Monitoring

Jul

3

2008
 
 

Extinction in pieces



Study reveals mixed feelings about tigers, medicine and conservation

bonesFarming tigers Panthera tigris to supply the demand for traditional Chinese medicines is not likely to safeguard their wild counterparts, according to a paper published in PLoS ONE this week. An international team of specialists, led by Save The Tiger Fund worker Brian Gratwicke, quizzed almost two thousand people in seven Chinese cities about their use of tiger-laced medicines, and the findings make grim reading. Nearly half of respondents admitted to using medicines claiming to use tiger parts, even though 93 percent agreed that a ban in the sale of tiger parts was necessary to save the world’s biggest cats from oblivion. Source: Gratwicke B, Mills J, Dutton A, Gabriel G, Long B, Seidensicker J, Wright B, You W & Zhang L (2008) Attitudes towards consumption and conservation of tigers in China. PLoS ONE DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002544
Image: © Jack Lamour

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Jun

26

2008
 
 

Six billion dollar answer



No-take marine reserves help species recover faster than expected

coral trout/grouper/cod fish!The world’s largest network of no-take marine reserves is a success. Relieved readers of Current Biology this week can see how the controversial closing down to all fishing on more than a third of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park has allowed significant recovery of target species densities in just two years. A team of scientists led by Hugh Sweatman of the Australian Institute of Marine Science found that populations of coral trout (Plectropomus spp.) — the main target for reef line fisheries — within protected areas had bounced up by around two thirds compared with those where fishing was still allowed. Big, bold initiatives might not be popular with the people they affect most but, in this case at least, they work. Source: Russ GR, Cheal AJ, Dolman AM, Emslie MJ, Evans RD, Miller I, Sweatman H & Williamson DH (2008) Rapid increase in fish numbers follows creation of World’s largest marine reserve network. Curr. Biol. DOI: tba

Image: © Timothey Kosachev

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Jun

24

2008
 
 

Shed a tear for a croc



Scientists discover widespread crocodile die-off at cane toad invasion front

crocodile tears... You wouldn’t think a frog could kill a crocodile, but that’s exactly what’s happening in Australia’s Northern Territory. The invasion by cane toads Bufo marinus – a highly toxic South American species – has given scientists a unique set of lessons on the destructive power evolution can unleash upon a non-adapted ecosystem. In the latest installment, Mike Letnic and colleagues at the University of Sydney report a mass die-off of freshwater crocodiles Crocodylus johnstoni at the invasion front. Ironically, the arid conditions that make a cane toad’s life difficult leads them to seek refuge in the few available water bodies, which also tend to be home to the hungry crocs. The decimation – populations were reduced by as much as 73 percent – could have widespread ecological consequences, writes Letnic in Biological Conservation. However, selection weaves its magic in many ways, and crocs will probably either learn not to eat cane toads or develop tolerance to their poison. Either way, the problem should be over in a snap! Source: Letnic M, Webb JK & Shine R (2008) Invasive cane toads (Bufo marinus) cause mass mortality of freshwater crocodiles (Crocodylus johnstoni) in tropical Australia. Biol. Conserv. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2008.04.031

Image: © Stanko Mravljak

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Jun

17

2008
 
 

Woe be-toad them



Global analysis could help identify frog species at risk in time to act

going, going, gone A number-crunching study has thrown light on the mysterious global declines in hundreds of amphibian species. Imperial College London researcher Jon Bielby and colleagues collected data on habitat types, species ranges, disease prevalence and a host of other factors to produce a broad scale picture of the health of the world’s frog populations. Of particular note was the finding that aquatic, slowly reproducing species were most susceptible to the fatal Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis fungus. The results, published in Conservation Letters confirm earlier, more restricted findings and should help conservationists decide how to set priorities by enabling them to identify species at risk before it’s too late. Source: Bielby J, Cooper N, Cunningham AA, Garner TWJ & Purvis A (2008) Predicting susceptibility to future declines in the world’s frogs. Conservation Letters DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-263x.2008.00015.x

Image: © Sergey Korotkov

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Jun

11

2008
 
 

Tree of death



Evolutionary phylogeny of British birds flags up species at future risk

scary, isn't it?British bird species with declining populations are more closely related than expected, according to findings published today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society. The study’s author, Imperial College’s Gavin Thomas, suggests the link might help identify those species most at risk of extinction. The evolutionary tree, which Thomas constructed by comparing mitochondrial gene sequences of Britain’s resident birds, shows that red listed species are clustered together. The reason is simple: closely related species tend to share physical traits, so what’s bad for one is bad for another. However, the findings also suggest a way for conservationists to identify vulnerable species – by looking at those currently in decline it should be possible to work out which ones are next in line to fall off the perch. Source: Thomas G (2008) Phylogenetic distributions of British birds of conservation concern. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2008.0549

Image: © Graham McKenzie-Smith

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Jun

4

2008
 
 

A fish called… what?



