bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Japanese morning glory dusky mutants displaying reddish‐brown or purplish‐gray flowers are deficient in a novel glycosylation enzyme for anthocyanin biosynthesis, UDP‐glucose:anthocyanidin 3‐O‐glucoside‐2′′‐O‐glucosyltransferase, due to 4‐bp insertions in the gene
Authors: Morita Yasumasa , Hoshino Atsushi , Kikuchi Yasumasa , Okuhara Hiroaki , Ono Eiichiro , Tanaka Yoshikazu , Fukui Yuko , Saito Norio , Nitasaka Eiji , Noguchi Hiroshi , Iida Shigeru
Published: April 2005

Bright blue or red flowers in the Japanese morning glory (Ipomoea nil) contain anthocyanidin 3‐O‐sophoroside derivatives, whereas the reddish‐brown or purplish‐gray petals in its dusky mutants accumulate anthocyanidin 3‐O‐glucoside derivatives. The Dusky gene was found to encode a novel glucosyltransferase, UDP‐glucose:anthocyanidin 3‐O‐glucoside‐2′′‐O‐glucosyltransferase (3GGT), which mediates the glucosylation of anthocyanidin 3‐O‐glucosides to yield anthocyanidin 3‐O‐sophorosides. Ipomoea nil carries one copy of the 3GGT gene that contains no intron and produces 1.6‐kbp transcripts mainly in the petals and tubes of flower buds at around 24 h before flower opening. The gene products of both In3GGT in I. nil and Ip3GGT in the common morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea) comprise 459 amino acids and showed a close relationship to the petunia UDP‐rhamnose:anthocyanidin 3‐O‐glucoside‐6′′‐O‐rhamnosyltransferase (3RT), which controls the addition of a rhamnose molecule to anthocyanidin 3‐O‐glucosides for conversion into anthocyanidin 3‐O‐rutinosides. All of the 30 dusky mutants tested were found to carry the 4‐bp insertion mutations GGAT or CGAT at an identical position near the 3′ end of the gene, and the insertions caused frameshift mutations. The expected 3GGT enzymatic activities were found in the crude extracts of Escherichia coli, in which the 3GGT cDNA of I. nil or I. purpurea was expressed, while no such activity was detected in the extracts expressed with the dusky mutant cDNAs containing 4‐bp insertions. Moreover, the introduced Ip3GGT cDNA efficiently produced 3GGT that converted cyanidin 3‐O‐glucoside into cyanidin 3‐O‐sophoroside in transgenic petunia plants.
Recent Books in Barth Studies
Authors: Collins Winn Christian T.
Published: April 2005

Books reviewed:

Barth on the Descent into Hell: God, Atonement and the Christian Life, David Lauber, Ashgate 2004 (0‐7546‐3341‐1), pp. vii + 186, Hb £40

Ecclesial Mediation in Karl Barth, John Yocum, Ashgate 2004 (0‐7546‐3322‐5), pp. vii + 200, Hb £45

For the Sake of the World: Karl Barth and the Future of Ecclesial Theology, George Hunsinger (ed.), Eerdmans 2004 (0‐8028‐2699‐7), pp. vi + 214, Pb £24.99

The Ascension in Karl Barth, Andrew Burgess, Ashgate 2004 (0‐7546‐3874‐X), pp. viii + 209, Hb £47.50
Loss of Genetic Diversity from Managed Populations: Interacting Effects of Drift, Mutation, Immigration, Selection, and Population Subdivision
Authors: LACY ROBERT C.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: A computer simulation program was used to examine interacting effects of genetic drift, mutation, immigration from outside populations, directional and balancing selection, and population subdivision on the loss of genetic variability from small, managed populations. Stochastic ewnts were simulated with a pseudo‐random number generator, and the genetic variation (expected heterozygosity) witbin and between populations was monitored in 25 populations for 100 generations.

Genetic drift was the overriding factor controling the loss of genetic variation Mutation has no noticeable effect on populations of the size typically managed in zoos and nature preserves Immigration from a large source population can strikingly slow, halt, or even reverse the loss of genetic variation, even with only one or a few migrants per generation. Unless selection is stronger than commonly observed in natural populations, it is inefficient in countering drift when population sizes are on the order of 100 or fewer. Subdivided populations rapidly lose variability from within each sub‐population but retain variation across the subpopulations better than does a panmictic population.

