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Panchal N, Desai C, Ghosal R. Fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels in captive Indian leopards (Panthera pardus fusca) housed under three different enrichment regimes. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0261796. [PMID: 36083970 PMCID: PMC9462577 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental enrichment improves the health and wellbeing of zoo animals. To test this hypothesis, we used Indian leopards (Panthera pardus fusca), one of the popular zoo animals, as a model organism to understand effects of active and passive enrichment elements on stress hormone levels of captive individuals. We included three enrichment categories, category ‘A’ (having both active: cage size of 1204 m3 with raised platforms and earthen flooring, and passive: controlled temperature, playback of forest sounds and sound proof glass to filter visitors’ noise, enrichment elements), category ‘B’ (active enrichment type I, cage size of 264 m3 with air coolers), and category C (active enrichment type II, cage size of 517 m3 without air coolers) for leopards (n = 14) housed in two Indian zoos. We used a group-specific enzyme immunoassay to measure fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCM) in captive leopards. For comparison, we analysed samples from free-ranging leopards, as well. fGCM levels (Mean±SEM) were 10.45±2.01 and 0.95±0.003 μg/g dry feces in captive and free-ranging leopards, respectively. Our results revealed that fGCM levels of leopards in categories B and C were significantly (P<0.05) different from each other, thus, indicating cage size (an active enrichment element) as an important factor in influencing the physiology of the sampled animals. Overall, the findings of the study will contribute towards informed policies for management of captive Indian leopards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nirali Panchal
- Biological and Life Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Chena Desai
- Biological and Life Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Ratna Ghosal
- Biological and Life Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
- * E-mail:
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2
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Sharief A, Kumar V, Singh H, Mukherjee T, Dutta R, Joshi BD, Bhattacharjee S, Ramesh C, Chandra K, Thakur M, Sharma LK. Landscape use and co-occurrence pattern of snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and its prey species in the fragile ecosystem of Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0271556. [PMID: 35862366 PMCID: PMC9302832 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) plays a vital role in maintaining the integrity of the high mountain ecosystem by regulating prey populations and maintaining plant community structure. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the role of the snow leopard and its interaction with prey species. Further, elucidating landscape use and co-occurrence of snow leopard and its prey species can be used to assess the differential use of habitat, allowing them to coexist. We used camera trapping and sign survey to study the interactions of snow leopard and its prey species (Siberian Ibex- Capra sibrica and Blue sheep-Pseudois nayaur) in the Spiti valley Himachal Pradesh. Using the occupancy modelling, we examined whether these prey and predator species occur together more or less frequently than would be expected by chance. To understand this, we have used ten covariates considering the ecology of the studied species. Our results suggest habitat covariates, such as LULC16 (barren area), LULC10 (grassland), ASP (aspect), SLP (slope) and DW (distance to water), are important drivers of habitat use for the snow leopard as well as its prey species. Furthermore, we found that the snow leopard detection probability was high if the site was used by its prey species, i.e., ibex and blue sheep. Whereas, in the case of the prey species, the probability of detection was low when the predator (snow leopard) was present and detected. Besides this, our results suggested that both species were less likely to detect together than expected if they were independent (Snow leopard—Ibex, Delta = 0.29, and snow leopard—blue sheep, Delta = 0.28, both the values are <1, i.e., avoidance). Moreover, despite the predation pressure, the differential anti-predation habitat selection and restriction of temporal activities by the prey species when snow leopard is present allows them to co-exist. Therefore, considering the strong link between the habitat use by the snow leopard and its prey species, it is imperative to generate quantitative long-term data on predator-prey densities and the population dynamics of its prey species in the landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amira Sharief
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
- Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Vineet Kumar
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
- Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Hemant Singh
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Tanoy Mukherjee
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Ritam Dutta
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Bheem Dutt Joshi
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | | | | | - Kailash Chandra
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Mukesh Thakur
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | - Lalit Kumar Sharma
- Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
- * E-mail:
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3
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Yosef R, Kumbhojkar S, Gurjar B, Kosicki JZ. Magnetic alignment in free-ranging Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca). PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266129. [PMID: 35802713 PMCID: PMC9269921 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The earth’s geomagnetic field (GMF) is known to influence the behaviour of a wide range of species, but remains one of the most enigmatic of animal senses. Animals are known to utilize the GMF for a wide range of survival capabilities such as navigation and orienteering, migration, territoriality, homing, etc. Despite a lot of study in this regard on vertebrates, little is known about the effects of GMF on felids. Hence, we analyzed the body alignment of the Indian Leopard during defecation, and walking along the trails in the Jhalana Reserve Forest in India. Using circular statistics, we found that the leopards aligned their bodies on the north-south axis during defecation (mean azimuth -176.4°), while no such preference was found when walking (mean azimuth 52.9°). Thus we prove that leopards are sensitive to the GMF during basic physiological activities and in this context show similar behaviour to other vertebrates studied to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reuven Yosef
- Ben Gurion University of the Negev-Eilat Campus, Eilat, Israel
| | | | - Bablu Gurjar
- Jhalana Wildlife Research Foundation Gharkul Society, Pune, India
| | - Jakub Z. Kosicki
- Department of Avian Biology and Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
- * E-mail:
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Rogan MS, Distiller G, Balme GA, Pitman RT, Mann GKH, Dubay SM, Whittington-Jones GM, Thomas LH, Broadfield J, Knutson T, O'Riain MJ. Troubled spots: Human impacts constrain the density of an apex predator inside protected areas. Ecol Appl 2022; 32:e2551. [PMID: 35094452 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Effective conservation requires understanding the processes that determine population outcomes. Too often, we assume that protected areas conserve wild populations despite evidence that they frequently fail to do so. Without large-scale studies, however, we cannot determine what relationships are the product of localized conditions versus general patterns that inform conservation more broadly. Leopards' (Panthera pardus) basic ecology is well studied but little research has investigated anthropogenic effects on leopard density at broad scales. We investigated the drivers of leopard density among 27 diverse protected areas in northeastern South Africa to understand what conditions facilitate abundant populations. We formulated 10 working hypotheses that considered the relative influence of bottom-up biological factors and top-down anthropogenic factors on leopard density. Using camera-trap survey data, we fit a multi-session spatial capture-recapture model with inhomogenous density for each hypothesis and evaluated support using an information theoretic approach. The four supported hypotheses indicated that leopard density is primarily limited by human impacts, but that habitat suitability and management conditions also matter. The proportion of camera stations that recorded domestic animals, a proxy for the extent of human impacts and protected area effectiveness, was the only predictor variable present in all four supported models. Protected areas are the cornerstone of large felid conservation, but only when the human-wildlife interface is well managed and protected areas shelter wildlife populations from anthropogenic impacts. To ensure the long-term abundance of large carnivore populations, reserve managers should recognize the ineffectiveness of "paper parks" and promote contiguous networks of protected areas that offer leopards and other large mammal populations greater space and reduced human impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S Rogan
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Panthera, New York, New York, USA
- Centre for Statistics in Ecology, the Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Greg Distiller
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Centre for Statistics in Ecology, the Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Guy A Balme
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Panthera, New York, New York, USA
| | - Ross T Pitman
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Panthera, New York, New York, USA
| | - Gareth K H Mann
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Panthera, New York, New York, USA
| | - Shannon M Dubay
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Panthera, New York, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Joleen Broadfield
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Panthera, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - M Justin O'Riain
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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Vargas Soto JS, Beirne C, Whitworth A, Cruz Diaz JC, Flatt E, Pillco-Huarcaya R, Olson ER, Azofeifa A, Saborío-R G, Salom-Pérez R, Espinoza-Muñoz D, Hay L, Whittaker L, Roldán C, Bedoya-Arrieta R, Broadbent EN, Molnár PK. Human disturbance and shifts in vertebrate community composition in a biodiversity hotspot. Conserv Biol 2022; 36:e13813. [PMID: 34342042 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how human modification of the landscape shapes vertebrate community composition is vital to understanding the current status and future trajectory of wildlife. Using a participatory approach, we deployed the largest camera-trap network in Mesoamerica to date to investigate how anthropogenic disturbance shapes the occupancy and co-occurrence of terrestrial vertebrate species in a tropical biodiversity hotspot: the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. We estimated species richness in different categories of land protection with rarefaction analysis and estimated the expected occupancy with a joint species distribution model that included covariates for anthropogenic disturbance, land protection, habitat quality, and habitat availability. Areas with the most stringent land-use protections (e.g., Corcovado National Park, 24 species [95% CI 23-25]) harbored significantly more species than unprotected areas (20 species [19.7-20.3]), mainly due to a reduced presence of large-bodied species of conservation concern in unprotected areas (e.g., jaguar Panthera onca and white-lipped peccary Tayassu pecari). Small-bodied generalist species, such as opossums (Didelphidae) and armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus), in contrast, were more common at disturbed sites, resulting in a significant difference in vertebrate community composition between sites with low and high disturbance. Co-occurrence of species was also mainly associated with response to disturbance. Similar responses to disturbance create two groups of species, those whose site-level occupancy usually increased as anthropogenic disturbance increased and those whose estimated occupancy decreased. The absence of large-bodied species entails an important loss of ecological function in disturbed areas and can hinder forest development and maintenance. Efforts to protect and restore forested landscapes are likely having a positive effect on the abundance of some threatened species. These efforts, however, must be sustained and expanded to increase connectivity and ensure the long-term viability of the wildlife community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan S Vargas Soto
- Laboratory of Quantitative Global Change Ecology, Biological Sciences Department, University of Toronto, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Christopher Beirne
- Department of Forest Resources Management, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Andrew Whitworth
- Osa Conservation, Washington, DC, USA
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Juan Carlos Cruz Diaz
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
- Namá Conservation, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | | | - Ruthmery Pillco-Huarcaya
- Osa Conservation, Washington, DC, USA
- Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad del Cusco (UNSAAC), Cusco, Perú
| | | | - Alejandro Azofeifa
- Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación, Área de Conservación Osa, Golfito, Costa Rica
| | - Guido Saborío-R
- Sistema Nacional de Áreas de Conservación, Área de Conservación Osa, Golfito, Costa Rica
| | | | | | - Leslie Hay
- Southwestern Region Wildlife Program, U.S. Forest Service, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Lawrence Whittaker
- Osa Conservation, Washington, DC, USA
- Rainforest Connection, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Carmen Roldán
- Fondo Nacional de Financiamiento Forestal, San José, Costa Rica
| | | | - Eben North Broadbent
- Spatial Ecology and Conservation (SPEC) Lab, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Péter K Molnár
- Laboratory of Quantitative Global Change Ecology, Biological Sciences Department, University of Toronto, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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6
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Tortato FR, Hoogesteijn R, Devlin AL, Quigley HB, Bolzan F, Izzo TJ, Ferraz KMPMB, Peres CA. Reconciling biome-wide conservation of an apex carnivore with land-use economics in the increasingly threatened Pantanal wetlands. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22808. [PMID: 34815416 PMCID: PMC8611020 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02142-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Conservation of carnivores involves finding solutions to minimize habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict. Understanding the nature of land-use economics can allow us to mitigate both threats. In the Pantanal, the two main economic activities are cattle ranching and ecotourism, each of which directly and indirectly affect the persistence of jaguars (Panthera onca). To understand how the geography of these economic activities is related to jaguar populations, we developed a jaguar distribution model (JDM), livestock density model, and ecotourism lodge density model for the Pantanal. Due to the recent wildfires within the Pantanal, we also assess the impact of burnt areas that are suitable for jaguars, cattle ranching, and tourism. Our JDM indicate that 64% of the Pantanal holds suitable habitat for jaguars. However, jaguar habitat suitability was positively correlated with ecotourism, but negatively correlated with areas most suitable for intensive cattle-ranching. This demonstrates a biome-wide scenario compatible with jaguar conservation. Of particular concern, recent wildfires overlap most suitable areas for jaguars. If wildfires become increasingly frequent, this would represent a serious threat to jaguars and many other wildlife populations. We emphasize the global importance of the Pantanal wetland ecoregion as a key stronghold for long-term jaguar conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Allison L Devlin
- Panthera, 8 West 40th Street, 18th Floor, New York, USA
- Wildlife Biology Program, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA
| | | | - Fábio Bolzan
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal Do Mato Grosso Do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
| | - Thiago J Izzo
- Departamento de Ecologia e Botânica, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Katia M P M B Ferraz
- Forest Science Department, Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
| | - Carlos A Peres
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norfolk, Norwich, UK
- Instituto Juruá, Rua das Papoulas 97, Manaus, Brazil
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7
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Qi H, Kinoshita K, Mori T, Matsumoto K, Matsui Y, Inoue-Murayama M. Age estimation using methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting (MS-HRM) in both healthy felines and those with chronic kidney disease. Sci Rep 2021; 11:19963. [PMID: 34620957 PMCID: PMC8497492 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99424-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Age is an important ecological tool in wildlife conservation. However, it is difficult to estimate in most animals, including felines-most of whom are endangered. Here, we developed the first DNA methylation-based age-estimation technique-as an alternative to current age-estimation methods-for two feline species that share a relatively long genetic distance with each other: domestic cat (Felis catus; 79 blood samples) and an endangered Panthera, the snow leopard (Panthera uncia; 11 blood samples). We measured the methylation rates of two gene regions using methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting (MS-HRM). Domestic cat age was estimated with a mean absolute deviation (MAD) of 3.83 years. Health conditions influenced accuracy of the model. Specifically, the models built on cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) had lower accuracy than those built on healthy cats. The snow leopard-specific model (i.e. the model that resets the model settings for snow leopards) had a better accuracy (MAD = 2.10 years) than that obtained on using the domestic cat model directly. This implies that our markers could be utilised across species, although changing the model settings when targeting different species could lead to better estimation accuracy. The snow leopard-specific model also successfully distinguished between sexually immature and mature individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiyuan Qi
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8203, Japan
| | - Kodzue Kinoshita
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8203, Japan
| | - Takashi Mori
- Kyoto Medical Center, Daktari Animal Hospital, Kyoto, 615-8234, Japan
| | - Kaori Matsumoto
- Kyoto Medical Center, Daktari Animal Hospital, Kyoto, 615-8234, Japan
- Miyazaki Prefectural Miyakonojo Livestock Hygiene Service Center, Miyazaki, 889-4505, Japan
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Ceballos G, Zarza H, González-Maya JF, de la Torre JA, Arias-Alzate A, Alcerreca C, Barcenas HV, Carreón-Arroyo G, Chávez C, Cruz C, Medellín D, García A, Antonio-García M, Lazcano-Barrero MA, Medellín RA, Moctezuma-Orozco O, Ruiz F, Rubio Y, Luja VH, Torres-Romero EJ. Beyond words: From jaguar population trends to conservation and public policy in Mexico. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0255555. [PMID: 34613994 PMCID: PMC8494370 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The jaguar (Panthera onca) is one of the most threatened carnivores in the Americas. Despite a long history of research on this charismatic species, to date there have been few systematic efforts to assess its population size and status in most countries across its distribution range. We present here the results of the two National Jaguar Surveys for Mexico, the first national censuses in any country within the species distribution. We estimated jaguar densities from field data collected at 13 localities in 2008-2010 (2010 hereafter) and 11 localities in 2016-2018 (2018 hereafter). We used the 2010 census results as the basis to develop a National Jaguar Conservation Strategy that identified critical issues for jaguar conservation in Mexico. We worked with the Mexican government to implement the conservation strategy and then evaluated its effectivity. To compare the 2010 and 2018 results, we estimated the amount of jaguar-suitable habitat in the entire country based on an ecological niche model for both periods. Suitable jaguar habitat covered ~267,063 km2 (13.9% of the country's territory) in 2010 and ~ 288,890 km2 (~14.8% of the country's territory) in 2018. Using the most conservative density values for each priority region, we estimated jaguar densities for both the high and low suitable habitats. The total jaguar population was estimated in ~4,000 individuals for 2010 census and ~4,800 for the 2018 census. The Yucatan Peninsula was the region with the largest population, around 2000 jaguars, in both censuses. Our promising results indicate that the actions we proposed in the National Jaguar Conservation Strategy, some of which have been implemented working together with the Federal Government, other NGO's, and land owners, are improving jaguar conservation in Mexico. The continuation of surveys and monitoring programs of the jaguar populations in Mexico will provide accurate information to design and implement effective, science-based conservation measures to try to ensure that robust jaguar populations remain a permanent fixture of Mexico's natural heritage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerardo Ceballos
