken into account when priorities are established and management plans are designed. Borderea chouardii is a Tertiary relict at risk of extinction that occurs in only one location in the world, where the probability of human disturbance is low. Its persistence, therefore, is mainly linked to its response to natural threats such as stochasticity. Over 8 years I monitored up to 25% of this rupicolous small geophyte. The population had an unbalanced size structure and 90% failure in seed arrival at appropriate microhabitats, which suggests a problem with recruitment. I used matrix models to describe its population dynamics, conducted hand sowings, and performed stochastic simulations to investigate the effect of environmental stochasticity on population trend and viability. I modeled several scenarios to represent a variety of ecological situations, such as population reduction, episodic or persistent disease, and enhancement or decrease of recruitment. Population growth rate (λ) was never significantly different from unity over the study period. The risk of extinction was null over the next five centuries under current conditions. Increase of mortality and decrease of recruitment reduced stochastic population growth rate, but no factor except a persistent increase of 10% mortality resulted in extinction. These results are the consequence of the plant's extremely long life span (over 300 years) and low temporal variability of key vital rates. Even though hand sowing significantly increased the stochastic population growth rate, other approaches may be more important for the persistence of this species. The extremely slow capacity for recovery following disturbances renders habitat preservation essential. In addition, the founding of new populations would reduce the risk associated with habitat destruction.     

微卫星标记技术在淡水腹足类种群遗传学研究中的应用

综述了淡水腹足类微卫星位点的获取方法、微卫星重复序列的特点以及微卫星标记技术在其种群遗传学研究中的应用,着重分析了微卫星多态性在淡水腹足类种群遗传多样性、种群遗传结构、遗传分化、交配系统、种群关系研究中的应用.淡水腹足类普遍表现为杂合体缺失,种群遗传多样性降低.淡水腹足类近交和自体受精现象比较频繁以及地理隔离导致种群间遗传分化.利用微卫星标记研究遗传杂合度,结合群体近交系数和基因分化系数在一定程度上反映了淡水腹足类的交配系统.根据不同种群的遗传距离和相似性进行聚类分析在判别种群间的亲缘关系上起到了很大作用.针对淡水腹足类自身的特性,微卫星分子标记技术在淡水腹足类入侵生物学、分类阶元,寄生虫的分子流行病学等研究领域有广泛的应用前景.     

濒危兰科植物流苏石斛的种群数量动态

运用静态生命表、生殖力表和Leslie矩阵模型,研究了云南西双版纳地区流苏石斛两个种群——A种群(21°58′N,101°13′E,保护区之外)和B种群(21°54′N,101°17′E,保护区内)的种群数量动态.结果表明:种群存活曲线表现为Deevey-型.A、B种群均表现出幼龄个体死亡率高,中龄级个体数量少,说明中龄阶段曾受到较大的人为干扰.种群的净增长率(Ro)、内禀增长率(rm)和周限增长率(λ)都较低,表现为衰退种群,Leslie矩阵模型分析表明在未来25年种群各龄级的个体数及种群总数均表现出持续下降趋势.种群下降可能是由于当地人为的采挖和严重的生境破碎化所导致.图2表4参16     

Effects of Habitat Fragmentation on Effective Population Size in the Endangered Rio Grande Silvery Minnow

Abstract:  We assessed spatial and temporal patterns of genetic diversity to evaluate effects of river fragmentation on remnant populations of the federally endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow ( Hybognathus amarus ). Analysis of microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA detected little spatial genetic structure over the current geographic range, consistent with high gene flow despite fragmentation by dams. Maximum-likelihood analysis of temporal genetic data indicated, however, that present-day effective population size ( N_eV ) of the largest extant population of this species was 78 and the ratio of effective size to adult numbers ( N_eV/N ) was ∼ 0.001 during the study period (1999 to 2001). Coalescent-based analytical methods provided an estimate of historical (river fragmentation was completed in 1975) effective size ( N_eI  ) that ranged between 10⁵ and 10⁶. We propose that disparity between contemporary and historical estimates of N_e and low contemporary N_e/N result from recent changes in demography related to river fragmentation. Rio Grande silvery minnows produce pelagic eggs and larvae subject to downstream transport through diversion dams. This life-history feature results in heavy losses of yearly reproductive effort to emigration and mortality, and extremely large variance in reproductive success among individuals and spawning localities. Interaction of pelagic early life history and river fragmentation has altered demographic and genetic dynamics of remnant populations and reduced N_e to critically low values over ecological time.