These results suggest that population managers should be concerned with the variation‐depleting effects of genetic drift, perhaps almost to the exclusion of consideration of selection and mutation Drift can be countered by the introduction of vety occasional immigrants or, less effectively, by division of the managed population into smaller breeding groups that interchange enough migrants to prevent unacceptably deleterious inbreeding within each subpopulation
The World Bank's Wildlands Policy: A Major New Means of Financing Conservation*
Authors: GOODLAND R. J. A.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: The World Bank's new wildlands policy makes the Bank a major force for conserving biological diversity in developing nations. Under the policy, the Bank does not normally fund projects that would convert the most important wildlands. It encourages development projects on already degruded lands, calls for explicit justification for conversion of ecologically more valuable lands, and when suitable justification is given, requires protection for ecologically equivalent lands within the same country. The policy goes beyond discouraging destruction of wildlands. By requiring compensatory preservation of comparable ecosystems when important wildlands are proposed for Bank‐funded development it provides a major new mechanism for financing ecosystem protection. Further, the policy explicitly encourages borrower nations to seek funding for conserving biological diversity in the course of developing their resources.
Deforestation and International Economic Development Projects in Brazilian Amazonia*
Authors: FEARNSIDE PHILIP M.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: International economic development projects speed deforestation in Brazil's Amazon region. Highways financed by these projects form a key link in a positive feedback relationship between deforestation and population migration. Roads facilitate entry of settlers whose land claims (established by deforestation) justify building more roads. Deforestation is explosive in Rondôniq site of the World Bank‐financed POLONOROESTE project. Increased deforestation is likely in Acre, where highway improvement financed by the Interamerican Development Bank is under way, and (if funded) in the Grande Carajás agricultural program area. Deforested areas are usually converted to low‐diversity cattle pasture to secure land claims at minimal cost. Pasture also facilitates obtaining land titles. Profits from land sales are enhanced by road improvements and by titling. Government and development project efforts to encourage nonpasture uses are unlikely to be effective in the absence of reforms limiting the profitability of land speculation.

Economic development projects in Brazilian Amazonia share many common patterns that lead to heavy impact on the region's natural ecosystems. High‐level decisions make the projects iwevmible before environmental and land capability studies are made–or even in spite of negative indications that are already known. Previous commitments to preserving natural habitats and tribal areas are frequently reneged. Environmental measures are often mere symbolic actions serving only to tranquilize public concern during the key period when the development is not yet a fait accompli. Projects in Amazonia are often undertaken to alleviate social problems outside the region, especially by absorbing migrants who leave southern and northeastern Brazil because of population growth, agricultural transformation, and land tenure concentration. If they are to be effective, measures addressing these problems must be applied directly in the migrant source areas. Financing Brazil's agrarian reform efforts in these areas represents a major opportunity for international lending agencies to help slow Amazonian deforestation.
Grande CarajáS, International Financing Agencies, and Biological Diversity in Southeastern Brazilian Amazonia
Authors: OREN DAVID C.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: The southeastern Brazilian Amazon region (here defined as the region south of the Amazon River, from the Xingu River east to the Atlantic coast), holds vast mineral, foresty, and hydroelectric resources, making it one of the humid tropics' most promising areas for concentrated economic development. Here I focus on the development project known as “Grande Carajás,” which encompasses most of the region in question, with primay activities at the iron ore mining site in the Serra dos Carajás, Pará at the Ponta de Madeira port facility near São Luís, Maranhão, and along the 890–kilometer railroad that links the two. Environmental planning requirements set by international financing agencies participating in Carajás have minimized the environmental impact of the project's direct planned development programs, provided research opportunities for Brazilian scientists, and secured indigenous tribal lands. Other development and colonization (both planned and unplanned) drawn to the Carajás economic axis have a potentially devastating impact on regional biological diversity and must be considered in a comprehensive analysis of the project's effect on regional tropical deforestation.
Indonesia's Transmigration Program and Its Role in the Loss of Tropical Rain Forests*
Authors: WHITTEN ANTHONY J.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: Indonesia's transmigration program is the worlds largest government‐sponsored voluntary migration program It aims to move people from areas of degraded or densely populated land onJava and some adjacent islands to areas on the outer islands of Indonesia that have been found capable of supporting some form of agriculture. The major negative environmental impact is the loss of forest. The emphasis on reaching targets has resulted in inappropriate selection of land for settlement, which has in turn led to conditions unsuitable for sustainable agriculture. The loss of tropical rain forest in Indonesia is due to many factors, but the loss athibutable directly to transmigration is relatiuely small. Dramatic reductions in the Indonesian budget resulting from the fall in oil prices have led to a virtual standstill in the movement of new transmigrants. This lull gives an unexpected opportunity to improve the planning of future transmigration settlements and to coordinate these with consmation planning for other development‐related activities.
Vegetation Dynamics (Succession and Climax) in Relation to Plant Community Management
Authors: NIERING WILLIAM A.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: An understanding of vegetation dynamics is basic to the mantpdation of plant communities. Traditional successionlclimax concepts can often hinder rather than aid in sound vegetation management. In interpreting vegetation change, a diverse set of factors is often operative. Certain of these—initial floristic composition and the tolerance, facilitation, and inhibition models—are specifically related to the basic processes involved in vegetation or biotic change and to specific management problems. For example, certain shrublands within forested regions can exhibit remarkable resistance to tree invasion, a phenomenon especially relevant in managing rights‐of‐way, naturalistic landscape areas, and wildlife habitats and in maintaining landscape diversity. Fire and herbicides are also important management tools in the restoration and perpetuation of certain community types. Because natural disturbances are critical in maintaining landscape diversity, tfie incorporation of natural areas should be apart of every land‐use management plan. Because wetlands are pulsed systems, succession and climax concepts are often of limited usefulness, that is, wetland vegetation belting is often erroneously interpreted as succession. Considering the diverse interpretations of these traditional concepts, a new paradigm is needed To give a more holistic view of biotic or ecosystem change, the appellations vegetational or biotic development are proposed to replace succession, and steady state and relative stability are offered as more realistic terms than climax.
Quantitative Ethnobotany and the Case for Conservation in Ammonia*
Authors: PRANCE G. T. , BALÉE W. , BOOM B. M. , CARNEIRO R. L.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: Quantitative data are presented on the use of trees in terra firme dense forest by four indigenous Amazonian groups: the Ka'apor and Tembe, both Tupi‐Guarani‐speaking groups of Brazil; the Panare, a Cariban‐speaking group of Venezuela; and the Chácobo, a Panoan‐speaking group of Bolivia. In each case, an ethnoecological forest inventory was conducted of a 1‐hectare parcel of forest. All trees at least 10 centimeters diameter at breast height (DBH) were marked, and botanical specimens were collected Specimens were presented to indigenous informants to gather data on use. Based on these interviews and the identifcation of specimens collected, it was possible to calculate the percentage of tree species on each hectare that was useful to each group: Ka'apor, 768 percent; Tembe 61.3 percent; Panare, 48.6 percent; Chacobo, 78.7 percent. Furthermore, by dividing the trees into various use categories (food construction, technology, remedy, commerce, and other), and designating the cultural importance of each species as “major” or “minor,” it was possible to devise a “use value” for each species, and by summation, for each plant family. Based on these calculations, it was determined that the Palmae was the most useful family for all four indigenous groups. Our data support the assertion that the terra firme rainforests of Amazonia contain an exceptionally large number of useful species and that certain plant families (e.g. Palmae) deserve special consideration in terms of conservation. The fact that each indigenous group has different suites of most useful species is, in fact, more a reflection of plant endemism within Amazonia than intercultural differences per se. High indigenous plant use combined with high endemism has important implications for conservation policy: many reserves are needed throughout Amazonia
Redefining Development Priorities: Genetic Diversitv and Agroecodevelopment
Authors: DAHLBERG KENNETH A.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: Recent research on genetic and biological diversity suggests that they underlie, and are the source of renewable resources—which are themselves more fundamental than nonrenewable resources. However, recognition of this is hindered by various Western cultural and analytic biases that have generally led to the neglect of informal and natural systems. Signifcant implications flow from this recognition.

