Monitoring social behaviour as an assessment of translocation success in a reintroduced population of the endangered Leon Springs pupfish (Cyprinodon bovinus)

Abstract

1. Translocation of endangered species from captivity into the wild is a common conservation practice used to bolster populations, expand natural ranges, and restore species that have been extirpated.2. Often little is known of the fate of organisms after they are released, and extended monitoring of reintroduced populations is necessary for understanding the efficacy of this method. Thought to have become extinct, the endangered Leon Springs pupfish (Cyprinodon bovinus)was rediscovered in 1965. Recently, conservation efforts have focused on renovating their natural habitat and reintroducing C. bovinus from a captive colony established in 1976 back into the ancestral habitat. 4. A reintroduction was performed in 2015, and the population was monitored over the next 14 months to ascertain whether territorial males were behaving typically for the species, and whether there were any changes in social behaviour over time.5. An established population in nearby Diamond Y Spring was used as a benchmark for typical social behaviour, and as an indicator for any expected seasonal differences in behaviour.6. The development of a typical social system at Monsanto Deep Pool was evident almost immediately, as males started to establish breeding territories, defend them from intruders, and participate in reproductive activities, such as courtship and spawning. The presence of juveniles within a year indicated that individuals were successfully reproducing.7. It appears that the translocated C. bovinus are developing into a stable and reproductively successful population.

Mixing genetically differentiated populations successfully boosts diversity of an endangered carnivore

“…New populations can be established, or re‐established, using animals that have either been bred in captivity for the purpose of translocation (e.g. Al‐Shaer et al , 2018) or sourced from an existing wild population (Mowry et al , 2015). Ideally, the introduced or reintroduced individuals would not only survive and produce viable offspring but the new population would also have sufficient demographic stability and genetic diversity as to be self‐sustaining (Armstrong & Seddon, 2008).…”

Multiple survey methods reveal greater abundance of endangered pupfish in restored habitats

“…engage in social breeding systems, including territoriality by males and strong mate choice by females. The extent to which these behaviours influence population density estimates has not been intensively studied, although territorial behaviour can be used as a metric for gauging progress towards conservation goals (Al‐Shaer, Bloch, Little, & Itzkowitz, 2018). The open population models fitted in this study are derivatives of hierarchical models developed to model abundance of breeding birds; thus, the methods presented here are robust to the effects of territoriality and apply to a variety of species (Royle, 2004).…”

“…engage in social breeding systems, including territoriality by males and strong mate choice by females. The extent to which these behaviours influence population density estimates has not been intensively studied, although territorial behaviour can be used as a metric for gauging progress towards conservation goals (Al-Shaer, Bloch, Little, & Itzkowitz, 2018).…”

Diversity and Consequences of Social Network Structure in Toothed Whales

“…This suggests that social network dynamics may serve as a useful behavioural indicator of population health. In other species, changes in behaviour have been used to detect novel stressors (e.g., Caro, 2005), indicate the success of management actions (e.g., Al-Shaer et al, 2018), and predict future population growth (van Gils et al, 2009). Given the apparently widespread link between ecological variables and social network dynamics in toothed whales, and the relative ease with which social network measures can be derived from photographic identification data, the application of social networks as a behavioural indicator in these populations bears further investigation.…”