- Laboratorio de Ecología y Conservación de Fauna Silvestre, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Heliot Zarza
- Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Unidad Lerma, CBS, Lerma de Villada, México
| | - José F. González-Maya
- Laboratorio de Ecología y Conservación de Fauna Silvestre, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
- Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Unidad Lerma, CBS, Lerma de Villada, México
- Proyecto de Conservación de Aguas y Tierras, ProCAT Colombia/Costa Rica, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - J. Antonio de la Torre
- Laboratorio de Ecología y Conservación de Vertebrados Terrestres, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México, México
- Bioconciencia A.C., Ciudad de México, México
| | - Andrés Arias-Alzate
- Universidad CES, Facultad de Ciencias y Biotecnología, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
| | | | - Horacio V. Barcenas
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México, México
| | | | - Cuauhtémoc Chávez
- Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Unidad Lerma, CBS, Lerma de Villada, México
| | - Carlos Cruz
- Laboratorio de Ecología y Conservación de Fauna Silvestre, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
- Universidad de Alicante, Campus San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, España
| | - Daniela Medellín
- Laboratorio de Ecología y Conservación de Fauna Silvestre, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Andres García
- Estación de Biología Chamela, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, San Patricio-Melaque, La Huerta, Jalisco, México
| | - Marco Antonio-García
- Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Sociales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, México
| | | | - Rodrigo A. Medellín
- Proyecto de Conservación de Aguas y Tierras, ProCAT Colombia/Costa Rica, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - Fernando Ruiz
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Instituto de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo, Ciudad del Conocimiento, Col. Carboneras, Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, México
| | - Yamel Rubio
- Facultad de Biología, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Ciudad Universitaria, Culiacán, Sinaloa, México
| | - Victor H. Luja
- Unidad Academica de Turismo, Universidad Autonoma de Nayarit, Ciudad de la Cultura, Tepic, Nayarit
| | - Erik Joaquín Torres-Romero
- Laboratorio de Ecología y Conservación de Fauna Silvestre, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
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Abstract
Large carnivore attacks on humans are a serious form of human-wildlife interaction which has increased globally in recent decades. When attacks occur, both humans and large carnivores suffer, highlighting the need to characterize these conflicts toward mitigation of attacks. We investigated brown bear (Ursus arctos) and Persian leopard (Panthera pardus) attacks on humans across Iran using reports provided by the Government of Iran during 2012–2020. We characterized temporal and spatial patterns of attacks, as well as species-specific attributes. We identified 83 attacks resulting in 77 human injuries and 6 fatalities. Bears were responsible for more attacks (63%) than leopards (37%). Attacks occurred more frequently during defensive reactions by bears and leopards on adult male people while livestock herding during the day in spring and summer. Bears reportedly attacked people more often in western provinces of Iran, while leopards attacked more frequently in northern provinces. We recommend that the Iran Department of the Environment consider implementing a national reporting system to document bear and leopard attacks on people. We further suggest development of national bear and leopard management plans that emphasize mitigating human risk to improve human attitudes toward these carnivore species to facilitate their conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamshid Parchizadeh
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York, Syracuse, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Jerrold L. Belant
- Global Wildlife Conservation Center, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York, Syracuse, New York, United States of America
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Corredor-Ospina N, Kreyer M, Rossi G, Hohmann G, Fruth B. First report of a leopard (Panthera pardus)-bonobo (Pan paniscus) encounter at the LuiKotale study site, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Primates 2021; 62:555-562. [PMID: 33950405 PMCID: PMC8225524 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-021-00897-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Predation is a major cause of mortality in non-human primates, and considered a selective force in the evolution of primate societies. Although larger body size is considered as protection against predation, evidence for predation on great apes by carnivores comes from chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), gorillas (Gorilla gorilla), and orangutans (Pongo spp.). Here, we describe the first encounter between wild bonobos (Pan paniscus) and a leopard (Panthera pardus). A single leopard was confronted by a group of habituated bonobos for three hours. Two adult males and one adolescent female bonobo actively harassed the leopard, which remained still for most of the encounter and reacted only to close approaches by bonobos. While no predation was observed, their behaviours confirm that bonobos perceive leopards as potential predators. Our report adds novel information to descriptions from other African ape species, and sheds light on the behavioural repertoire of bonobos' anti-predation strategies. For future investigations, we suggest tagging leopards to remotely monitor their movements and allow assessment of encounter rates as one of several factors influencing predation pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Corredor-Ospina
- LuiKotale Bonobo Project, Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- SEC Semillero de Evolución Y Conservación, Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Cajica, Colombia
| | - Melodie Kreyer
- LuiKotale Bonobo Project, Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Faculty of Science, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Giulia Rossi
- LuiKotale Bonobo Project, Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Gottfried Hohmann
- Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Barbara Fruth
- LuiKotale Bonobo Project, Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
- Faculty of Science, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany.
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11
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Sharma RK, Sharma K, Borchers D, Bhatnagar YV, Suryawanshi KR, Mishra C. Spatial variation in population-density of snow leopards in a multiple use landscape in Spiti Valley, Trans-Himalaya. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0250900. [PMID: 34010352 PMCID: PMC8133441 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia occurs in human use landscapes in the mountains of South and Central Asia. Conservationists generally agree that snow leopards must be conserved through a land-sharing approach, rather than land-sparing in the form of strictly protected areas. Effective conservation through land-sharing requires a good understanding of how snow leopards respond to human use of the landscape. Snow leopard density is expected to show spatial variation within a landscape because of variation in the intensity of human use and the quality of habitat. However, snow leopards have been difficult to enumerate and monitor. Variation in the density of snow leopards remains undocumented, and the impact of human use on their populations is poorly understood. We examined spatial variation in snow leopard density in Spiti Valley, an important snow leopard landscape in India, via spatially explicit capture-recapture analysis of camera trap data. We camera trapped an area encompassing a minimum convex polygon of 953 km2. Our best model estimated an overall density of 0.5 (95% CI: 0.31–0.82) mature snow leopards per 100 km2. Using AIC, our best model showed the density of snow leopards to depend on estimated wild prey density, movement about activity centres to depend on altitude, and the expected number of encounters at the activity centre to depend on topography. Models that also used livestock biomass as a density covariate ranked second, but the effect of livestock was weak. Our results highlight the importance of maintaining high density pockets of wild prey populations in multiple-use landscapes to enhance snow leopard conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rishi Kumar Sharma
- Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, Karnataka, India
- Manipal University, Manipal, Karnataka, India
- Snow Leopard Trust, Seattle, WA, United States of America
| | - Koustubh Sharma
- Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, Karnataka, India
- Snow Leopard Trust, Seattle, WA, United States of America
- Snow Leopard Foundation in Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
- * E-mail:
| | - David Borchers
- Centre for Research in Ecological and Environmental Monitoring, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Yash Veer Bhatnagar
- Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, Karnataka, India
- Snow Leopard Trust, Seattle, WA, United States of America
| | | | - Charudutt Mishra
- Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, Karnataka, India
- Snow Leopard Trust, Seattle, WA, United States of America
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12
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Salom-Pérez R, Corrales-Gutiérrez D, Araya-Gamboa D, Espinoza-Muñoz D, Finegan B, Petracca LS. Forest cover mediates large and medium-sized mammal occurrence in a critical link of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0249072. [PMID: 33755706 PMCID: PMC7996086 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Connectivity of natural areas through biological corridors is essential for ecosystem resilience and biodiversity conservation. However, robust assessments of biodiversity in corridor areas are often hindered by logistical constraints and the statistical challenges of modeling data from multiple species. Herein, we used a hierarchical community occupancy model in a Bayesian framework to evaluate the status of medium and large-sized mammals in a critical link of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC) in Costa Rica. We used camera traps deployed from 2013-2017 to detect 18 medium (1-15 kg) and 6 large (>15 kg) mammal species in a portion of two Jaguar Conservation Units (JCUs) and the Corridor linking them. Camera traps operated for 16,904 trap nights across 209 stations, covering an area of 880 km2. Forest cover was the most important driver of medium and large-sized mammal habitat use, with forest specialists such as jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) strongly associated with high forest cover, while habitat generalists such as coyotes (Canis latrans) and raccoons (Procyon lotor) were associated with low forest cover. Medium and large-sized mammal species richness was lower in the Corridor area ([Formula: see text] = 9.78±1.84) than in the portions evaluated of the two JCUs ([Formula: see text] = 11.50±1.52). Puma and jaguar habitat use probabilities were strongly correlated with large prey species richness (jaguar, r = 0.59, p<0.001; puma, r = 0.72, p<0.001), and correlated to a lesser extent with medium prey species richness (jaguar, r = 0.36, p = 0.003; puma, r = 0.23, p = 0.064). Low estimated jaguar habitat use probability in one JCU (Central Volcanic Cordillera: [Formula: see text] = 0.15±0.11) suggests that this is not the jaguar stronghold previously assumed. In addition, the western half of the Corridor has low richness of large mammals, making it necessary to take urgent actions to secure habitat connectivity for mammal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Salom-Pérez
- Panthera, New York, NY, United States of America
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
- CATIE-Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza, Turrialba, Costa Rica
| | | | | | | | - Bryan Finegan
- CATIE-Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza, Turrialba, Costa Rica
| | - Lisanne S. Petracca
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States of America
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13
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Harmsen BJ, Saville N, Foster RJ. Long-term monitoring of margays (Leopardus wiedii): Implications for understanding low detection rates. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0247536. [PMID: 33647057 PMCID: PMC7920358 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Population assessments of wide-ranging, cryptic, terrestrial mammals rely on camera trap surveys. While camera trapping is a powerful method of detecting presence, it is difficult distinguishing rarity from low detection rate. The margay (Leopardus wiedii) is an example of a species considered rare based on its low detection rates across its range. Although margays have a wide distribution, detection rates with camera traps are universally low; consequently, the species is listed as Near Threatened. Our 12-year camera trap study of margays in protected broadleaf forest in Belize suggests that while margays have low detection rate, they do not seem to be rare, rather that they are difficult to detect with camera traps. We detected a maximum of 187 individuals, all with few or no recaptures over the years (mean = 2.0 captures/individual ± SD 2.1), with two-thirds of individuals detected only once. The few individuals that were recaptured across years exhibited long tenures up to 9 years and were at least 10 years old at their final detection. We detected multiple individuals of both sexes at the same locations during the same survey, suggesting overlapping ranges with non-exclusive territories, providing further evidence of a high-density population. By studying the sparse annual datasets across multiple years, we found evidence of an abundant margay population in the forest of the Cockscomb Basin, which might have been deemed low density and rare, if studied in the short term. We encourage more long-term camera trap studies to assess population status of semi-arboreal carnivore species that have hitherto been considered rare based on low detection rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart J. Harmsen
- Panthera, New York, New York, United States of America
- Environmental Research Institute, University of Belize, Belmopan, Belize
- * E-mail:
| | - Nicola Saville
- Panthera, New York, New York, United States of America
- Environmental Research Institute, University of Belize, Belmopan, Belize
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Garcia Fontes S, Gonçalves Morato R, Stanzani SL, Pizzigatti Corrêa PL. Jaguar movement behavior: using trajectories and association rule mining algorithms to unveil behavioral states and social interactions. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0246233. [PMID: 33539384 PMCID: PMC7861389 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal movement data are widely collected with devices such as sensors and collars, increasing the ability of researchers to monitor animal movement and providing information about animal behavioral patterns. Animal behavior is used as a basis for understanding the relationship between animals and the environment and for guiding decision-making by researchers and public agencies about environmental preservation and conservation actions. Animal movement and behavior are widely studied with a focus on identifying behavioral patterns, such as, animal group formation, the distance between animals and their home range. However, we observed a lack of research proposing a unified solution that aggregates resources for analyses of individual animal behavior and of social interactions between animals. The primary scientific contribution of this work is to present a framework that uses trajectory analysis and association rule mining [Jaiswal and Agarwal, 2012] to provide statistical measures of correlation and dependence to determine the relationship level between animals, their social interactions, and their interactions with other environmental factors based on their individual behavior and movement data. We demonstrate the usefulness of the framework by applying it to movement data from jaguars in the Pantanal, Brazil. This allowed us to describe jaguar behavior, social interactions among jaguars and their behavior in different landscapes, thus providing a highly detailed investigation of jaguar movement decisions at the fine scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suelane Garcia Fontes
- Computer Engineering and Digital Systems Department—Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- * E-mail:
| | - Ronaldo Gonçalves Morato
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros (CENAP), ICMBIO, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Silvio Luiz Stanzani
- Centro de Computação Científica, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Pedro Luiz Pizzigatti Corrêa
- Computer Engineering and Digital Systems Department—Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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15
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Rather TA, Kumar S, Khan JA. Multi-scale habitat modelling and predicting change in the distribution of tiger and leopard using random forest algorithm. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11473. [PMID: 32651414 PMCID: PMC7351791 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68167-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Tigers and leopards have experienced considerable declines in their population due to habitat loss and fragmentation across their historical ranges. Multi-scale habitat suitability models (HSM) can inform forest managers to aim their conservation efforts at increasing the suitable habitat for tigers by providing information regarding the scale-dependent habitat-species relationships. However the current gap of knowledge about ecological relationships driving species distribution reduces the applicability of traditional and classical statistical approaches such as generalized linear models (GLMs), or occupancy surveys to produce accurate predictive maps. This study investigates the multi-scale habitat relationships of tigers and leopards and the impacts of future climate change on their distribution using a machine-learning algorithm random forest (RF). The recent advancements in the machine-learning algorithms provide a powerful tool for building accurate predictive models of species distribution and their habitat relationships even when little ecological knowledge is available about the species. We collected species occurrence data using camera traps and indirect evidence of animal presences (scats) in the field over 2 years of rigorous sampling and used a machine-learning algorithm random forest (RF) to predict the habitat suitability maps of tiger and leopard under current and future climatic scenarios. We developed niche overlap models based on the recently developed statistical approaches to assess the patterns of niche similarity between tigers and leopards. Tiger and leopard utilized habitat resources at the broadest spatial scales (28,000 m). Our model predicted a 23% loss in the suitable habitat of tigers under the RCP 8.5 Scenario (2050). Our study of multi-scale habitat suitability modeling provides valuable information on the species habitat relationships in disturbed and human-dominated landscapes concerning two large felid species of conservation importance. These areas may act as refugee habitats for large carnivores in the future and thus should be the focus of conservation importance. This study may also provide a methodological framework for similar multi-scale and multi-species monitoring programs using robust and more accurate machine learning algorithms such as random forest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahir A Rather
- Department of Wildlife Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh, Aligarh, 202002, India.