Analysis and models at the global level—as well as their resource, environmental, and population components—will need to be considerably broadened to in clude the fundamental role of genetic and biological diversity. When this is done, the “limits to growth” debate takes on greater urgency, and the focus shifts. Agriculture is then seen as the key interface between natural and social systems. In addition, the whole notion that Third World countries should model their societies along current industrial lines is fundamentally challenged.

At the national level, both industrial and developing countries will need to give priority to developing regenerative rural and agricultural systems To do this, industrial countries will need to move toward “food systems” approaches, while developing countries will need to conserve and build upon existing agroecosystems. This will require new development theories and practices that are more contextual and recognize the nonneutrality of Western technologies and economic theories.

Finally, the larger threats posed by modern industrial society to the maintenance or creation of more sustainable and regenerative systems need to be included in any analysis. These include both the threat of nuclear war and the larger “war against nature” in which modem industrial society is engaged New concepts of “national security” are suggested along with corresponding shifts in national priorities.
Genetic Variation in the Extreme Endemic Pedicularis furbishiae, (Scrophulariaceae)
Authors: WALLER D. M. , O'MALLEY D. M. , GAWLER S. C.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: Endemic species are commonly hypothesized to have little genetic variation because of inbreeding, genetic, bottlenecks, and/or other factors. We investigated genetic variation in, Pedicularis furbishiae(Scrophulariaceae), an endangered endemic of the St. John River valley in northern Maine, by examining electrophoretic patterns at 22 loci in 28 individuals distributed among four populations. No variation appeared at any of the loci, although this sample was sufficient to detect any variant alleles with a frequency of 5.2 percent or more with 95 percent probability. This lack of variation is probably due to founder effects accompanying the original postglacial establishment and subsequent repeated episodes of population establishment and local extinction along the St. John.
Estimates of Lethal Equivalents and the Cost of Inbreeding in Mammals
Authors: RALLS KATHERINE , BALLOU JONATHAN D. , TEMPLETON ALAN
Published: April 2005

Abstract: The costs of inbreeding in natural populations of mammals are unknown despite their theoretical importance in genetic and sociobiological models and practical applications in conservation biology. A major cost of inbreeding is the reduced survival of inbred young. We estimate this cost from the regression of juvenile survival on the inbreeding coefficient using pedigrees of 40 captive mammalian populations belonging to 38 species.

