Assessing Initial Reintroduction Success in Long-Lived Primates by Quantifying Survival, Reproduction, and Dispersal Parameters: Western Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in Congo and Gabon

King, Tony; Chamberlan, Christelle; Courage, Amos

doi:10.1007/s10764-011-9563-2

Cited by 34 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Similar studies on other taxa show varied, long‐term effects of translocations and captive‐rearing. Captive‐reared and wild‐born, translocated western lowland gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla that survived their first 2 years post‐release achieved the same reproductive success as wild‐raised gorillas (King et al ., ). Reintroduced, translocated Mediterranean pond turtles Mauremys leprosa showed high survivorship but no measurable reproductive output following reintroduction (Bertolero & Oro, ), while captive‐reared, released female pheasants Phasianus colchicus were less likely to survive to breeding, and exhibited reduced reproductive output compared to wild counterparts (Musil et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Population reinforcement accelerates subadult recruitment rates in an endangered freshwater turtle

Carstairs

Paterson

Jäger

et al. 2019

Animal Conservation

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Wildlife diversity and abundance are declining globally and population reinforcement with captive‐reared animals is a common intervention used to prevent extinctions. Released captive‐reared individuals may undergo an acclimation period before their behavior and success is comparable to wild‐reared individuals because they lack experience with predators, complex habitats and variable environmental conditions. Quantifying post‐release acclimation effects on fitness and behavior is important for maximizing the success of reintroduction programs and for predicting the number of captive‐reared animals required for release. Endangered Blanding's turtles Emydoidea blandingii exhibit low recruitment and may benefit from population reinforcement with captive‐reared, ‘headstarted’ individuals (headstarts). We used 6 years of data to compare survival, growth, habitat use and movement ecology between wild‐hatched juvenile turtles and headstarts reared from eggs rescued from injured females. We found strong evidence of an acclimation effect in headstarts, with lower movement, growth, and survival during the first one to two years post‐release. Following this acclimation period, headstarts had movement, growth and survival similar to wild‐hatched juveniles. Habitat use did not differ between headstarts and wild‐hatched juveniles. We hypothesize that the acclimation period occurred because headstarts were introduced directly into the wild (i.e. ‘hard release’) and that providing additional support before or after release may improve the success of headstarts. Headstarts had a monthly survival probability of 0.89 in the first year post‐release, and 0.98 after the first year post‐release. We estimated that headstarts at our sites have approximately three times higher probability of surviving to 10 years of age, compared to wild‐hatched individuals at other sites. Our results highlight that headstarts should be released into habitat individually rather than in clusters, and highlight the need to investigate whether post‐release mortality of captive‐reared animals could be mitigated by increased acclimation to wild conditions, for example through prerelease periods in outdoor pens.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Population reinforcement accelerates subadult recruitment rates in an endangered freshwater turtle

Carstairs

Paterson

Jäger

et al. 2019

Animal Conservation

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“…Although survival rates approaching one are rare, they are found in some species, (e.g. turtles: 0·97, Heppell ; gorillas: 0·96, Steklis & Gerald‐Steklis ; King, Chamberlan & Courage ). Therefore, we decided to span the whole range of potential survival rates in this simulation study to show the consequences of neglecting demographic parameters in estimating N e .…”

Section: Example Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A model‐derived short‐term estimation method of effective size for small populations with overlapping generations

et al. 2016

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Summary If not actively managed, small and isolated populations lose their genetic variability and the inbreeding rate increases. Combined, these factors limit the ability of populations to adapt to environmental changes, increasing their risk of extinction. The effective population size (Ne) is proportional to the loss of genetic diversity and therefore of considerable conservation relevance. However, estimators of Ne that account for demographic parameters in species with overlapping generations require sampling of populations across generations, which is often not feasible in long‐lived species. We created an individual‐based model that allows calculation of Ne based on demographic parameters that can be obtained in a time period much shorter than a generation. It can be adapted to every life‐history parameter combination. The model is freely available as an r‐package NEff. The model was first used in a simulation experiment observing changes in Ne in response to different degrees of generational overlap. Results showed that increased generational overlap slowed annual rates of heterozygosity loss, resulting in higher annual effective sizes (Ny) but decreased Ne per generation. Adding the effect of different recruitment rates only affected Ne for populations with low generational overlap. The model was further tested using real population data of the Australian arboreal gecko Gehyra variegata. Simulation results were compared to genetic analyses and matched estimates of the real population very well. Unlike other estimation methods of Ne, NEff neither requires long time series of population monitoring nor genetic analyses of changes in gene frequencies. Thus, it seems to be the first method for calculating Ne within short time periods and comparably low costs facilitating the use of Ne in applied conservation and management.

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“…To evaluate the success of translocation programs, criteria such as Minimum Viable Population (MVP; Beck et al 1994), the successful breeding of first wild-born animals (Kleiman et al 1991), a positive recruitment rate over three years (Sarrazin and Barbault 1996), quantifying post-release survival and reproduction (King et al 2012), and finite rate of increase (k; Armstrong and Reynolds 2012) have been used.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing translocation success of the endangered Persian fallow deer using a Bayesian Belief Network

et al. 2015

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Abstract. For the past 50 years, the endangered Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) have been translocated to various sites throughout Iran. To better understand the varying degrees of success at the translocation sites, population growth rates were measured for all the sites, and factors believed to affect the growth rate, such as initial population structures of the translocated herds and habitat characteristics, were identified and modeled. The population growth rate was used as a proxy for translocation success. Quantitative ecological data for Persian fallow deer is scarce, but expert knowledge was readily available to inform and enhance fallow deer management options. We integrated the available quantitative data and qualitative information in a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) model to predict Persian fallow deer translocation success. The BBN model was tested using scenarios based on previous translocations to 13 sites in Iran. It correctly predicted the success of translocated populations in 11 out of the 13 sites. This model may be used as a decision support tool for future translocations, and can assist in designing reintroduction programs of the Persian fallow deer. Moreover, it should be adapted to incorporate new knowledge as evidence of translocation successes and failures emerge. Although the BBN model was developed specifically for the translocation of Persian fallow deer, this approach can clearly be applied to design and assess the success of translocation programs of other endangered species, and may be extended to design and assess alternative conservation management strategies.

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Assessing Initial Reintroduction Success in Long-Lived Primates by Quantifying Survival, Reproduction, and Dispersal Parameters: Western Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in Congo and Gabon

Cited by 34 publications

References 36 publications

Population reinforcement accelerates subadult recruitment rates in an endangered freshwater turtle

Population reinforcement accelerates subadult recruitment rates in an endangered freshwater turtle

A model‐derived short‐term estimation method of effective size for small populations with overlapping generations

Assessing translocation success of the endangered Persian fallow deer using a Bayesian Belief Network

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