- The Corbett Foundation, 81-88, Atlanta Building, Nariman Point, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400021, India.
| | - Sharad Kumar
- Department of Wildlife Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh, Aligarh, 202002, India
- The Corbett Foundation, 81-88, Atlanta Building, Nariman Point, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400021, India
| | - Jamal A Khan
- Department of Wildlife Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Uttar Pradesh, Aligarh, 202002, India
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16
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Crowley BE, Wultsch C, Kelly MJ. Does faecal matter reflect location? An initial assessment of isotopic variability between consumed prey remains and faecal matter for wild jaguars . Isotopes Environ Health Stud 2019; 55:478-498. [PMID: 31402710 DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2019.1648263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Faecal isotopic analysis may complement other non-invasive wildlife survey tools for monitoring landscape use by carnivores, such as motion-detecting cameras and non-invasive genetic sampling. We analysed carbon, nitrogen, and strontium isotopes in faecal matter produced by jaguars (Panthera onca) as well as bones from consumed prey at the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve (MPR) in Belize, Central America. The MPR is ideally suited for a spatial isotope study as vegetation and geology both vary considerably. The isotopic composition of faecal matter should reflect the habitat and geology where consumed prey lived. We used bone from consumed prey recovered from jaguar scats as a proxy for diet. Faecal matter and bone showed comparable spatial isotopic trends, suggesting that the isotopic composition of jaguar faeces can be used to detect foraging in different habitats (pine forest versus broadleaf forest) or on different geologies (Mesozoic carbonates; Palaeozoic granite, contact metamorphics, and metasediments). This result is reassuring as bones are not always present in carnivore scats. Studying landscape use by cryptic and wide-ranging carnivore species like jaguars remains challenging. Isotopic analysis of faecal matter complements the existing array of non-invasive spatial monitoring tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooke E Crowley
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati , Cincinnati , OH , USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Cincinnati , Cincinnati , OH , USA
| | - Claudia Wultsch
- Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics Laboratory, Hunter College, City University of New York , New York , NY , USA
- Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, American Museum of Natural History , New York , NY , USA
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech , Blacksburg , VA , USA
| | - Marcella J Kelly
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech , Blacksburg , VA , USA
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Figel JJ, Botero-Cañola S, Forero-Medina G, Sánchez-Londoño JD, Valenzuela L, Noss RF. Wetlands are keystone habitats for jaguars in an intercontinental biodiversity hotspot. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0221705. [PMID: 31509559 PMCID: PMC6738587 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Agricultural development was the major contributor to South America's designation as the continent with the highest rates of forest loss from 2000-2012. As the apex predator in the Neotropics, jaguars (Panthera onca) are dependent on forest cover but the species' response to habitat fragmentation in heterogeneous agricultural landscapes has not been a subject of extensive research. We used occupancy as a measure of jaguar habitat use in Colombia's middle Magdalena River valley which, as part of the intercontinental Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena biodiversity hotspot, is exceedingly fragmented by expanding cattle pastures and oil palm plantations. We used single-season occupancy models to analyze 9 months of data (2015-2016) from 70 camera trap sites. Given the middle Magdalena's status as a "jaguar corridor" and our possible violation of the occupancy models' demographic closure assumption, we interpreted our results as "probability of habitat use (Ψ)" by jaguars. We measured the associations between jaguar presence and coverage of forest, oil palm, and wetlands in radii buffers of 1, 3, and 5 km around each camera trap. Our camera traps recorded 77 jaguar detections at 25 of the camera trap sites (36%) during 15,305 trap nights. The probability of detecting jaguars, given their presence at a site, was 0.28 (0.03 SE). In the top-ranked model, jaguar habitat use was positively influenced by wetland coverage (β = 7.16, 3.20 SE) and negatively influenced by cattle pastures (β = -1.40, 0.63 SE), both in the 3 km buffers. We conclude that wetlands may serve as keystone habitats for jaguars in landscapes fragmented by cattle ranches and oil palm plantations. Greater focus on wetland preservation could facilitate jaguar persistence in one of the most important yet vulnerable areas of their distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe J. Figel
- Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, United States of America
| | - Sebastián Botero-Cañola
- Harold W Manter Laboratory of Parasitology, University of Nebraska State Museum and School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
- Instituto de Biología, Grupo de Mastozoología, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
| | | | - Juan David Sánchez-Londoño
- Facultad de Ciencias y Biotecnología, Universidad CES, Medellín, Colombia
- Fundación BioDiversa, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - Reed F. Noss
- Florida Institute for Conservation Science, Chuluota, Florida, United States of America
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Abstract
Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) is native to mountain ranges of Central and South Asia, where it occurs from 3,000-4500 m elevation. The species is enlisted as "Endangered" by IUCN and its populations are reportedly declining. In the current study, we compared the past and current distribution ranges of the species using spatial analysis. We used Quantum Geographical Information System (QGIS) software to reconstruct and quantify its past distribution range and compare with its current one. Snow leopard was found more widely distributed in the past having a distribution range of approximately 10.47 million km2 against the current 3.20 million km2. Range contraction of the species approximates 69%. A total of 719 terrestrial protected areas of Asia (out of total 7209) had this species in the past whereas at current, only 311 protected areas support this species. The results emphasize escalating conservation efforts to save its remaining distribution range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tariq Mahmood
- Department of Wildlife Management, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Ayesha Younas
- Department of Wildlife Management, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Faraz Akrim
- Department of Wildlife Management, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
- Department of Zoology, University of Kotli, Kotli, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan
- * E-mail:
| | - Shaista Andleeb
- Department of Wildlife Management, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Abdul Hamid
- Department of Wildlife Management, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Sajid Nadeem
- Department of Zoology, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
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Santos F, Carbone C, Wearn OR, Rowcliffe JM, Espinosa S, Lima MGM, Ahumada JA, Gonçalves ALS, Trevelin LC, Alvarez-Loayza P, Spironello WR, Jansen PA, Juen L, Peres CA. Prey availability and temporal partitioning modulate felid coexistence in Neotropical forests. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0213671. [PMID: 30861045 PMCID: PMC6413900 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Carnivores have long been used as model organisms to examine mechanisms that allow coexistence among ecologically similar species. Interactions between carnivores, including competition and predation, comprise important processes regulating local community structure and diversity. We use data from an intensive camera-trapping monitoring program across eight Neotropical forest sites to describe the patterns of spatiotemporal organization of a guild of five sympatric cat species: jaguar (Panthera onca), puma (Puma concolor), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi) and margay (Leopardus wiedii). For the three largest cat species, we developed multi-stage occupancy models accounting for habitat characteristics (landscape complexity and prey availability) and models accounting for species interactions (occupancy estimates of potential competitor cat species). Patterns of habitat-use were best explained by prey availability, rather than habitat structure or species interactions, with no evidence of negative associations of jaguar on puma and ocelot occupancy or puma on ocelot occupancy. We further explore temporal activity patterns and overlap of all five felid species. We observed a moderate temporal overlap between jaguar, puma and ocelot, with differences in their activity peaks, whereas higher temporal partitioning was observed between jaguarundi and both ocelot and margay. Lastly, we conducted temporal overlap analysis and calculated species activity levels across study sites to explore if shifts in daily activity within species can be explained by varying levels of local competition pressure. Activity patterns of ocelots, jaguarundis and margays were similarly bimodal across sites, but pumas exhibited irregular activity patterns, most likely as a response to jaguar activity. Activity levels were similar among sites and observed differences were unrelated to competition or intraguild killing risk. Our study reveals apparent spatial and temporal partitioning for most of the species pairs analyzed, with prey abundance being more important than species interactions in governing the local occurrence and spatial distribution of Neotropical forest felids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Santos
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia/Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil
- Department of Mastozoology—Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Chris Carbone
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Oliver R. Wearn
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Santiago Espinosa
- Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, Mexico
- Escuela de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | | | - Jorge A. Ahumada
- Moore Center for Science, Conservation International, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America
| | - André Luis Sousa Gonçalves
- Grupo de Pesquisas de Mamíferos Amazônicos (GPMA), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | | | - Patricia Alvarez-Loayza
- Center for Tropical Conservation, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Wilson R. Spironello
- Grupo de Pesquisas de Mamíferos Amazônicos (GPMA), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Patrick A. Jansen
- Center for Tropical Forest Science, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panama
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Leandro Juen
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação/Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Carlos A. Peres
- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
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Abstract
The snow leopard Panthera uncia is an elusive species inhabiting some of the most remote and inaccessible tracts of Central and South Asia. It is difficult to determine its distribution and density pattern, which are crucial for developing conservation strategies. Several techniques for species detection combining camera traps with remote sensing and geographic information systems have been developed to model the habitat of such cryptic and low-density species in challenging terrains. Utilising presence-only data from camera traps and direct observations, alongside six environmental variables (elevation, aspect, ruggedness, distance to water, land cover, and prey habitat suitability), we assessed snow leopard habitat suitability across Ladakh in northern India. This is the first study to model snow leopard distribution both in India and utilising direct observation data. Results suggested that elevation and ruggedness are the two most influential environmental variables for snow leopard habitat suitability, with highly suitable habitat having an elevation range of 2,800 m to 4,600 m and ruggedness of 450 m to 1,800 m. Our habitat suitability map estimated approximately 12% of Ladakh's geographical area (c. 90,000 km2) as highly suitable and 18% as medium suitability. We found that 62.5% of recorded livestock depredation along with over half of all livestock corrals (54%) and homestays (58%) occurred within highly suitable snow leopard habitat. Our habitat suitability model can be used to assist in allocation of conservation resources by targeting construction of livestock corrals to areas of high habitat suitability and promoting ecotourism programs in villages in highly suitable snow leopard habitat.