The number of lethal equivalents ranged from –1.4 to 30.3, with a mean of 4.6 and a median of 3.1. There was no significant difference between populations founded with wild‐caught individuals, a mixture of wild‐caught and captive‐born individuals, and individuals of unknown origin. The average cost of a parent‐offspring or full sibling mating was 0.33, that is, mortality was 33% higher in offspring of such matings than in offspring of unrelated parents. This is likely to be an underestimate.
Ecological Genetics of the Salamander Desmognathus guadramaculatus from Disturbed Watersheds in the Southern Appalachian Biosphere Reserve Cluster
Authors: STIVEN ALAN E. , BRUCE RICHARD C.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: Ecological and genetic properties of the largely aquatic salamander, D. quadramaculatus, were assessed in paired control and logged watersheds in two forests of the Southern Appalachian Biosphere Reserve Cluster. Salamanders were larger but relatively less abundant in watersheds of the more extensive and more recently cut forest. Genetic diversity derived from electrophoretic analyses of 14 loci was lower in the forest where the time available for population recovery was least. Populations in relatively undisturbed watersheds in both forests, however, tended to exhibit lower heterozygosity levels than those in previously logged watersheds, but the differences were not as striking. Confounding effects from elevation differences among watersheds were also detected. An analysis of the six subpopulations using Wright's F statistics showed moderate levels of genetic differentiation among the subpopulations. The genetic and ecological differences among populations between the two reserves are interpreted in relation to recent ideas of bottleneck theory and genetic diversion, the history of disturbance and patch dynamics, and population viability and reserve structure.
Acid Precipitation Effects on Forest Habitats: Implications for Wildlife
Authors: SCHREIBER R. KENT , NEWMAN JAMES R.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: Forests ecosystems, with their stratified structure, provide a diversity of habitats for a variety of animals. The influence of acidic deposition on forests is being studied intensely, and preliminary research indicates that some forest resources are being affected. These effects and the potential for subsequent change in forest structure and function imply that an impact on the wildlife inhabitants is occurring. In most cases, these impacts are not direct, but instead reflect modifications of habitat and changes in trophic relationships. Detecting changes distinguishable from normal spatiotemporal variations in animal populations is difficult. The net result over time may be reductions or shifts in populations and species composition. This paper provides an overview of current information on the impact of acidic deposition on forest resources as it relates to animals.
Effects of Agricultural, Industrial, and Recreational Expansion on Frequency of Wildlife Law Violations in the Central Rocky Mountains, USA
Authors: BERGER JOEL , DANEKE DENNIS
Published: April 2005

Abstract: As human populations expand into previously unoccupied habitats, conflicts with wild vertebrate species are inevitable. On the basis of literature concerning human attitudes toward nature, we hypothesized that the intensity of conflicts and impacts would vary with the type of land use expansion. We tested our hypothesis by examining data on socioeconomic profiles of discrete expanding human populations in relation to the frequency of wildlife law violations in the central Rocky Mountains of the United States. We estimated possible human‐related effects by comparing rates of wildlife law violations among populations varying in growth rates and socioeconomic status over an eleven‐year period 1969–1980. We found that agrarian‐based population centers had fewer violations per capita than areas with industrial‐based (petroleum development) boom towns. Recreation‐oriented (ski) boom towns had the lowest number of violations during periods of the most rapid growth. While the relationship between wildlife law violations and actual impact on animal population sizes remains unknown, our findings underscore the necessity of a priori recognition and planning by government and private agencies to combat potential harmful effects when expanding human population centers are likely to be characterized by immigrants with a low regard for wild species.
Modeling Dynamics of Habitat‐Interior Bird Populations in Fragmented Landscapes
Authors: TEMPLE STANLEY A. , CARY JOHN R.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: A stochastic computer model was used to examine the effects of varying degrees of habitat fragmentation on the dynamics of a hypothetical population of forest‐interior bid. The primary demographic parameter that influenced the population's dynamics was fecundity, which varied as a function of how far a birds territory was from an ecological edge. As our model landscape became more fragmented the proportion of forest habitat that was near edges increased geometrically, and the population's overall fecundity dropped as a result. The model demonstrates that impaired reproduction in a fragmented landscape is, by itself a sufficient disruption of the population's dynamics to generate population declines and shifts in distribution similar to those observed in the fragmented forests of southern Wisconsin. Without immigration of recruits from other regions where reproduction is better, habitat‐interior populations in a severely fragmented landscape can become locally extinct.
Restoring Island Ecosystems: The Potential of Parasites to Control Introduced Mammals
Authors: DOBSON A. P.
Published: April 2005

