Background: The Brown Hawk Owl complex is said to consist of three species,the Brown Boobook(Ninox scutulata),the Chocolate Boobook(Ninox randi) and the Northern Boobook(Ninox japonica),which includes the nominate mig...Background: The Brown Hawk Owl complex is said to consist of three species,the Brown Boobook(Ninox scutulata),the Chocolate Boobook(Ninox randi) and the Northern Boobook(Ninox japonica),which includes the nominate migratory lineage Ninox japonica japonica and a mitochondrially distinct lineage of taxonomically uncertain status that has been recorded year-round at least in Taiwan.Overlap in ranges during migration and morphological similarity have led to difficulties in distinguishing the Brown Boobook from the Northern Boobook.Methods: PCR of cytochrome-b and Sanger sequencing of Ninox samples from Singapore and Brunei were used to determine sample identity.Results: Two out of four Singaporean samples and the Brunei sample were identified as Northern Boobooks.This is the first official record of this species in Singapore and represents a considerable range extension for the species.Further,the samples belong to the mitochondrially distinct lineage previously characterized in resident Taiwan Residents populations rather than to the well-known nominate migratory lineage.Conclusions: Our data show that the mitochondrial signature previously documented in resident Taiwan Residents populations of the Northern Boobook extends to migratory populations.This cryptic lineage may be more widespread in its breeding quarters,extending to the Chinese and Russian mainland,in which case the name florensis would apply to it.Further genetic and bioacoustic investigation is required to resolve the taxonomic status of this lineage.展开更多
A population viability analysis(PVA)was conducted of the lowland tapir populations in the Atlantic Forest of the Pontal do Paranapanema region,Brazil,including Morro do Diabo State Park(MDSP)and surrounding forest fra...A population viability analysis(PVA)was conducted of the lowland tapir populations in the Atlantic Forest of the Pontal do Paranapanema region,Brazil,including Morro do Diabo State Park(MDSP)and surrounding forest fragments.Results from the model projected that the population of 126 tapirs in MDSP is likely to per-sist over the next 100 years;however,200 tapirs would be required to maintain a viable population.Sensitiv-ity analysis showed that sub-adult mortality and adult mortality have the strongest influence on the dynamics of lowland tapir populations.High road-kill has a major impact on the MDSP tapir population and can lead to population extinction.Metapopulation modeling showed that dispersal of tapirs from MDSP to the surrounding fragments can be detrimental to the overall metapopulation,as fragments act as sinks.Nevertheless,the model showed that under certain conditions the maintenance of the metapopulation dynamics might be determinant for the persistence of tapirs in the region,particularly in the smaller fragments.The establishment of corridors con-necting MDSP to the forest fragments models resulted in an increase in the stochastic growth rate,making ta-pirs more resilient to threats and catastrophes,but only if rates of mortality were not increased when using cor-ridors.The PVA showed that the conservation of tapirs in the Pontal region depends on:the effective protection of MDSP;maintenance and,whenever possible,enhancement of the functional connectivity of the landscape,reducing mortality during dispersal and threats in the unprotected forest fragments;and neutralization of all threats affecting tapirs in the smaller forest fragments.展开更多
Tapirs have unique nutritional needs,as well as anatomical,physiological,behavioral and ecological adapta-tions that must be considered when managing their health,both in the wild and in captivity.Information about ho...Tapirs have unique nutritional needs,as well as anatomical,physiological,behavioral and ecological adapta-tions that must be considered when managing their health,both in the wild and in captivity.Information about how tapirs live in their natural habitats can provide crucial knowledge to prevent many of the health problems found in captivity such as infectious and parasitic diseases,reproductive issues and nutritional and behavior-al disorders.Likewise,proper management in captivity can significantly contribute to in situ conservation pro-grams.Conservation medicine is a science created to address the global health crisis that jeopardizes biodiver-sity causing imbalances among ecosystem,human,animal and vegetal health.In this context,common threats to tapir health and conservation,such as isolated and small populations surrounded by human activity,chemical pollution,domestic animals and their pathogenic agents,need to be better understood.This manuscript provides information about the health of tapirs both in captivity and in the wild and aims to encourage tapir conservation-ists worldwide to gather information about pathogen and disease dynamics and manifestation,as well as impli-cations for tapir conservation.展开更多