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McLester E, Sweeney K, Stewart FA, Piel AK. Leopard (Panthera pardus) predation on a red-tailed monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius) in the Issa Valley, western Tanzania. Primates 2019; 60:15-19. [PMID: 30448971 PMCID: PMC6331503 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-018-0700-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 11/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Predation is predicted to be an important selection pressure for primates. Evidence for this hypothesis is rare, however, due to the scarcity of direct observations of primate predation. We describe an observation of leopard (Panthera pardus) predation on a red-tailed monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti) at the Issa Valley, a savanna-woodland mosaic landscape in western Tanzania. We compare rates of evidence of leopard presence between Issa and other primate study sites in sub-Saharan Africa. An increase in direct observations of leopards at Issa in recent years suggests that leopards may be habituating to researcher presence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward McLester
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L33AF, UK.
| | - Kyle Sweeney
- Greater Mahale Ecosystem Research and Conservation Project, Box 60118, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Fiona A Stewart
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L33AF, UK
- Greater Mahale Ecosystem Research and Conservation Project, Box 60118, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Alex K Piel
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L33AF, UK
- Greater Mahale Ecosystem Research and Conservation Project, Box 60118, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
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22
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Bargali HS, Ahmed T. Patterns of livestock depredation by tiger (Panthera tigris) and leopard (Panthera pardus) in and around Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand, India. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0195612. [PMID: 29795557 PMCID: PMC5967810 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
India with estimated more than 2000 tigers (across 18 states) accounts for more than half of the remaining tigers across its range countries. Long-term conservation requires measures to protect the large carnivores and its prey base beyond the Protect Areas. The Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) and adjoining forest divisions with high density of tigers play a crucial role in conservation of tiger in Uttarakhand state as well as the Terai-Arc Landscape. However, CTR is surrounded with multiple-use forest (forest divisions), agriculture land, human habitation, townships and developmental projects. The movement of large carnivores and other wildlife through such habitats adds to the chances of human-wildlife conflict. The aim of the current study was to understand the patterns of livestock depredation by tigers and leopards in and around CTR. We examined a total of 8365 incidents of livestock depredation between 2006 and 2015 with tigers killing more livestock in a year (573.3±41.2) than leopards (263.2±9.9). Geographically, in north zone of CTR leopards were the major livestock predator (166.6±11), whereas tigers (547.7±40.1) in south zone. Examination of livestock kills indicated cows (75%) as the main victim, followed by buffaloes and other species. Analysis revealed that the livestock depredation by tigers varied significantly among seasons in south zone but not in north zone. However, such an explicit seasonal variation was not observed for leopards in north and south zone of CTR. Hotspots of livestock predation were identified around CTR. Addressing a conflict situation in a time-bound manner, timely disbursement of ex-gratia payment, involving locals at various tourism related activities and consistent rapport building initiatives are required to mitigate the human-wildlife conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harendra Singh Bargali
- The Corbett Foundation, Dhikuli, Ramnagar, District-Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
- * E-mail:
| | - Tanveer Ahmed
- The Corbett Foundation, Dhikuli, Ramnagar, District-Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
- Department of Wildlife Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India
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Hubel TY, Golabek KA, Rafiq K, McNutt JW, Wilson AM. Movement patterns and athletic performance of leopards in the Okavango Delta. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20172622. [PMID: 29695443 PMCID: PMC5936723 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although leopards are the most widespread of all the big cats and are known for their adaptability, they are elusive and little is known in detail about their movement and hunting energetics. We used high-resolution GPS/IMU (inertial measurement unit) collars to record position, activity and the first high-speed movement data on four male leopards in the Okavango Delta, an area with high habitat diversity and habitat fragmentation. Leopards in this study were generally active and conducted more runs during the night, with peaks in activity and number of runs in the morning and evening twilight. Runs were generally short (less than 100 m) and relatively slow (maximum speed 5.3 m s-1, mean of individual medians) compared to other large predators. Average daily travel distance was 11 km and maximum daily travel distance was 29 km. No direct correlation was found between average daily temperature and travel distance or between season and travel distance. Total daily energy requirements based on locomotor cost and basal metabolic rate varied little between individuals and over time. This study provides novel insights into movement patterns and athletic performance of leopards through quantitative high-resolution measurement of the locomotor, energetic, spatial and temporal movement characteristics. The results are unbiased by methodological and observational limitations characteristic of previous studies and demonstrate the utility of applying new technologies to field studies of elusive nocturnal species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatjana Y Hubel
- Structure & Motion Lab, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, UK
| | | | - Kasim Rafiq
- Botswana Predator Conservation Trust, Private Bag 13, Maun, Botswana
- Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - J Weldon McNutt
- Botswana Predator Conservation Trust, Private Bag 13, Maun, Botswana
| | - Alan M Wilson
- Structure & Motion Lab, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, UK
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24
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Jędrzejewski W, Robinson HS, Abarca M, Zeller KA, Velasquez G, Paemelaere EAD, Goldberg JF, Payan E, Hoogesteijn R, Boede EO, Schmidt K, Lampo M, Viloria ÁL, Carreño R, Robinson N, Lukacs PM, Nowak JJ, Salom-Pérez R, Castañeda F, Boron V, Quigley H. Estimating large carnivore populations at global scale based on spatial predictions of density and distribution - Application to the jaguar (Panthera onca). PLoS One 2018; 13:e0194719. [PMID: 29579129 PMCID: PMC5868828 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Broad scale population estimates of declining species are desired for conservation efforts. However, for many secretive species including large carnivores, such estimates are often difficult. Based on published density estimates obtained through camera trapping, presence/absence data, and globally available predictive variables derived from satellite imagery, we modelled density and occurrence of a large carnivore, the jaguar, across the species' entire range. We then combined these models in a hierarchical framework to estimate the total population. Our models indicate that potential jaguar density is best predicted by measures of primary productivity, with the highest densities in the most productive tropical habitats and a clear declining gradient with distance from the equator. Jaguar distribution, in contrast, is determined by the combined effects of human impacts and environmental factors: probability of jaguar occurrence increased with forest cover, mean temperature, and annual precipitation and declined with increases in human foot print index and human density. Probability of occurrence was also significantly higher for protected areas than outside of them. We estimated the world's jaguar population at 173,000 (95% CI: 138,000-208,000) individuals, mostly concentrated in the Amazon Basin; elsewhere, populations tend to be small and fragmented. The high number of jaguars results from the large total area still occupied (almost 9 million km2) and low human densities (< 1 person/km2) coinciding with high primary productivity in the core area of jaguar range. Our results show the importance of protected areas for jaguar persistence. We conclude that combining modelling of density and distribution can reveal ecological patterns and processes at global scales, can provide robust estimates for use in species assessments, and can guide broad-scale conservation actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Włodzimierz Jędrzejewski
- Centro de Ecología, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Hugh S. Robinson
- Panthera, New York, United States of America
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, W. A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, United States of America
| | - Maria Abarca
- Centro de Ecología, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Katherine A. Zeller
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, United States of America
| | - Grisel Velasquez
- Centro de Ecología, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Caracas, Venezuela
| | | | - Joshua F. Goldberg
- Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology Program, University of California, Riverside, United States of America
| | | | | | - Ernesto O. Boede
- Fundación para el Desarrollo de las Ciencias, Físicas, Matemáticas y Naturales–FUDECI, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Krzysztof Schmidt
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
| | - Margarita Lampo
- Centro de Ecología, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Ángel L. Viloria
- Centro de Ecología, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Rafael Carreño
- Centro de Ecología, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Nathaniel Robinson
- Department of Forest Management, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, United States of America
| | - Paul M. Lukacs
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, W. A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, United States of America
| | - J. Joshua Nowak
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, W. A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, United States of America
| | | | | | - Valeria Boron
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
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25
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Morales MM, Moyano SR, Ortiz AM, Ercoli MD, Aguado LI, Cardozo SA, Giannini NP. Comparative myology of the ankle of Leopardus wiedii and L. geoffroyi (Carnivora: Felidae): functional consistency with osteology, locomotor habits and hunting in captivity. ZOOLOGY 2017; 126:46-57. [PMID: 29329954 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2017.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Revised: 12/09/2017] [Accepted: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Leopardus wiedii (margay) is the only arboreal Neotropical felid able to climb head-first down trees, due to its ability to rotate its tarsal joint 180°. A closely related, similar-sized species, L. geoffroyi (Geoffroy's cat) exhibits more typical terrestrial habits and lacks the arboreal capabilities of L. wiedii. There is osteological evidence that supports a mechanical specialization of L. wiedii's tarsal joint for inversion, but there have been no studies on the myology of this specialization. Based on comparative gross-anatomy dissections of zeugo- and autopodial muscles related to the ankle joint of one margay specimen and two Geoffroýs cats, we identified myological specializations of L. wiedii that support its arboreal abilities. In addition, we documented both species hunting the same prey (domestic pigeon Columba livia, Aves: Columbidae) in captivity, to complement. We report differences in the origin, insertion and belly in 8 of the 10 dissected muscles. At least 3 of these interspecific variations can be associated with strengthening of the main muscles that command inversion/eversion movements of the tarsal joint and support the body weight in the head-down climbing position typical of L. wiedii. Frame-by-frame video reconstructions depict the sequence of movements in these species while hunting and highlight the advantages of the arboreal abilities of L. wiedii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam M Morales
- Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Jujuy. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). San Salvador de Jujuy, C.P. 4600, Jujuy, Argentina; Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA), Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). San Salvador de Jujuy, C.P. 4600, Jujuy, Argentina; Centro de Estudios Territoriales Ambientales y Sociales. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Alberdi 47, San Salvador de Jujuy, C.P. 4600, Jujuy, Argentina.
| | - S Rocío Moyano
- Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA), Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). San Salvador de Jujuy, C.P. 4600, Jujuy, Argentina; Centro de Estudios Territoriales Ambientales y Sociales. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Alberdi 47, San Salvador de Jujuy, C.P. 4600, Jujuy, Argentina.
| | - Agustina M Ortiz
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Alberdi 47, San Salvador de Jujuy, C.P. 4600, Jujuy, Argentina; Instituto de Geología y Minería, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Av. Bolivia 1661, San Salvador de Jujuy, C.P. 4600, Jujuy, Argentina.
| | - Marcos D Ercoli
- Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA), Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). San Salvador de Jujuy, C.P. 4600, Jujuy, Argentina; Instituto de Geología y Minería, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Av. Bolivia 1661, San Salvador de Jujuy, C.P. 4600, Jujuy, Argentina.
| | - Luis I Aguado
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Alberdi 47, San Salvador de Jujuy, C.P. 4600, Jujuy, Argentina.
| | - Sergio A Cardozo
- Centro de Estudios Territoriales Ambientales y Sociales. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Alberdi 47, San Salvador de Jujuy, C.P. 4600, Jujuy, Argentina; Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Alberdi 47, San Salvador de Jujuy, C.P. 4600, Jujuy, Argentina.
| | - Norberto P Giannini
- Unidad Ejecutora Lillo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Miguel Lillo 251, San Miguel de Tucumán, C.P. 4000, Tucumán, Argentina; American Museum of Natural History, Department of Mammalogy. Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, United States.