Introduced mammals such as rats, goats, dogs, and cats present a major threat to the endemic fauna and flora of many oceanic islands. Available empirical evidence suggests that small founding populations that colonize islands only carry a limited subset of the parasite fauna found in mainland or continental populations. Consequently, island populations of these introduced mammals harbor relatively depauperate parasite communities. The high population densities and low genetic variability of the introduced mammal populations on islands may render them vulnerable to invasion and potential control by introduced, host‐specific parasites. Several theoretical and empirical studies suggest that either a parasitic nematode or a virus of low to intermediate pathogenicity might be used as a control agent for rats, goats and other introduced species. The removal or control of these introduced mammals may allow previously endangered populations and habitats to recover.
Disease and Endangered Species: The Black‐footed Ferret as a Recent Example
Authors: THORNE E. TOM , WILLIAMS ELIZABETH S.
Published: April 2005

Diseases may play major roles in the conservation of endangered species. Although the threat of disease received extensive consideration and influenced research and management activities governing the endangered black‐footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) in Wyoming, a canine distemper epizootic in 1985 severely affected a captive breeding program and led to extirpation of the species from the wild. This recent example of the catastrophic effect of epizootic disease in an endangered species is described in an historical context. In addition, examples are given of disease further endangering other rare species, including Mauritius pink pigeon, Père David's deer, cranes, maned wolves, native Hawaiian birak, cheetahs, and others.
Reconstructed Dynamics of Rapid Extinctions of Chaparral‐Requiring Birds in Urban Habitat Islands
Authors: SOULÉ MICHAEL E. , BOLGER DOUGLAS T. , ALBERTS ALLISON C. , WRIGHTS JOHN , SORICE MARINA , HILL SCOTT
Published: April 2005

The distribution of native, chaparral‐requiring bird species was determined for 37 isolated fragments of canyon habitat ranging in size from 0.4 to 104 hectares in coastal, urban San Diego County, California The area of chaparral habitat and canyon age (time since isolation of the habitat fragment) explains most of the variation in the number of chaparral‐requiring bird species. In addition, the distribution of native predators may influence species number. There is statistical evidence that coyotes control the populations of smaller predators such as foxes and domestic cats. The absence of coyotes may lead to higher levels of predation by a process of mesopredator release. The distance of canyons from other patches of chaparral habitat does not add significantly to the explained variance in chaparral‐requiring species number–probably because of the virtual inability of most chaparral‐requiring species to disperse through developed areas and nonscrub habitats. These results and other lines of evidence suggest that chaparral‐requiring birds in isolated canyons have very high rates of extinction, in part because of their low vagility. The best predictors of vulnerability of the individual species are their abundances (densities) in undisturbed habitat and their body sizes; together these two variables account for 95 percent of the variation in canyon occupancy. A hypothesis is proposed to account for the similarity between the steep slopes of species‐area curves for chaparral‐requiring birds and the slopes for some forest birds on small islands or in habitat fragments. The provision of corridors appears to be the most effective design and planning feature for preventing the elimination of chaparral‐requiring species in a fragmented landscape.
An Experimental Analysis of Patch Size, Habitat Subdivision, and Extinction in a Marine Intertidal Snail
Authors: QUINN JAMES F. , WOLIN CAROLE L. , JUDGE MICHAEL L.
Published: April 2005

Both local and regional extinction processes are central to the population biology of spatially structured populations They are also of critical importance in the management of threatened species and the design of nature reserves We conducted a field experiment to examine the effects of patch size and degree of overall population fragmentation on extinction rates of the marine snail, Nucella emarginata. An equal area (1 m2) was subdivided to different degrees One plate of 1 m2, two of 1/2 m2, four of 1/4 m2, eight of 1/.8 m2, sixteen of 1/16 m2, thirty‐two of 1/32 m2, and sixty four of 1/64 m2, were positioned randomly within an 11 × 12 grid (minimum distance between plates of 3 m) above a sandflat in Bodega Harbor, California Plates were colonized with equal densities (128/ m2) of Nucella. There is no evidence for a distinct threshold size for population persistence. This pattern is compatible with models of extinction based on environmental stochasticity, but not with those incorporating pure demographic stochasticity. The observed variability in death rates was also significantly greater than that predicted under models of demographic stochasticity.

The effect of fragmentation (the degree of subdivision of the same total area) on extinction rates was inconclusive. After two years of observation none of the degree of subdivision (plate size) treatments has had extinctions on all plates
Man's Role in Changing the Face of the Ocean: Biological Invasions and Implications for Conservation of Near‐Shore Environments
Authors: CARLTON JAMES T.
Published: April 2005

