L6 Reintroduction / Translocation of Species Flashcards
What are the aims of reintroduction?
-To extend the distribution of an endangered species which only which exists in captivity or in small isolated populations in the wild
-To return a species to a region where it no longer occurs (although it may not be endangered)
-To perform ecological functions
What are some success stories from relocations?
-Scimitar horned oryx (Oryx dammah)
-Golden Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia)
-California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus)
What is the Grey partridge (perdix perdix)?
-Is a grassland species of bird
-Spread to western Europe from the East with the advent of agriculture 5000-8000 years ago.
Describe the Irish population of grey partridge.
-Dramatic decrease in Ireland from 1960s
-By 2000, only small population in Co. Offaly, Boora bog.
-2005, birds from Estonia introduced. Habitat improvement, predation control and bird management measures also implemented.
Was the Irish management of the grey partridge successful?
-Introduced birds bred with Irish birds
-Population estimated at 900 birds
-Introduction of Agri-environment measures targeted at protecting grey partridge habitat.
What is the objectives of the GLAS farmland birds programme (grey partridge)?
-Promote and maintain suitable breeding and foraging habits
What is an example of good grey partridge habitat?
-Actions- Provide a grass and mixed cereal brood rearing habitat margin
-Grass- Nesting habitat
-Mixed cereal- Brood-rearing
What are the guidelines for establishing new populations? 1-4
- Factors leading to the decline of the original wild population must be eliminated or sufficiently controlled.
- Reintroduction programme must address all biological, social and economic factors that threaten the species.
- Must ensure that the site is ecologically suitable for the relocated species-size, life cycle presence of predators/pathogens.
- Introduced species must not negatively impact on the communities and ecosystem of the introduction site
What are the guidelines for establishing new populations? 5-8
- Relocated plants and animals must be free from disease.
- Individuals for relocation must be carefully selected to ensure genetic diversity in the new population.
- Consider the size of the reintroduced population (Population Viability Analysis)
- Economic and sociological factors which may impact on reintroduction must be considered and stakeholders consulted.
What are the guidelines for establishing new populations? 9
- Animals born or reared in captivity must learn behaviours to enable their survival
-Particularly true of social animals such as mammals and some birds
-Animals must be trained to: search the environment for food, escape predators, migration routes, find mates etc.
-Behaviours involving social interaction and co-operation particularly difficult to teach
Describe the Bottlenose dolphin release in Tampa, Florida, 1990.
-Wild caught dolphins in captivity, fed on dead capelin for two years
What was the release preparation of the bottlenose dolphins in Florida 1990?
-Diet switched to local species (Dead)
-Weaned to live local species, however at the first the fish were incapacitated.
-Then intact fish were released into the water
-Fish were released at increased distances from the dolphins, meant that they had to chase
-Feeding intervals become more irregular
-Released close to capture sites
How long did the Florida dolphins survive in the wild?
-One lived until 1993
-The other lived to 1996
How was wolves trained to be released in Georgia?
-Trained to avoid strangers- contact with humans was associated with electric shocks
-Trained to not hunt livestock- any attempt to hunt livestock resulted in electric shock
-The wolves and two-generations of their young continued to avoid humans and livestock.
How can conditioning be a new method to in-situ conservation?
-Pre-release predator conditioning
-Allow prey in large enclosures to live with low densities of predators
-Aim- to create opportunities for prey to learn about predators
-Individuals that are more sensitive to predators are selected (evolution)
How was Greater Bilbies and Burrowing Betongs predator conditioned?
1999-2000: Both species were moved to the main, predator free paddock.
2014: 47 Bilbies and 53 Bettongs moved to 2600 ha Red lake paddock with low densities of feral cats
-There was a control group that stayed in the predator free paddock.
What was the findings of the predator conditioning experiment?
-Bilbies exposed to predators spent more time underground and in covered habitats than predator-naive bilbies.
-Bettongs with 2 years of in-situ exposure approached feeding trays with predator scent more cautiously and reacted to cat shaped models
What did the bilbies and bettong experiment recommend?
37 km2 area with 10 cats, 24 naive bilbies and 23 predator exposed bilbies
-High mortality in first week, soft release would more beneficial