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26
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Vaz J, Narayan EJ, Dileep Kumar R, Thenmozhi K, Thiyagesan K, Baskaran N. Prevalence and determinants of stereotypic behaviours and physiological stress among tigers and leopards in Indian zoos. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0174711. [PMID: 28414723 PMCID: PMC5393558 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0174711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
India's charismatic wildlife species are facing immense pressure from anthropogenic-induced environmental perturbations. Zoos play a major role in the conservation of threatened species, but their adaptation in captivity is posing a major challenge globally. Stress from inadequate adaptation could lead to suppression of cognitive functioning and increased display of stereotypic behaviour. It is thus necessary to measure biological traits like behaviour, stress physiology, and contextual factors driving the animals maintained at zoos. In this study, we assessed stereotypic behaviour and stress physiology employing standard behaviour scoring, non-invasive stress monitoring, and their contextual drivers in a sub-population of two large felid species managed in six Indian zoos. The prevalence and intensity of stereotypic behaviours and levels of faecal corticosterone metabolites (FCM) were ascertained among 41 Royal Bengal tigers Panthera tigris tigris and 21 Indian leopards Panthera pardus fusca between April 2014 and March 2015. Behavioural observations showed that tigers spent more time stereotyping (12%) than leopards (7%) during daylight hours. Stress levels assessed using FCM revealed that tigers (23.6 ± 1.62 ng/g) had marginally lower level of corticosterone metabolites than leopards (27.2 ±1.36 ng/g). Stereotypic behaviour increased significantly with FCM level when the effect of heath status was controlled in tigers, and the effects tree cover, stone, den and keeper attitude controlled in leopards. Comparison of stereotypes of tigers with various biological and environmental factors using binary logistic regression revealed that stereotypic prevalence decreased with increased enclosure size, and enclosure enrichments like presence of pools and stones, when managed socially with conspecifics, and with positive keeper attitude, these factors accounting for 43% of variations in stereotypic prevalence among tigers. Stereotype among leopards was significantly absent when associated with increased tree cover and presence of pool, and den in the enclosure, age and among zoo-born than wild-born ones. These factors explain 81% of variations in stereotypic prevalence in them. A comparison of FCM levels with context-dependent factors revealed that stress levels among tigers decreased significantly with enclosure size and with individuals from nil to low, and severity of health issues. These factors explain 64% of variations in FCM levels. In leopards, the presence of stones in the enclosure and keepers with positive attitude resulted in significant decrease in FCM levels, these factors together accounting for 94% of variations. Multiple regressions on selected variables based on Factor Analysis of Mixed Data showed that in tigers the intensity of stereotype decreased significantly with enclosure size, sociality and positive keeper attitude and FCM level with health problems. Similarly, analyses in leopards revealed that intensity of stereotype decreased significantly with tree cover, age and FCM level with positive keeper attitude. Overall, our study suggests that to reduce stereotypes and stress level, tigers in captivity should be managed in larger enclosures enriched with pool, and stones, and in appropriate social conditions with adequate veterinary care. Leopards should be managed in enclosures with dense tree cover, pool, stones and den. Positive keeper attitude plays a crucial role in the welfare of both the species in captivity. Our study is promising and is comparable with their natural behaviour in the wild; for example, tigers require larger natural habitats, while leopards can manage even with smaller isolated patches but with dense vegetation cover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janice Vaz
- Department of Zoology & Wildlife Biology, A.V.C. College (Autonomous), Mannampandal, Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Edward J Narayan
- School of Science and Helath, Western Sydney University, Hawkesbury Campus, Richmond NSW, Australia
| | - R Dileep Kumar
- Centre for Venom Informatics, Department of Computational Biology & Bio-informatics, Kariavattom North Campus, University of Kerala, Kerala, India
| | - K Thenmozhi
- Department of Zoology & Wildlife Biology, A.V.C. College (Autonomous), Mannampandal, Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Krishnamoorthy Thiyagesan
- Department of Zoology & Wildlife Biology, A.V.C. College (Autonomous), Mannampandal, Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Nagarajan Baskaran
- Department of Zoology & Wildlife Biology, A.V.C. College (Autonomous), Mannampandal, Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu, India
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Morato RG, Stabach JA, Fleming CH, Calabrese JM, De Paula RC, Ferraz KMPM, Kantek DLZ, Miyazaki SS, Pereira TDC, Araujo GR, Paviolo A, De Angelo C, Di Bitetti MS, Cruz P, Lima F, Cullen L, Sana DA, Ramalho EE, Carvalho MM, Soares FHS, Zimbres B, Silva MX, Moraes MDF, Vogliotti A, May JA, Haberfeld M, Rampim L, Sartorello L, Ribeiro MC, Leimgruber P. Space Use and Movement of a Neotropical Top Predator: The Endangered Jaguar. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0168176. [PMID: 28030568 PMCID: PMC5193337 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0168176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2016] [Accepted: 11/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Accurately estimating home range and understanding movement behavior can provide important information on ecological processes. Advances in data collection and analysis have improved our ability to estimate home range and movement parameters, both of which have the potential to impact species conservation. Fitting continuous-time movement model to data and incorporating the autocorrelated kernel density estimator (AKDE), we investigated range residency of forty-four jaguars fit with GPS collars across five biomes in Brazil and Argentina. We assessed home range and movement parameters of range resident animals and compared AKDE estimates with kernel density estimates (KDE). We accounted for differential space use and movement among individuals, sex, region, and habitat quality. Thirty-three (80%) of collared jaguars were range resident. Home range estimates using AKDE were 1.02 to 4.80 times larger than KDE estimates that did not consider autocorrelation. Males exhibited larger home ranges, more directional movement paths, and a trend towards larger distances traveled per day. Jaguars with the largest home ranges occupied the Atlantic Forest, a biome with high levels of deforestation and high human population density. Our results fill a gap in the knowledge of the species' ecology with an aim towards better conservation of this endangered/critically endangered carnivore-the top predator in the Neotropics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronaldo G. Morato
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, Virginia, United States of America
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jared A. Stabach
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Chris H. Fleming
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Justin M. Calabrese
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Rogério C. De Paula
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Kátia M. P. M. Ferraz
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
- Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil
| | - Daniel L. Z. Kantek
- Estação Ecológica Taiamã, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Cáceres, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Selma S. Miyazaki
- Estação Ecológica Taiamã, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Cáceres, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Thadeu D. C. Pereira
- Estação Ecológica Taiamã, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Cáceres, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Gediendson R. Araujo
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Agustin Paviolo
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical, Universidad Nacional de Misiones and CONICET, Puerto Iguazú, Argentina
| | - Carlos De Angelo
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical, Universidad Nacional de Misiones and CONICET, Puerto Iguazú, Argentina
| | - Mario S. Di Bitetti
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical, Universidad Nacional de Misiones and CONICET, Puerto Iguazú, Argentina
| | - Paula Cruz
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical, Universidad Nacional de Misiones and CONICET, Puerto Iguazú, Argentina
| | - Fernando Lima
- IPÊ – Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, Nazaré Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratório de Ecologia Espacial e Conservação, Instituto de Biociências, Univesidade Estadual de São Paulo, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Laury Cullen
- IPÊ – Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, Nazaré Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Denis A. Sana
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Emiliano E. Ramalho
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá, Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil
| | - Marina M. Carvalho
- Instituto de Defesa e Preservação dos Felídeos Brasileiros, Corumbá de Goiás, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Fábio H. S. Soares
- Instituto de Defesa e Preservação dos Felídeos Brasileiros, Corumbá de Goiás, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Barbara Zimbres
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade de Brasília, Federal District, Brazil
| | - Marina X. Silva
- Projeto Carnívoros do Iguaçu, Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Marcela D. F. Moraes
- Projeto Carnívoros do Iguaçu, Parque Nacional do Iguaçu, Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade, Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Vogliotti
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
- Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana, Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Joares A. May
- Projeto Onçafari Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | | | - Lilian Rampim
- Projeto Onçafari Miranda, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | | | - Milton C. Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Ecologia Espacial e Conservação, Instituto de Biociências, Univesidade Estadual de São Paulo, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Peter Leimgruber
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, Virginia, United States of America
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Cullen L, Stanton JC, Lima F, Uezu A, Perilli MLL, Akçakaya HR. Implications of Fine-Grained Habitat Fragmentation and Road Mortality for Jaguar Conservation in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0167372. [PMID: 27973584 PMCID: PMC5156341 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2016] [Accepted: 11/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Jaguar (Panthera onca) populations in the Upper Paraná River, in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest region, live in a landscape that includes highly fragmented areas as well as relatively intact ones. We developed a model of jaguar habitat suitability in this region, and based on this habitat model, we developed a spatially structured metapopulation model of the jaguar populations in this area to analyze their viability, the potential impact of road mortality on the populations' persistence, and the interaction between road mortality and habitat fragmentation. In more highly fragmented populations, density of jaguars per unit area is lower and density of roads per jaguar is higher. The populations with the most fragmented habitat were predicted to have much lower persistence in the next 100 years when the model included no dispersal, indicating that the persistence of these populations are dependent to a large extent on dispersal from other populations. This, in turn, indicates that the interaction between road mortality and habitat fragmentation may lead to source-sink dynamics, whereby populations with highly fragmented habitat are maintained only by dispersal from populations with less fragmented habitat. This study demonstrates the utility of linking habitat and demographic models in assessing impacts on species living in fragmented landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laury Cullen
- IPÊ –Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, Nazaré Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jessica C. Stanton
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Fernando Lima
- IPÊ –Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, Nazaré Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista–UNESP, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Uezu
- IPÊ –Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, Nazaré Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Miriam L. L. Perilli
- Instituto para a Conservação dos Carnívoros Neotropicais–Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa—UFV, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - H. Reşit Akçakaya
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
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Carrera-Treviño R, Lira-Torres I, Martínez-García L, López-Hernández M. [The jaguar Panthera onca (Carnivora: Felidae) in “El Cielo” Biosphere Reserve, Tamaulipas, Mexico]. REV BIOL TROP 2016; 64:1451-1468. [PMID: 29465909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Information on the ecology of jaguars (Panthera onca) in “El Cielo” Biosphere Reserve in Tamaulipas, Mexico is scant and limited to anecdotic records in a handful of publications. The objectives of our study were to: a) determine population density and structure of jaguars, b) compare their activity patterns with that of pumas (Puma concolor), c) ascertain potential prey relative abundance, and d) evaluate local resident’s perception on loss of domestic animals due to jaguar predation. Between April 2013 and April 2014 we conducted camera trapping in Gomez Farias Township with a total sampling effort of 8 580 camera trap days. Besides, we completed 136 semi-structured interviews among local residents of Gomez Farias and Llera Townships to gather information on domestic animal losses attributed to jaguars and other carnivores. We identified eight different jaguar individuals during a complete year of camera-trapping, composed of four adult females, one juvenile female, two adult males and one juvenile male. We estimated a jaguar density of 5.9 ± 1.3 jaguars/100 km². Activity patterns for jaguars and pumas were similar as both were nocturnal and crepuscular in nature. The most abundant potential prey species for jaguars in the study site were Crax rubra, Cuniculus paca, Mazama temama, Odocoileus virginianus and Didelphis virginiana; while the rarest were Mephitis macroura and Procyon lotor. Interview results suggested that chickens, dogs, and house cats were the most consumed domestic animals from all reported losses by local residents (n= 107). This study represents the first attempt to describe jaguar ecology in “El Cielo” Biosphere Reserve; however, there is a need of additional monitoring efforts to determine the current status of jaguars in a larger area in order to establish conservation strategies. Finally, this jaguar population may have an important role in maintaining the species in the Sierra Madre Oriental biological corridor connecting populations in Nuevo Leon and San Luis states in Northeastern Mexico.
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Paviolo A, De Angelo C, Ferraz KMPMB, Morato RG, Martinez Pardo J, Srbek-Araujo AC, Beisiegel BDM, Lima F, Sana D, Xavier da Silva M, Velázquez MC, Cullen L, Crawshaw Jr P, Jorge MLSP, Galetti PM, Di Bitetti MS, de Paula RC, Eizirik E, Aide TM, Cruz P, Perilli MLL, Souza ASMC, Quiroga V, Nakano E, Ramírez Pinto F, Fernández S, Costa S, Moraes Jr EA, Azevedo F. A biodiversity hotspot losing its top predator: The challenge of jaguar conservation in the Atlantic Forest of South America. Sci Rep 2016; 6:37147. [PMID: 27849006 PMCID: PMC5111070 DOI: 10.1038/srep37147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 10/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The jaguar is the top predator of the Atlantic Forest (AF), which is a highly threatened biodiversity hotspot that occurs in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. By combining data sets from 14 research groups across the region, we determine the population status of the jaguar and propose a spatial prioritization for conservation actions. About 85% of the jaguar's habitat in the AF has been lost and only 7% remains in good condition. Jaguars persist in around 2.8% of the region, and live in very low densities in most of the areas. The population of jaguars in the AF is probably lower than 300 individuals scattered in small sub-populations. We identified seven Jaguar Conservation Units (JCUs) and seven potential JCUs, and only three of these areas may have ≥50 individuals. A connectivity analysis shows that most of the JCUs are isolated. Habitat loss and fragmentation were the major causes for jaguar decline, but human induced mortality is the main threat for the remaining population. We classified areas according to their contribution to jaguar conservation and we recommend management actions for each of them. The methodology in this study could be used for conservation planning of other carnivore species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustin Paviolo
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM), Bertoni 85, (N3370AIA) Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
- Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico, Bertoni 85, (N3370AIA) Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Carlos De Angelo
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM), Bertoni 85, (N3370AIA) Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
- Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico, Bertoni 85, (N3370AIA) Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Katia M. P. M. B. Ferraz
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, ESALQ, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros Atibaia, Av. Horácio Neto, 1030 12954–010, Atibaia, SP, Brazil
| | - Ronaldo G. Morato
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros Atibaia, Av. Horácio Neto, 1030 12954–010, Atibaia, SP, Brazil
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros CENAP/ICMBio, Av. Hisaichi Takebayashi, 8600 12946–051, Atibaia, SP, Brazil
| | - Julia Martinez Pardo
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM), Bertoni 85, (N3370AIA) Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
- Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico, Bertoni 85, (N3370AIA) Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Ana C. Srbek-Araujo
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia de Ecossistemas, Universidade Vila Velha (UVV), Vila Velha, ES, Brazil
- Instituto SerraDiCal de Pesquisa e Conservação, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | | | - Fernando Lima
- IPÊ - Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, Nazaré Paulista, SP, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista – UNESP, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil
| | - Denis Sana
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros Atibaia, Av. Horácio Neto, 1030 12954–010, Atibaia, SP, Brazil
- PPG Ecologia- UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Marina Xavier da Silva
- Projeto Carnívoros do Iguaçu, Parque Nacional do Iguaçu/ICMBio, Rodovia BR 469 Km 22,5, Foz do Iguaçu, PR, Brazil
| | | | - Laury Cullen
- IPÊ - Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, Nazaré Paulista, SP, Brazil
| | - Peter Crawshaw Jr
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros CENAP/ICMBio, Av. Hisaichi Takebayashi, 8600 12946–051, Atibaia, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Pedro M. Galetti
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Mario S. Di Bitetti
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM), Bertoni 85, (N3370AIA) Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
- Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico, Bertoni 85, (N3370AIA) Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
- Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM), Misiones, Argentina
| | - Rogerio Cunha de Paula
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros Atibaia, Av. Horácio Neto, 1030 12954–010, Atibaia, SP, Brazil
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros CENAP/ICMBio, Av. Hisaichi Takebayashi, 8600 12946–051, Atibaia, SP, Brazil
| | - Eduardo Eizirik
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros Atibaia, Av. Horácio Neto, 1030 12954–010, Atibaia, SP, Brazil
- PUCRS, Faculdade de Biociências, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - T. Mitchell Aide
- Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - Paula Cruz
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM), Bertoni 85, (N3370AIA) Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
- Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico, Bertoni 85, (N3370AIA) Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
| | - Miriam L. L. Perilli
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros Atibaia, Av. Horácio Neto, 1030 12954–010, Atibaia, SP, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, MG, Brazil
| | - Andiara S. M. C. Souza
- Departamento de Genética e Evolução, Universidade Federal de São Carlos, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Verónica Quiroga
- Instituto de Biología Subtropical, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Misiones (UNaM), Bertoni 85, (N3370AIA) Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
- Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico, Bertoni 85, (N3370AIA) Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
| | | | | | | | - Sebastian Costa
- Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico, Bertoni 85, (N3370AIA) Puerto Iguazú, Misiones, Argentina
- Instituto nacional de Medicina Tropical, Puerto Iguazú, Argentina
| | | | - Fernando Azevedo
- Instituto Pró-Carnívoros Atibaia, Av. Horácio Neto, 1030 12954–010, Atibaia, SP, Brazil
- Departamento de Ciências Naturais - Universidade Federal de São João del Rei. São João Del Rei, MG, Brazil
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de Thoisy B, Fayad I, Clément L, Barrioz S, Poirier E, Gond V. Predators, Prey and Habitat Structure: Can Key Conservation Areas and Early Signs of Population Collapse Be Detected in Neotropical Forests? PLoS One 2016; 11:e0165362. [PMID: 27828993 PMCID: PMC5102489 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Tropical forests with a low human population and absence of large-scale deforestation provide unique opportunities to study successful conservation strategies, which should be based on adequate monitoring tools. This study explored the conservation status of a large predator, the jaguar, considered an indicator of the maintenance of how well ecological processes are maintained. We implemented an original integrative approach, exploring successive ecosystem status proxies, from habitats and responses to threats of predators and their prey, to canopy structure and forest biomass. Niche modeling allowed identification of more suitable habitats, significantly related to canopy height and forest biomass. Capture/recapture methods showed that jaguar density was higher in habitats identified as more suitable by the niche model. Surveys of ungulates, large rodents and birds also showed higher density where jaguars were more abundant. Although jaguar density does not allow early detection of overall vertebrate community collapse, a decrease in the abundance of large terrestrial birds was noted as good first evidence of disturbance. The most promising tool comes from easily acquired LiDAR data and radar images: a decrease in canopy roughness was closely associated with the disturbance of forests and associated decreasing vertebrate biomass. This mixed approach, focusing on an apex predator, ecological modeling and remote-sensing information, not only helps detect early population declines in large mammals, but is also useful to discuss the relevance of large predators as indicators and the efficiency of conservation measures. It can also be easily extrapolated and adapted in a timely manner, since important open-source data are increasingly available and relevant for large-scale and real-time monitoring of biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Valéry Gond
- CIRAD, Forests and Societies unit, Montpellier, France
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Boron V, Tzanopoulos J, Gallo J, Barragan J, Jaimes-Rodriguez L, Schaller G, Payán E. Jaguar Densities across Human-Dominated Landscapes in Colombia: The Contribution of Unprotected Areas to Long Term Conservation. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153973. [PMID: 27144280 PMCID: PMC4856405 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2015] [Accepted: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Large carnivores such as jaguars (Panthera onca) are species of conservation concern because they are suffering population declines and are keystone species in their ecosystems. Their large area requirements imply that unprotected and ever-increasing agricultural regions can be important habitats as they allow connectivity and dispersal among core protected areas. Yet information on jaguar densities across unprotected landscapes it is still scarce and crucially needed to assist management and range-wide conservation strategies. Our study provides the first jaguar density estimates of Colombia in agricultural regions which included cattle ranching, the main land use in the country, and oil palm cultivation, an increasing land use across the Neotropics. We used camera trapping across two agricultural landscapes located in the Magdalena River valley and in the Colombian llanos (47-53 stations respectively; >2000 trap nights at both sites) and classic and spatially explicit capture-recapture models with the sex of individuals as a covariate. Density estimates were 2.52±0.46-3.15±1.08 adults/100 km2 in the Magdalena valley, whereas 1.12±0.13-2.19±0.99 adults/100 km2 in the Colombian llanos, depending on analysis used. We suggest that jaguars are able to live across unprotected human-use areas and co-exist with agricultural landscapes including oil-palm plantations if natural areas and riparian habitats persist in the landscape and hunting of both jaguar and prey is limited. In the face of an expanding agriculture across the tropics we recommend land-use planning, adequate incentives, regulations, and good agricultural practices for range-wide jaguar connectivity and survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Boron
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph Tzanopoulos
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jorge Barragan
- La Aurora Civil Society Nature Reserve, Hato Corozal, Colombia
| | | | - George Schaller
- Panthera, New York, New York, United States of America
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York, United States of America
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Arriaza MC, Domínguez-Rodrigo M, Yravedra J, Baquedano E. Lions as Bone Accumulators? Paleontological and Ecological Implications of a Modern Bone Assemblage from Olduvai Gorge. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153797. [PMID: 27144649 PMCID: PMC4856334 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Analytic models have been developed to reconstruct early hominin behaviour, especially their subsistence patterns, revealed mainly through taphonomic analyses of archaeofaunal assemblages. Taphonomic research is used to discern which agents (carnivores, humans or both) generate the bone assemblages recovered at archaeological sites. Taphonomic frameworks developed during the last decades show that the only large-sized carnivores in African biomes able to create bone assemblages are leopards and hyenas. A carnivore-made bone assemblage located in the short-grassland ecological unit of the Serengeti (within Olduvai Gorge) was studied. Taphonomic analyses of this assemblage including skeletal part representation, bone density, breakage patterns and anatomical distribution of tooth marks, along with an ecological approach to the prey selection made by large carnivores of the Serengeti, were carried out. The results show that this bone assemblage may be the first lion-accumulated assemblage documented, although other carnivores (namely spotted hyenas) may have also intervened through postdepositional ravaging. This first faunal assemblage potentially created by lions constitutes a new framework for neotaphonomic studies. Since lions may accumulate carcasses under exceptional circumstances, such as those documented at the site reported here, this finding may have important consequences for interpretations of early archaeological and paleontological sites, which provide key information about human evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mari Carmen Arriaza
- Departamento de Geología, Geografía y Medio Ambiente, Universidad de Alcalá, Edificio de Ciencias. Campus Externo. Ctra. A-II-km 33,600 C. P. 28871 Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), Spain
- Instituto de Evolución en África (IDEA), Museo de los Orígenes, Plaza de San Andrés 2, 28005, Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo
- Instituto de Evolución en África (IDEA), Museo de los Orígenes, Plaza de San Andrés 2, 28005, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Prehistoria, Universidad Complutense, Prof. Aranguren s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - José Yravedra
- Instituto de Evolución en África (IDEA), Museo de los Orígenes, Plaza de San Andrés 2, 28005, Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Prehistoria, Universidad Complutense, Prof. Aranguren s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Enrique Baquedano
- Instituto de Evolución en África (IDEA), Museo de los Orígenes, Plaza de San Andrés 2, 28005, Madrid, Spain
- Museo Arqueológico Regional de la Comunidad de Madrid, Plaza de las Bernardas s/n, 28801, Alcalá de Henares (Madrid), Spain
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Ghoddousi A, Soofi M, Kh. Hamidi A, Lumetsberger T, Egli L, Khorozyan I, Kiabi BH, Waltert M. Assessing the Role of Livestock in Big Cat Prey Choice Using Spatiotemporal Availability Patterns. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0153439. [PMID: 27064680 PMCID: PMC4827856 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Livestock is represented in big cat diets throughout the world. Husbandry approaches aim to reduce depredation, which may influence patterns of prey choice, but whether felids have a preference for livestock or not often remains unclear as most studies ignore livestock availability. We assessed prey choice of the endangered Persian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) in Golestan National Park, Iran, where conflict over livestock depredation occurs. We analyzed leopard diet (77 scats) and assessed wild and domestic prey abundance by line transect sampling (186 km), camera-trapping (2777 camera days), double-observer point-counts (64 scans) and questionnaire surveys (136 respondents). Based on interviews with 18 shepherds, we estimated monthly grazing time outside six villages with 96 conflict cases to obtain a small livestock (domestic sheep and goat) availability coefficient. Using this coefficient, which ranged between 0.40 and 0.63 for different villages, we estimated the numbers of sheep and goats available to leopard depredation. Leopard diet consisted mainly of wild boar (Sus scrofa) (50.2% biomass consumed), but bezoar goat (Capra aegagrus) was the most preferred prey species (Ij = 0.73), whereas sheep and goats were avoided (Ij = -0.54). When absolute sheep and goat numbers (~11250) were used instead of the corrected ones (~6392), avoidance of small livestock appeared to be even stronger (Ij = -0.71). We suggest that future assessments of livestock choice by felids should incorporate such case-specific corrections for spatiotemporal patterns of availability, which may vary with husbandry methods. Such an approach increases our understanding of human-felid conflict dynamics and the role of livestock in felid diets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arash Ghoddousi
- Workgroup on Endangered Species, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Mahmood Soofi
- Workgroup on Endangered Species, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Tanja Lumetsberger
- Workgroup on Endangered Species, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lukas Egli
- Workgroup on Endangered Species, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Igor Khorozyan
- Workgroup on Endangered Species, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Bahram H. Kiabi
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C., Tehran, Iran
| | - Matthias Waltert
- Workgroup on Endangered Species, J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Perilli MLL, Lima F, Rodrigues FHG, Cavalcanti SMC. Can Scat Analysis Describe the Feeding Habits of Big Cats? A Case Study with Jaguars (Panthera onca) in Southern Pantanal, Brazil. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0151814. [PMID: 27002524 PMCID: PMC4803351 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2015] [Accepted: 02/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Large cats feeding habits have been studied through two main methods: scat analysis and the carcasses of prey killed by monitored animals. From November 2001 to April 2004, we studied jaguar predation patterns using GPS telemetry location clusters on a cattle ranch in southern Pantanal. During this period, we recorded 431 carcasses of animals preyed upon by monitored jaguars. Concurrently, we collected 125 jaguar scats opportunistically. We compared the frequencies of prey found through each method. We also compared the prey communities using Bray-Curtis similarity coefficient. These comparisons allowed us to evaluate the use of scat analysis as a means to describe jaguar feeding habits. Both approaches identified prey communities with high similarity (Bray-Curtis coefficient > 70). According to either method, jaguars consume three main prey: cattle (Bos taurus), caiman (Caiman yacare) and peccaries (Tayassu pecari and Pecari tajacu). The two methods did not differ in the frequency of the three main prey over dry and wet seasons or years sampled. Our results show that scat analysis is effective and capable of describing jaguar feeding habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam L. L. Perilli
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa - UFV, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul - UFMS, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
- Instituto para Conservação dos Carnívoros Neotropicais - Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fernando Lima
- IPÊ - Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, Nazaré Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista – UNESP, Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Flávio H. G. Rodrigues
- Instituto para Conservação dos Carnívoros Neotropicais - Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Sandra M. C. Cavalcanti
- Instituto para Conservação dos Carnívoros Neotropicais - Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
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Barnes SA, Andrew Teare J, Staaden S, Metrione L, Penfold LM. Characterization and manipulation of reproductive cycles in the jaguar (Panthera onca). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2016; 225:95-103. [PMID: 26399935 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2015.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2015] [Revised: 09/10/2015] [Accepted: 09/17/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Basic reproductive information in female jaguars (Panthera onca) is lacking, thus longitudinal fecal samples from seven females were analyzed via enzyme immunoassay to measure estradiol and progestin metabolites throughout the year. Mean estrus length of 194 estrus periods measured hormonally was 6.5±0.3d, mean peak fecal estradiol concentration was 138.7±5.7ng/g; and in one female, estrus resumption occurred approximately 15d post-partum. Ovulation, as indicted by sustained elevated progestin concentrations (>20d), was successfully induced one time by treatment with exogenous hormones in one female and by physical vaginal stimulation in two females a combined total of three times. Elevated fecal progestin was observed outside exogenous stimulation on five occasions, suggesting ovulation occurred spontaneously. Mean length of physically induced and spontaneous pseudopregnancies was 24.7±4.2d and 29.6±2.6d, respectively, and mean length of pregnancy (n=2) was 98.0±0.0d. Mean peak progestin concentration for spontaneous and induced pseudopregnancies, and pregnancy was 7.4±1.4μg/g, 6.4±1.2μg/g, and 13.7±1.0μg/g, respectively. This data suggests jaguars are polyestrous and generally induced ovulators, with a moderate incidence of spontaneous ovulation. Additionally, two protocols to successfully stimulate ovarian activity in jaguars are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena A Barnes
- White Oak Conservation Center, 581705 White Oak Road, Yulee, FL 32097, United States
| | - J Andrew Teare
- International Species Information System, Eagan, MN 55121, United States
| | - Sheryl Staaden
- Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, 370 Zoo Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32218, United States
| | - Lara Metrione
- South-East Zoo Alliance for Reproduction & Conservation, 581705 White Oak Road, Yulee, FL 32097, United States
| | - Linda M Penfold
- South-East Zoo Alliance for Reproduction & Conservation, 581705 White Oak Road, Yulee, FL 32097, United States.