Overfished species sold mislabeled, hindering consumer choice

What's your fish?Mmmm, red snapper. But hang on, is that really what you’re eating? A group of Stanford University scientists, led by Cheryl Logan, have used DNA forensics to uncover fishy goings on in the seafood marketplace. Taking 77 “Pacific red snapper” whole fish or fillets from a range of sources in California and Washington, including grocers, fish markets and sushi restaurants, they found a total of eleven species, only one of which was true red snapper Lutjanus campechanus. Between 60% and 63% of the samples were from fish not on the FDA Seafood list. Writing in Biological Conservation, Logan’s team say that although around 80% of all fish landed are identified to species level, that picture changes somewhat by the time they reach our plates. This “institutionalized mislabeling” is preventing customers from making informed, conservation-minded choices about what fish to eat and what to avoid. Source: Logan CA, Alter SE, Haupt AJ, Tomalty K & Palumbi SR (2008) An impediment to consumer choice: overfished species are sold as Pacific red snapper. Biol. Conserv. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2008.04.007

Image: © Jill Chen

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May

30

2008
 
 

Wise owls in germ warfare



Rare bird of prey threatened by malaria as competing species moves in

spotted owlSpotted owls Strix occidentalis are fighting a turf war with the increasingly invasive barred owl S varia; the two species competing for both food and limited nesting sites in old-growth forest. San Francisco State University researchers Heather Ishak, Ravinder Sehgal and colleagues now report in PLoS ONE how the spread of barred owls could also be increasing spotted owls’ risk of malaria and other blood-borne parasites. West coast barred owls were found to have significantly lower rates of infection than spotted owls inhabiting the same region. One possible explanation is that barred owls have better defenses – the Northern spotted owl population shows evidence of a recent genetic bottleneck, which could adversely affect their ability to mount an immune response. If true, barred owls could be acting as vectors for the parasites, passing them on to the increasingly threatened spotted owls, who promptly pass away. Source: Ishak HD, Dumbacher JP, Anderson NL, Keane JJ, Valkiūnas G, Haig SM, Tell LA & Sehgal RNM (2008) Blood parasites in owls with conservation implications for the spotted owl (Strix occidentalis). PLoS ONE DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002304

Image: © Travis Manley

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May

29

2008
 
 

The need for weeds



Turkish flora threatened by intensive agriculture, almost unnoticed

weeds“Weeds” provide valuable food for many species, yet their conservation status has been largely overlooked. A study by Cengiz Türe and Harun Böcük at Anadolu University, Turkey, now illustrates the extent of the oversight. Writing in Weed Research, they report on a worryingly high number of species – some 112 all told – listed on the wrong end of the IUCN’s Red List scale of endangerment. The intensification of arable farming in Europe has coincided with a dramatic decline in native plant species, hampering subsequent efforts to restore lost biodiversity. Turkey is particularly rich in endemic plant taxa, but modern agricultural practices are designed to eliminate non-crop species. Türe and Böcük make the bizarre, yet perfectly logical, suggestion that farmers should nurture weeds. Quite how farmers will react is another story… Source: Türe C & Böcük H (2008) Investigation of threatened arable weeds and their conservation status in Turkey. Weed Research DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3180.2008.00630.x

Image: © Lane Erickson

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May

24

2008
 
 

From cradle to grave



Tree pathogen brought to the US by keen gardeners, genetic study shows

dead treesSudden Oak Death, a straightforwardly named disease caused by the fungus Phytopthora ramorum, is gaining a worrying foothold in Pacific coastal forests. A study published recently in Molecular Ecology has traced the genetic origins of the pathogen in samples from dying trees at 14 Californian forests, together with samples taken from infected nursery plants in 12 states across the US. Leading an international team, Matteo Garbellotto, a University of California, Berkeley forestry pathlogist, has uncovered genetic evidence suggesting the fungus escaped into nearby forests from plant nurseries, where it affects many common species. If that’s not SOD’s law, nothing is. Source: Mascheretti S, Croucher PJP, Vettraino A, Prospero S & Garbelotto M (2008) Reconstruction of the Sudden Oak Death epidemic in California through microsatellite analysis of the pathogen Phytophthora ramorum. Molecular Ecology DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2008.03773.x

Image: © Ilbusca

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May

15

2008
 
 

Fly in flowers



Neotropical insect biodiversity greater than previously thought

Still think we're all just bugs?DNA barcoding has once again revealed a wealth of unknown species, this time in neotropical insects. Writing in this week’s Science, a team of researchers led by Cornell College’s Marty Condon tell of their study of a group of fruit flies – the Blepharoneura – whose larvae munch their way unseen through species of plants in the particularly tasty Curcurbitaceae family, a group that includes cucumbers, pumpkins and melons. From a Central and South American study area measuring some 5500 km by 3000 km, they caught and reared 2857 flies from 24 host plant species, then ground them up and extracted their DNA for analysis. What they found was a remarkable degree of species diversity: 52 species of flies, many of which looked pretty much identical. However, this abundance of biodiversity was linked to a high level of specialization, with many species feeding not only a single plant species, but often just one sex or structure. With many species found at a lone site, the findings are likely to complicate conservation work, although welcome light has been thrown on the interaction between geography and diversity in this evolutionary epicenter. Source: Condon MA, Scheffer SJ, Lewis ML & Swensen SM (2008) Hidden neotropical diversity: greater than the sum of its parts. Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1155832

Image © Marty Condon

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