Human activities, primarily the global movement of organisms associated with ocean‐going vessels and with commercial fishery products, have lead to the redistribution of a vast number of marine organisms over the past five centuries. Most biological surveys postdated these transport events, so the distribution of many of these now cosmopolitan species has been interpreted as the result of natural processes, leading to underestimates of the role of humans in altering patterns of natural diversity and distribution of marine organisms along the coastal margins of the world Perceptions of the natural state of some systems versus their recent ecological alteration are illustrated by the National Estuarine Reserve Research System, within which many “natural” sanctuaries have been highly altered by exotic species The modern scale and rate of new human‐mediated invasions in the ocean are difficult to recognize due to the lack of communication among scientists working with different groups of organisms, different habitats, and different regions. Available evidence suggests that introductions continue unabated on a large scale throughout the world Despite the existence since 1973 of a number of international conventions to control the movement of exotic marine organisms adequate control still occurs largely at the regional and local levels.
Faunal Changes and Bottomland Hardwood Forest Loss in the Tensas Watershed, Louisiana
Authors: BURDICK DAVID M. , CUSHMAN DOUGLAS , HAMILTON ROBERT , GOSSELINK JAMES G.
Published: April 2005

We attempted to associate differences in faunal populations in the Tensas watershed with differences in bottomland hardwood forest area using existing data sets. The Tensas watershed was part of the original range of several species that are now absent red wolf, Florida panther, and Ivory‐Billed Woodpecker The Louisiana black bear and Bachman's Warbler are also threatened with extinction. Bird surveys provided the best faunal data, and comparisons of bird populations (1) with decreases in bottomland hardwood forest over time and (2) in areas with different amounts of forest support the hypotheses that the number of forest species and the population densities of forest interior species decreased with cumulative losses of forest area We have shown the deterioration of indigenous faunal populations using existing bird surveys and qualitative data, demonstrating the utility of a cumulative impact approach at the watershed scale. By insuring the conservation of required habitats, a cumulative impact management plan would reduce further extinctions within this watershed
Genetic Conservation in Feral Populations of Livestock
Authors: van VUREN DIRK , HEDRICK PHILIP W.
Published: April 2005

Feral livestock may be sources of genetic variation with potential commercial, scientific historical, or aesthetic value. Important variants may include primitive traits absent in modern breeds and novel or rare adaptations; the presence of these variants may be suggested directly by morphological markers, quantitative traits, fitness characters, or rare or unique alleles, and indirectly by the extent and duration of isolation, founder number, ancestry, or environmental conditions. Both direct and indirect evidence indicated potentially valuable traits in a population of feral sheep on Santa Cruz Island California and recently 18 lambs were captured to found a mainland population. We discuss several genetic goals important in maintaining a feral population, but caution that such goals must not conflict with the preservation of natural diversity threatened by feral livestock.
Plant and Bird Communities of Native Prairie and Introduced Eurasian Vegetation in Manitoba, Canada
Authors: WILSON SCOTT D. , BELCHER JOYCE W.
Published: April 2005

Abstract:Large areas of North American prairie are dominated by Eurasian plant species introduced either for range improvement or accidentally as weeds. We examined the impact of introduced plants on both native vegetation and bird communities in a mosaic of North American mixed‐grass prairie and Eurasian vegetation. We established ten transects five in areas of native prairie and five in areas dominated by introduced plant species. Each transect comprised five sampling stations separated by 100 m. Vegetation was sampled in four 0.5m2quadrats at each station. The cooers of eight of the ten most common plant species varied significantly (p < 0.05) between native and introduced vegetation. One common native plans Andropogon scoparius, was absent in introduced vegetation Singing birds were identified to species at each station on three occasions during the breeding season All bird species found were native to prairie. The total number of birds did not vary between vegetation types Two out of eight bird species, upland sandpiper and Sprague's pipit were signifcantly more abundant in native prairie than in introduced vegetation No bird species were significantly more common in introduced vegetation. A correlation matrix calculated for all bird species and the ten most abundant plant species divided the bird community into two groups. The first group (western meadow lark, upland sandpiper, Sprague's pipit, Baird's sparrow and savannah sparrow) was positively correlated with native plant species and negatively with introduced plants, while the second (vesper sparrow, clay‐colored sparrow, and grasshopper sparrow) was negatively correlated with native species and positively correlated with introduced Discriminant analysis separated transects from native and Eurasian vegetation on the basis of their respective bird communities. The results illustrate that the introduction of Eurasian plant species to North American prairie not only replaces the native plant community, but also produces significant changes in the species composition of a higher trophic level.
Hybridization in the Island Endemic, Catalina Mahogany
Authors: RIESEBERG LOREN H. , ZONA SCOTT , ABERBOM LINDA , MARTIN TERRENCE D.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: Allozyme data, combined with traditional morphological and anatomical data, were used to evaluate the genetic status of the island endemic, Cercocarpus traskiae (Catalina mahogany). Comprising only seven adult plants and close to 70 seedlings, C. traskiae is confined to Wild Boar Gully on the southwest side of Santa Catalina Island in Los Angeles County, California Electrophoretic examination of 22 enzyme loci revealed that all but two of the seven adult C. traskiae trees were unique allozymically. Furthermore four of the seven C. traskiae individuals were morphologically and/or anatomically intermediate between “true”C. traskiae and the more abundant Cercocarpus species on Santa Catalina, C. betuloides var, blancheae. Further electrophoretic analyses revealed that two of these four individuals possessed an additive “hybrid” enzyme phenotype indicating that these individuals were hybrid. Twenty‐five of the seedlings were also assayed but none of the seedlings displayed hybrid enzyme phenotypes.