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Jiang G, Qi J, Wang G, Shi Q, Darman Y, Hebblewhite M, Miquelle DG, Li Z, Zhang X, Gu J, Chang Y, Zhang M, Ma J. New hope for the survival of the Amur leopard in China. Sci Rep 2015; 5:15475. [PMID: 26638877 PMCID: PMC4670984 DOI: 10.1038/srep15475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2015] [Accepted: 09/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural range loss limits the population growth of Asian big cats and may determine their survival. Over the past decade, we collected occurrence data of the critically endangered Amur leopard worldwide and developed a distribution model of the leopard's historical range in northeastern China over the past decade. We were interested to explore how much current range area exists, learn what factors limit their spatial distribution, determine the population size and estimate the extent of potential habitat. Our results identify 48,252 km(2) of current range and 21,173.7 km(2) of suitable habitat patches and these patches may support 195.1 individuals. We found that prey presence drives leopard distribution, that leopard density exhibits a negative response to tiger occurrence and that the largest habitat patch connects with 5,200 km(2)of Russian current range. These insights provide a deeper understanding of the means by which endangered predators might be saved and survival prospects for the Amur leopard not only in China, but also through imperative conservation cooperation internationally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangshun Jiang
- Feline Research Center of the Chinese State Forestry Administration; College of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Jinzhe Qi
- Feline Research Center of the Chinese State Forestry Administration; College of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Guiming Wang
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mail Stop 9690, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA
| | - Quanhua Shi
- Feline Research Center of the Chinese State Forestry Administration; College of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
- WWF–China, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Yury Darman
- WWF–Russia, Amur Branch, Verkhneportovaya 18A, Vladivostok 690003, Russia
| | - Mark Hebblewhite
- College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | | | - Zhilin Li
- Feline Research Center of the Chinese State Forestry Administration; College of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Xue Zhang
- Feline Research Center of the Chinese State Forestry Administration; College of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Jiayin Gu
- Feline Research Center of the Chinese State Forestry Administration; College of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | | | - Minghai Zhang
- Feline Research Center of the Chinese State Forestry Administration; College of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Jianzhang Ma
- Feline Research Center of the Chinese State Forestry Administration; College of Wildlife Resources, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
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Dehnhard M, Kumar V, Chandrasekhar M, Jewgenow K, Umapathy G. Non-Invasive Pregnancy Diagnosis in Big Cats using the PGFM (13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGF2α) Assay. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0143958. [PMID: 26633886 PMCID: PMC4669140 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-invasive monitoring of hormones using feces has become a vital tool for reproductive management and reliable pregnancy diagnosis in big cats. Previous studies described the PGF2α metabolite (PGFM) as an indicator of pregnancy in various feline species. The present study aimed to standardize pregnancy detection in big cats like the tiger (Panthera tigris), jaguar (Panthera onca) and lion (Panthera leo) using fecal samples. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS) were performed to identify PGFM in feces. An EIA developed against 9α,11α-dihydroxy-15-oxo-prost-5-en-1-oic acid-BSA was used to assay PGFM in fecal samples of the Bengal tiger, Asiatic lion and jaguar. The PGFM levels increased after 9 weeks of pregnancy and remained elevated until parturition. All animals showed elevated levels of PGFM in the last trimester of pregnancy, thus making PGFM a reliable tool for pregnancy diagnosis during this period that can be useful in captive breeding programs in these species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Dehnhard
- Department of Reproduction Biology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo & Wildlife Research (IZW), 10315, Berlin, Germany
| | - Vinod Kumar
- CSIR-Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500007, India
| | - Mithileshwari Chandrasekhar
- CSIR-Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500007, India
| | - Katarina Jewgenow
- Department of Reproduction Biology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo & Wildlife Research (IZW), 10315, Berlin, Germany
| | - Govindhaswamy Umapathy
- CSIR-Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500007, India
- * E-mail:
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Goldberg JF, Tempa T, Norbu N, Hebblewhite M, Mills LS, Wangchuk TR, Lukacs P. Examining Temporal Sample Scale and Model Choice with Spatial Capture-Recapture Models in the Common Leopard Panthera pardus. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0140757. [PMID: 26536231 PMCID: PMC4633112 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2015] [Accepted: 09/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Many large carnivores occupy a wide geographic distribution, and face threats from habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, prey depletion, and human wildlife-conflicts. Conservation requires robust techniques for estimating population densities and trends, but the elusive nature and low densities of many large carnivores make them difficult to detect. Spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models provide a means for handling imperfect detectability, while linking population estimates to individual movement patterns to provide more accurate estimates than standard approaches. Within this framework, we investigate the effect of different sample interval lengths on density estimates, using simulations and a common leopard (Panthera pardus) model system. We apply Bayesian SCR methods to 89 simulated datasets and camera-trapping data from 22 leopards captured 82 times during winter 2010–2011 in Royal Manas National Park, Bhutan. We show that sample interval length from daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly periods did not appreciably affect median abundance or density, but did influence precision. We observed the largest gains in precision when moving from quarterly to shorter intervals. We therefore recommend daily sampling intervals for monitoring rare or elusive species where practicable, but note that monthly or quarterly sample periods can have similar informative value. We further develop a novel application of Bayes factors to select models where multiple ecological factors are integrated into density estimation. Our simulations demonstrate that these methods can help identify the “true” explanatory mechanisms underlying the data. Using this method, we found strong evidence for sex-specific movement distributions in leopards, suggesting that sexual patterns of space-use influence density. This model estimated a density of 10.0 leopards/100 km2 (95% credibility interval: 6.25–15.93), comparable to contemporary estimates in Asia. These SCR methods provide a guide to monitor and observe the effect of management interventions on leopards and other species of conservation interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua F. Goldberg
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Science, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Tshering Tempa
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Science, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
- Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment, Department of Forests and Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Lamai Goempa, Bumthang, Bhutan
| | - Nawang Norbu
- Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment, Department of Forests and Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Lamai Goempa, Bumthang, Bhutan
| | - Mark Hebblewhite
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Science, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
| | - L. Scott Mills
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
| | | | - Paul Lukacs
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Science, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, United States of America
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Fattebert J, Robinson HS, Balme G, Slotow R, Hunter L. Structural habitat predicts functional dispersal habitat of a large carnivore: how leopards change spots. Ecol Appl 2015; 25:1911-1921. [PMID: 26591456 DOI: 10.1890/14-1631.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Natal dispersal promotes inter-population linkage, and is key to spatial distribution of populations. Degradation of suitable landscape structures beyond the specific threshold of an individual's ability to disperse can therefore lead to disruption of functional landscape connectivity and impact metapopulation function. Because it ignores behavioral responses of individuals, structural connectivity is easier to assess than functional connectivity and is often used as a surrogate for landscape connectivity modeling. However using structural resource selection models as surrogate for modeling functional connectivity through dispersal could be erroneous. We tested how well a second-order resource selection function (RSF) models (structural connectivity), based on GPS telemetry data from resident adult leopard (Panthera pardus L.), could predict subadult habitat use during dispersal (functional connectivity). We created eight non-exclusive subsets of the subadult data based on differing definitions of dispersal to assess the predictive ability of our adult-based RSF model extrapolated over a broader landscape. Dispersing leopards used habitats in accordance with adult selection patterns, regardless of the definition of dispersal considered. We demonstrate that, for a wide-ranging apex carnivore, functional connectivity through natal dispersal corresponds to structural connectivity as modeled by a second-order RSF. Mapping of the adult-based habitat classes provides direct visualization of the potential linkages between populations, without the need to model paths between a priori starting and destination points. The use of such landscape scale RSFs may provide insight into predicting suitable dispersal habitat peninsulas in human-dominated landscapes where mitigation of human-wildlife conflict should be focused. We recommend the use of second-order RSFs for landscape conservation planning and propose a similar approach to the conservation of other wide-ranging large carnivore species where landscape-scale resource selection data already exist.
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Gutiérrez-González CE, Gómez-Ramírez MA, López-González CA, Doherty PF. Are Private Reserves Effective for Jaguar Conservation? PLoS One 2015; 10:e0137541. [PMID: 26398115 PMCID: PMC4580466 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2014] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
We present the first study of density and apparent survival for a jaguar (Panthera onca) population in northern Mexico using 13 years of camera trap data from 2000 to 2012. We used the Barker robust design model which combines data from closed sampling periods and resight data between these periods to estimate apparent survival and abundance. We identified 467 jaguar pictures that corresponded to 48 jaguar individuals. We included camera type and field technician as covariates for detection probabilities. We used three covariates to evaluate the effect of reserve on jaguar apparent survival: i) private reserve creation ii) later reserve expansions, and iii) cattle ranches' conservation activities. We found that the use of digital cameras in addition to film cameras increased detection probability by a factor of 6x compared with the use of only film cameras (p = 0.34 ± 0.05 and p = 0.05 ± 0.02 respectively) in the closed period and more than three times in the open period (R = 0.91 ± 0.08 and R = 0.30 ± 0.13 mixed and film cameras respectively). Our availability estimates showed no temporary emigration and a fidelity probability of 1. Despite an increase of apparent survival probability from 0.47 ± 0.15 to 0.56 ± 0.11 after 2007, no single covariate explained the change in these point estimates. Mean jaguar density was 1.87 ± 0.47 jaguars/100 km2. We found that 13 years of jaguar population monitoring with our sampling size were not enough for detecting changes in survival or density. Our results provide a baseline for studies evaluating the effectiveness of protected areas and the inclusion of ranch owners in jaguar conservation programs and long-term population viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmina E. Gutiérrez-González
- Laboratorio de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, México
| | - Miguel A. Gómez-Ramírez
- Laboratorio de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, México
| | - Carlos A. López-González
- Laboratorio de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro, México
| | - Paul F. Doherty
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
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Janecka JE, Nielsen SSE, Andersen SD, Hoffmann FG, Weber RE, Anderson T, Storz JF, Fago A. Genetically based low oxygen affinities of felid hemoglobins: lack of biochemical adaptation to high-altitude hypoxia in the snow leopard. J Exp Biol 2015; 218:2402-9. [PMID: 26246610 PMCID: PMC4528707 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.125369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Genetically based modifications of hemoglobin (Hb) function that increase blood-O2 affinity are hallmarks of hypoxia adaptation in vertebrates. Among mammals, felid Hbs are unusual in that they have low intrinsic O2 affinities and reduced sensitivities to the allosteric cofactor 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG). This combination of features compromises the acclimatization capacity of blood-O2 affinity and has led to the hypothesis that felids have a restricted physiological niche breadth relative to other mammals. In seeming defiance of this conjecture, the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) has an extraordinarily broad elevational distribution and occurs at elevations above 6000 m in the Himalayas. Here, we characterized structural and functional variation of big cat Hbs and investigated molecular mechanisms of Hb adaptation and allosteric regulation that may contribute to the extreme hypoxia tolerance of the snow leopard. Experiments revealed that purified Hbs from snow leopard and African lion exhibited equally low O2 affinities and DPG sensitivities. Both properties are primarily attributable to a single amino acid substitution, β2His→Phe, which occurred in the common ancestor of Felidae. Given the low O2 affinity and reduced regulatory capacity of feline Hbs, the extreme hypoxia tolerance of snow leopards must be attributable to compensatory modifications of other steps in the O2-transport pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan E Janecka
- Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA
| | - Simone S E Nielsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Alle 3, Aarhus C 8000, Denmark
| | - Sidsel D Andersen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Alle 3, Aarhus C 8000, Denmark
| | - Federico G Hoffmann
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology, and Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing, and Biotechnology, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
| | - Roy E Weber
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Alle 3, Aarhus C 8000, Denmark
| | - Trevor Anderson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA
| | - Jay F Storz
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Angela Fago
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, C.F. Møllers Alle 3, Aarhus C 8000, Denmark
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Abstract
Historically occurring throughout the southeastern United States, the Florida panther is now restricted to less than 5% of its historic range in one breeding population located in southern Florida. Using radio-telemetry data from 87 prime-aged (≥3 years old) adult panthers (35 males and 52 females) during the period 2004 through 2013 (28,720 radio-locations), we analyzed the characteristics of the occupied area and used those attributes in a random forest model to develop a predictive distribution map for resident breeding panthers in southern Florida. Using 10-fold cross validation, the model was 87.5 % accurate in predicting presence or absence of panthers in the 16,678 km2 study area. Analysis of variable importance indicated that the amount of forests and forest edge, hydrology, and human population density were the most important factors determining presence or absence of panthers. Sensitivity analysis showed that the presence of human populations, roads, and agriculture (other than pasture) had strong negative effects on the probability of panther presence. Forest cover and forest edge had strong positive effects. The median model-predicted probability of presence for panther home ranges was 0.81 (0.82 for females and 0.74 for males). The model identified 5579 km2 of suitable breeding habitat remaining in southern Florida; 1399 km2 (25%) of this habitat is in non-protected private ownership. Because there is less panther habitat remaining than previously thought, we recommend that all remaining breeding habitat in south Florida should be maintained, and the current panther range should be expanded into south-central Florida. This model should be useful for evaluating the impacts of future development projects, in prioritizing areas for panther conservation, and in evaluating the potential impacts of sea-level rise and changes in hydrology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert A. Frakes
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, South Florida Ecological Services Office, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach, Florida, United States of America
| | - Robert C. Belden
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, South Florida Ecological Services Office, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach, Florida, United States of America