基金funded by the National University of Singapore(NUS)Faculty of Science and Department of Biological Sciences through grants WBS R-154-000-570-133 and R-154-000-583-651,respectively
文摘Background: The Brown Hawk Owl complex is said to consist of three species,the Brown Boobook(Ninox scutulata),the Chocolate Boobook(Ninox randi) and the Northern Boobook(Ninox japonica),which includes the nominate migratory lineage Ninox japonica japonica and a mitochondrially distinct lineage of taxonomically uncertain status that has been recorded year-round at least in Taiwan.Overlap in ranges during migration and morphological similarity have led to difficulties in distinguishing the Brown Boobook from the Northern Boobook.Methods: PCR of cytochrome-b and Sanger sequencing of Ninox samples from Singapore and Brunei were used to determine sample identity.Results: Two out of four Singaporean samples and the Brunei sample were identified as Northern Boobooks.This is the first official record of this species in Singapore and represents a considerable range extension for the species.Further,the samples belong to the mitochondrially distinct lineage previously characterized in resident Taiwan Residents populations rather than to the well-known nominate migratory lineage.Conclusions: Our data show that the mitochondrial signature previously documented in resident Taiwan Residents populations of the Northern Boobook extends to migratory populations.This cryptic lineage may be more widespread in its breeding quarters,extending to the Chinese and Russian mainland,in which case the name florensis would apply to it.Further genetic and bioacoustic investigation is required to resolve the taxonomic status of this lineage.
文摘A population viability analysis(PVA)was conducted of the lowland tapir populations in the Atlantic Forest of the Pontal do Paranapanema region,Brazil,including Morro do Diabo State Park(MDSP)and surrounding forest fragments.Results from the model projected that the population of 126 tapirs in MDSP is likely to per-sist over the next 100 years;however,200 tapirs would be required to maintain a viable population.Sensitiv-ity analysis showed that sub-adult mortality and adult mortality have the strongest influence on the dynamics of lowland tapir populations.High road-kill has a major impact on the MDSP tapir population and can lead to population extinction.Metapopulation modeling showed that dispersal of tapirs from MDSP to the surrounding fragments can be detrimental to the overall metapopulation,as fragments act as sinks.Nevertheless,the model showed that under certain conditions the maintenance of the metapopulation dynamics might be determinant for the persistence of tapirs in the region,particularly in the smaller fragments.The establishment of corridors con-necting MDSP to the forest fragments models resulted in an increase in the stochastic growth rate,making ta-pirs more resilient to threats and catastrophes,but only if rates of mortality were not increased when using cor-ridors.The PVA showed that the conservation of tapirs in the Pontal region depends on:the effective protection of MDSP;maintenance and,whenever possible,enhancement of the functional connectivity of the landscape,reducing mortality during dispersal and threats in the unprotected forest fragments;and neutralization of all threats affecting tapirs in the smaller forest fragments.
文摘Tapirs have unique nutritional needs,as well as anatomical,physiological,behavioral and ecological adapta-tions that must be considered when managing their health,both in the wild and in captivity.Information about how tapirs live in their natural habitats can provide crucial knowledge to prevent many of the health problems found in captivity such as infectious and parasitic diseases,reproductive issues and nutritional and behavior-al disorders.Likewise,proper management in captivity can significantly contribute to in situ conservation pro-grams.Conservation medicine is a science created to address the global health crisis that jeopardizes biodiver-sity causing imbalances among ecosystem,human,animal and vegetal health.In this context,common threats to tapir health and conservation,such as isolated and small populations surrounded by human activity,chemical pollution,domestic animals and their pathogenic agents,need to be better understood.This manuscript provides information about the health of tapirs both in captivity and in the wild and aims to encourage tapir conservation-ists worldwide to gather information about pathogen and disease dynamics and manifestation,as well as impli-cations for tapir conservation.