Given the evidence for hybridization described herein, we make two suggestions to enhance the long‐term preservation of C. traskiae. First, it may be desirable to eliminate the single C. betuloides var.: blancheae individual in Wild Boar Gully. Second, we suggest that established cuttings of true C. traskiae be transplanted to areas on Santa Catalina where the probability of hybridization is minimal Our data further demonstrate that accurate taxonomic identification and an understanding of population genetic structure are necessary for the enlightened management of small relict populations or island endemics.
Salt Marsh Harvest Mice, Urban Development, and Rising Sea Levels
Authors: SHELLHAMMER HOWARD S.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: The salt marsh harvest mouse, Reithrodontomys raviventris, is endemic to the marshes of San Francisco Bay. Ultimate factors such as rising sea level and tectonic changes will play important roles in the future management of the mouse, causing a shift from tidal marshes threatened by submergence to diked marshes threatened by development Land values and government regulations force the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies into proximate management strategies to recover the species. Whether large enough areas of diked marsh can be acquired in the near future to adequately protect the mouse in perpetuity is questioned.
Genetic Polymorphisms and Their Relationships with Inbreeding and Breed Structure in Rare British Sheep: The Portland, Manx Loghtan, and Hebridean
Authors: CLARKE S. W. , TUCKER E. M. , HALL S. J. G.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: 320 sheep of three rare British breeds were typed for blood group and biochemical polymorphism. Genetic distance was least between the Manx Loghtan and Hebridean (D = 0.1241, supporting historical evidence of a close relationship between the breeds. Distances to the Portland breed were 0.144 and 0.186, respectively. The claim that the Portland is related to the Dorset Horn was substantiated by the fact that both breeds possess the i blood group allele. Pedigree analysis showed that most rare or unusual alleles in the three bee could be traced to particular ancestors, which had been accepted for registration as foundation stocks, i. e., there was little evidence of genetic introgression from other breeh. Highly inbred sheep showed the predicted lack of heterozygosity.

When these sheep were first registered (1973), foundation stocks were defined comprising animals of correct breed type. Today, the pedigree of each sheep reveals the percentages of its ancestry attributable to each foundation stock Sheep were classified according to these percentages into subgroups, each of which, therefore corresponds to a strain within the breed Genetic distances were calculated among these subgroups within each breed For the Portland these distances were rather large (D up to 0.069), but distances were rather small for the other two breeds (D up to 0.027). The Manx Loghtan and Hebridean breeds are therefore relatively homogeneous while the genetic distances among Portland subgroups reveal the genetic consequences of the reproductive isolation of certain important flocks
Allocating Scarce Resources for Conservation of Endangered Subspecies: Partitioning Zoo Space for Tigers
Authors: MAGUIRE LYNN A. , LACY ROBERT C.
Published: April 2005