| | - Barry E. Wood
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, South Florida Ecological Services Office, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach, Florida, United States of America
| | - Frederick E. James
- National Park Service, South Florida Natural Resources Center, Everglades National Park, Homestead, Florida, United States of America
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Swanepoel LH, Somers MJ, Dalerum F. Functional Responses of Retaliatory Killing versus Recreational Sport Hunting of Leopards in South Africa. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0125539. [PMID: 25905623 PMCID: PMC4408058 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2014] [Accepted: 03/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Predation strategies in response to altering prey abundances can dramatically influence the demographic effects of predation. Despite this, predation strategies of humans are rarely incorporated into quantitative assessments of the demographic impacts of humans killing carnivores. This scarcity largely seems to be caused by a lack of data. In this study, we contrasted predation strategies exhibited by people involved in retaliatory killing and recreational sport hunting of leopards (Panthera pardus) in the Waterberg District Municipality, South Africa. We predicted a specialist predation strategy exemplified by a type II functional response for retaliatory killing, and a generalist strategy exemplified by a type III functional response for recreational sport hunting. We could not distinguish between a type I, a type II, or a type III functional response for retaliatory killing, but the most parsimonious model for recreational sport hunting corresponded to a type I functional response. Kill rates were consistently higher for retaliatory killing than for recreational sport hunting. Our results indicate that retaliatory killing of leopards may have severe demographic consequences for leopard populations, whereas the demographic consequences of recreational sport hunting likely are less dramatic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lourens H. Swanepoel
- Department of Zoology, University of Venda, Private bag X5050, Thohoyandou, 0950, South Africa
- Centre for Wildlife Management, Hatfield Experimental Farm, University of Pretoria, Private bag X20, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Michael J. Somers
- Department of Zoology, University of Venda, Private bag X5050, Thohoyandou, 0950, South Africa
- Centre for Invasive Biology, University of Pretoria, Private bag X20, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
| | - Fredrik Dalerum
- Centre for Wildlife Management, Hatfield Experimental Farm, University of Pretoria, Private bag X20, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private bag X20, Pretoria, 0028, South Africa
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Fattebert J, Balme G, Dickerson T, Slotow R, Hunter L. Density-dependent natal dispersal patterns in a leopard population recovering from over-harvest. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0122355. [PMID: 25875293 PMCID: PMC4395424 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2014] [Accepted: 02/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Natal dispersal enables population connectivity, gene flow and metapopulation dynamics. In polygynous mammals, dispersal is typically male-biased. Classically, the 'mate competition', 'resource competition' and 'resident fitness' hypotheses predict density-dependent dispersal patterns, while the 'inbreeding avoidance' hypothesis posits density-independent dispersal. In a leopard (Panthera pardus) population recovering from over-harvest, we investigated the effect of sex, population density and prey biomass, on age of natal dispersal, distance dispersed, probability of emigration and dispersal success. Over an 11-year period, we tracked 35 subadult leopards using VHF and GPS telemetry. Subadult leopards initiated dispersal at 13.6 ± 0.4 months. Age at commencement of dispersal was positively density-dependent. Although males (11.0 ± 2.5 km) generally dispersed further than females (2.7 ± 0.4 km), some males exhibited opportunistic philopatry when the population was below capacity. All 13 females were philopatric, while 12 of 22 males emigrated. Male dispersal distance and emigration probability followed a quadratic relationship with population density, whereas female dispersal distance was inversely density-dependent. Eight of 12 known-fate females and 5 of 12 known-fate male leopards were successful in settling. Dispersal success did not vary with population density, prey biomass, and for males, neither between dispersal strategies (philopatry vs. emigration). Females formed matrilineal kin clusters, supporting the resident fitness hypothesis. Conversely, mate competition appeared the main driver for male leopard dispersal. We demonstrate that dispersal patterns changed over time, i.e. as the leopard population density increased. We conclude that conservation interventions that facilitated local demographic recovery in the study area also restored dispersal patterns disrupted by unsustainable harvesting, and that this indirectly improved connectivity among leopard populations over a larger landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Fattebert
- Panthera, New York, New York, United States of America
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Guy Balme
- Panthera, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Rob Slotow
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College, London, United Kingdom
| | - Luke Hunter
- Panthera, New York, New York, United States of America
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
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Abstract
Human-carnivore conflict continues to present a major conservation challenge around the world. Translocation of large carnivores is widely implemented but remains strongly debated, in part because of a lack of cost transparency. We report detailed translocation costs for three large carnivore species in Namibia and across different translocation scenarios. We consider the effect of various parameters and factors on costs and translocation success. Total translocation cost for 30 individuals in 22 events was $80,681 (US Dollars). Median translocation cost per individual was $2,393, and $2,669 per event. Median cost per cheetah was $2,760 (n = 23), and $2,108 per leopard (n = 6). One hyaena was translocated at a cost of $1,672. Tracking technology was the single biggest cost element (56%), followed by captive holding and feeding. Soft releases, prolonged captivity and orphaned individuals also increased case-specific costs. A substantial proportion (65.4%) of the total translocation cost was successfully recovered from public interest groups. Less than half the translocations were confirmed successes (44.4%, 3 unknown) with a strong species bias. Four leopards (66.7%) were successfully translocated but only eight of the 20 cheetahs (40.0%) with known outcome met these strict criteria. None of the five habituated cheetahs was translocated successfully, nor was the hyaena. We introduce the concept of Individual Conservation Cost (ICC) and define it as the cost of one successfully translocated individual adjusted by costs of unsuccessful events of the same species. The median ICC for cheetah was $6,898 and $3,140 for leopard. Translocations are costly, but we demonstrate that they are not inherently more expensive than other strategies currently employed in non-lethal carnivore conflict management. We conclude that translocation should be one available option for conserving large carnivores, but needs to be critically evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian J. Weise
- Research Department, N/a'an ku sê Research Programme, Windhoek, Khomas, Namibia
- * E-mail:
| | - Ken J. Stratford
- Research Department, Ongava Research Centre, Outjo, Kunene, Namibia
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Morato RG, Ferraz KMPMDB, de Paula RC, de Campos CB. Identification of priority conservation areas and potential corridors for jaguars in the Caatinga biome, Brazil. PLoS One 2014; 9:e92950. [PMID: 24709817 PMCID: PMC3977835 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2013] [Accepted: 02/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The jaguar, Panthera onca, is a top predator with the extant population found within the Brazilian Caatinga biome now known to be on the brink of extinction. Designing new conservation units and potential corridors are therefore crucial for the long-term survival of the species within the Caatinga biome. Thus, our aims were: 1) to recognize suitable areas for jaguar occurrence, 2) to delineate areas for jaguar conservation (PJCUs), 3) to design corridors among priority areas, and 4) to prioritize PJCUs. A total of 62 points records of jaguar occurrence and 10 potential predictors were analyzed in a GIS environment. A predictive distributional map was obtained using Species Distribution Modeling (SDM) as performed by the Maximum Entropy (Maxent) algorithm. Areas equal to or higher than the median suitability value of 0.595 were selected as of high suitability for jaguar occurrence and named as Priority Jaguar Conservation Units (PJCU). Ten PJCUs with sizes varying from 23.6 km2 to 4,311.0 km2 were identified. Afterwards, we combined the response curve, as generated by SDM, and expert opinions to create a permeability matrix and to identify least cost corridors and buffer zones between each PJCU pair. Connectivity corridors and buffer zone for jaguar movement included an area of 8.884,26 km2 and the total corridor length is about 160.94 km. Prioritizing criteria indicated the PJCU representing c.a. 68.61% of the total PJCU area (PJCU # 1) as of high priority for conservation and connectivity with others PJCUs (PJCUs # 4, 5 and 7) desirable for the long term survival of the species. In conclusion, by using the jaguar as a focal species and combining SDM and expert opinion we were able to create a valid framework for practical conservation actions at the Caatinga biome. The same approach could be used for the conservation of other carnivores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronaldo Gonçalves Morato
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros - Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade - Ministério do Meio Ambiente, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto para a Conservação dos Carnívoros Neotropicais, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Katia Maria Paschoaletto Micchi de Barros Ferraz
- Instituto para a Conservação dos Carnívoros Neotropicais, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rogério Cunha de Paula
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros - Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade - Ministério do Meio Ambiente, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto para a Conservação dos Carnívoros Neotropicais, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Cláudia Bueno de Campos
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Carnívoros - Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade - Ministério do Meio Ambiente, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto para a Conservação dos Carnívoros Neotropicais, Atibaia, São Paulo, Brazil
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De Barros AE, MacDonald EA, Matsumoto MH, Paula RC, Nijhawan S, Malhi Y, MacDonald DW. Identification of areas in Brazil that optimize conservation of forest carbon, jaguars, and biodiversity. Conserv Biol 2014; 28:580-593. [PMID: 24372997 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2012] [Accepted: 06/30/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
A major question in global environmental policy is whether schemes to reduce carbon pollution through forest management, such as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+), can also benefit biodiversity conservation in tropical countries. We identified municipalities in Brazil that are priorities for reducing rates of deforestation and thus preserving carbon stocks that are also conservation targets for the endangered jaguar (Panthera onca) and biodiversity in general. Preliminary statistical analysis showed that municipalities with high biodiversity were positively associated with high forest carbon stocks. We used a multicriteria decision analysis to identify municipalities that offered the best opportunities for the conservation of forest carbon stocks and biodiversity conservation under a range of scenarios with different rates of deforestation and carbon values. We further categorized these areas by their representativeness of the entire country (through measures such as percent forest cover) and an indirect measure of cost (number of municipalities). The municipalities that offered optimal co-benefits for forest carbon stocks and conservation were termed REDDspots (n = 159), and their spatial distribution was compared with the distribution of current and proposed REDD projects (n = 135). We defined REDDspots as the municipalities that offer the best opportunities for co-benefits between the conservation of forest carbon stocks, jaguars, and other wildlife. These areas coincided in 25% (n = 40) of municipalities. We identified a further 95 municipalities that may have the greatest potential to develop additional REDD+ projects while also targeting biodiversity conservation. We concluded that REDD+ strategies could be an efficient tool for biodiversity conservation in key locations, especially in Amazonian and Atlantic Forest biomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan E De Barros
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney, Oxford, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
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Li J, Wang D, Yin H, Zhaxi D, Jiagong Z, Schaller GB, Mishra C, McCarthy TM, Wang H, Wu L, Xiao L, Basang L, Zhang Y, Zhou Y, Lu Z. Role of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in snow leopard conservation. Conserv Biol 2014; 28:87-94. [PMID: 23992599 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2012] [Accepted: 04/28/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) inhabits the rugged mountains in 12 countries of Central Asia, including the Tibetan Plateau. Due to poaching, decreased abundance of prey, and habitat degradation, it was listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 1972. Current conservation strategies, including nature reserves and incentive programs, have limited capacities to protect snow leopards. We investigated the role of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in snow leopard conservation in the Sanjiangyuan region in China's Qinghai Province on the Tibetan Plateau. From 2009 to 2011, we systematically surveyed snow leopards in the Sanjiangyuan region. We used the MaxEnt model to determine the relation of their presence to environmental variables (e.g., elevation, ruggedness) and to predict snow leopard distribution. Model results showed 89,602 km(2) of snow leopard habitat in the Sanjiangyuan region, of which 7674 km(2) lay within Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve's core zones. We analyzed the spatial relation between snow leopard habitat and Buddhist monasteries and found that 46% of monasteries were located in snow leopard habitat and 90% were within 5 km of snow leopard habitat. The 336 monasteries in the Sanjiangyuan region could protect more snow leopard habitat (8342 km(2) ) through social norms and active patrols than the nature reserve's core zones. We conducted 144 household interviews to identify local herders' attitudes and behavior toward snow leopards and other wildlife. Most local herders claimed that they did not kill wildlife, and 42% said they did not kill wildlife because it was a sin in Buddhism. Our results indicate monasteries play an important role in snow leopard conservation. Monastery-based snow leopard conservation could be extended to other Tibetan Buddhist regions that in total would encompass about 80% of the global range of snow leopards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Li
- Center for Nature and Society, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China; Snow Leopard Trust, 4649 Sunnyside Avenue N., Suite 325, Seattle, WA, 98103, U.S.A
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Jorge AA, Vanak AT, Thaker M, Begg C, Slotow R. Costs and benefits of the presence of leopards to the sport-hunting industry and local communities in Niassa National Reserve, Mozambique. Conserv Biol 2013; 27:832-843. [PMID: 23772986 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2012] [Accepted: 08/11/2012] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Sport hunting is often proposed as a tool to support the conservation of large carnivores. However, it is challenging to provide tangible economic benefits from this activity as an incentive for local people to conserve carnivores. We assessed economic gains from sport hunting and poaching of leopards (Panthera pardus), costs of leopard depredation of livestock, and attitudes of people toward leopards in Niassa National Reserve, Mozambique. We sent questionnaires to hunting concessionaires (n = 8) to investigate the economic value of and the relative importance of leopards relative to other key trophy-hunted species. We asked villagers (n = 158) the number of and prices for leopards poached in the reserve and the number of goats depredated by leopard. Leopards were the mainstay of the hunting industry; a single animal was worth approximately U.S.$24,000. Most safari revenues are retained at national and international levels, but poached leopard are illegally traded locally for small amounts ($83). Leopards depredated 11 goats over 2 years in 2 of 4 surveyed villages resulting in losses of $440 to 6 households. People in these households had negative attitudes toward leopards. Although leopard sport hunting generates larger gross revenues than poaching, illegal hunting provides higher economic benefits for households involved in the activity. Sport-hunting revenues did not compensate for the economic losses of livestock at the household level. On the basis of our results, we propose that poaching be reduced by increasing the costs of apprehension and that the economic benefits from leopard sport hunting be used to improve community livelihoods and provide incentives not to poach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agostinho A Jorge
- School of Life Sciences, Westville Campus, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa.
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