All remaining subspecies of tigers (Panthera tigris) are endangered in the wild and space for captive breeding in western zoos is limited How should this space be allocated to enhance survival and retention of genetic variation in the face of uncertainty about genetic relationships among tiger subspecies and about the future of tigers in the wild? We solicited expert judgments on subspecies population trends and on the ratio of effective to census size in captivity and analyzed different scenarios for dividing the 1000 captive spaces among four tiger subspecies To maximize survival and retention of gene dimity in individual subspecies, it is best to divide the space equally among the four subspecies To maximize retention of gene diversity for the species as whole, it is better to allocate more space to the subspecies that appears most variable on the basis of limited electrophoretic data (p. t. tigris). Allocating half of the captive space to tigris and dividing the remainder equally among the other three subspecies is a satisfactory compromise between species welfare and subspecies welfare that ensures survival of all four subspecies (at least in captivity) and retains about 80 percent of existing gene diversity within subspecies and about 93 percent of diversity for the species as a whole. Sensitivity analyses showed that our recommendations were robust to uncertainty about the demographic and genetic status of tiger subspecies. For other species with several endangered subspecies; such as rhinos, resource limitations may be too severe to permit an easy compromise between species and subspecies welfare and acquiring better genetic data becomes critical.
Distribution of Floristic Richness and Its Conservation in Sri Lanka
Authors: GUNATILLEKE I. A. U. N. , GUNATILLEKE C. V. S.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: The angiosperm flora of Sri Lanka, which has been comparatively well studied by many eminent botanists for over two centuries, has a rich endemic component and also exhibits strong affinities to that of peninsular India Some of the 15 floristic regions recognized in the island have exceptionally rich, highly localized floras. But increased forest disturbances over the years have taken a heavy toll. A plea is made to conserve at least one sufficiently large forest reserve in each floristic region. A meaningful conservation program has been launched in the Sinharaja MAB Reserve; similar programs are urgently needed for other protected areas of the island.
Conservation of Endemic Rain Forest Fishes of Sri Lanka: Results of a Translocation Experiment
Authors: WIKRAMANAYAKE ERIC D.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: Four potentially endangered species of rainforest fishes, Barbus cumingi, Barbus nigrofasciatus, Barbus titteya, and Rasbora vaterofloris, endemic to streams of southwestern Sri Lanka, were translocated in 1981 into a depauperate stream system in the central hills. By 1985 all four species had established self‐perpetuating populations in these streams, and had extended their ranges into adjacent stream Barbus nigrofasciatus, a generalist, was one of the most abundant species in these stream It was widely distributed throughout the stream system and in the slower sections of the Mabaveli Ganga (=Mabaveli River), and occupied a wide range of macro‐ and microhabitat types. The other three species were more specialized in their habitat and diet, and were thus patchily distributed. The microhabitats occupied by B. cumingi, B. titteya, and R. vaterifloris resembled the specialized microhabitats they occupy in their native stream Presumably because of their specializations, these three species were not as abundant as B. nigrofasciatus. Overall, the biology and distribution of the four species will enable them to survive spatially small‐scale environmental perturbations The results suggest that trans locations are a feasible means of conserving other endemic fishes of Sri Lanka threatened with extinction. However, such translocations must be carefully planned with consideration for the indigenous community as well as the ecological requirements and genetic integrity of the target species.
An Environment‐metapopulation Approach to Population Viability Analysis for a Threatened Invertebrate
Authors: MURPHY DENNIS D. , FREAS KATHY E. , WEISS STUART B.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: Most previous population viability analyses of endangered species have focused on large vertebrates: long‐lived species with low rates of population increase, long generation times, and comparatively low habitat specificity. Habitat fragmentation not only reduces the distribution of such species, but reduces population densities to levels at which genetic and demographic constraints threaten population persistence. Many other endangered species, in contrast, are characterized by small body size, high rates of population increase, short generation times, and high habitat specificity. Habitat fragmentation reduces distributions of such species, but within remnant habitats population densities may continue to be high. Population viability analyses for these species — which include many small vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants — must focus on the environmental factors and metapopulation characteristics that determine population persistence.

Population viability analysis for the threatened Bay checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha bayensis) exemplifies the environment‐metapopulation approach. Variation in thermal conditions and rainfall through time (macroclimate) and across local topography (topoclimate) drives the population dynamics of this insect. Because of the great sensitivity of larvae and host plants to thermal differences between slope exposures and to annual variation in rainfall, extinction of local butterfly populations is common. Both habitat patch quality (size, topographic diversity, and resource abundance) and distance from a reservoir population affect the likelihood of patch occupancy. An understanding of metapopulation dynamics, therefore, is necessary to explain the regional distribution of the butterfly at any given time.

Although parameterization of key life stages of the Bay checkerspot butterfly is not yet complete, insights from previous studies can be used to help make decisions in reserve design and management of the species.
Reconstructibility of Density Dependence and the Conservative Assessment of Extinction Risks
Authors: GINZBURG LEV R. , FERSON SCOTT , AKÇAKAYA H. REŞIT
Published: April 2005

Abstract: The probability of extinction is sensitive to the presence and character of density dependence controlling the dynamics of a population. This means that our capacity to estimate a population's risks of extinction under varying environmental conditions or competing management regimes is linked to our ability to reconstruct from data the density‐dependence relationships governing the natural dynamics, especially when data do not reveal a trend of population growth or decline. In an example using Gadus morhua, we show that even 10‐ or 20‐year data sets are too short to make precise estimates of these risks. We also observe, however, that under moderate or weak density dependence, the computed risks are lower than when density dependence is not included in the model. We propose, therefore, that when available data sets are insufficient for reconstructing reliable measurements of density dependence, conservative estimates of extinction probabilities can be made from models that simply omit density dependence.
Biological Integrity and the Goal of Environmental Legislation: Lessons for Conservation Biology
Authors: KARR JAMES R.
Published: April 2005

Abstract: Passage of environmental legislation often creates a state of euphoria among supporters such that implementation programs are not rigorously evaluated Endangered species and water resource legislation are two examples of sound environmental legislation with major weaknesses in their implementation. Regulations to implement the US. Clean Water Act, for example, emphasize water quality (physical and chemical properties of water) by calling for uniform standards for contaminants rather than the broader goal of improving the quality of water resources. As a result, improvements in the quality of water resource quality have been limited despite massive expenditures. Natural resource agencies' narrow emphasis on harvested and threatened and endangered species has similar consequences. Unless a comprehensive and rigorous definition of the goals of biodiversity legislation is developed and adhered to by regulatory agencies, efforts to implement biodiversity legislation could lead to similar problems. Protection of biodiversity should be considered a subset of the need to protect the biological integrity of natural resource systems and the ecological health of the biosphere. Programs to protect biodiversity should reflect that more holistic goal and include provisions for evaluating success at attaining stated goals and for making midcourse adjustments in programs when resources are not being adequately protected.