The Debate on Behavior in Conservation: New Zealand Integrates Theory with Practice

Moore, Jennifer A.; Bell, Ben D.; Linklater, Wayne L.

doi:10.1641/b580513

Cited by 20 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(27 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“… Behavioral variation gives populations the opportunity to escape from environmental stressors now and in the future. Preservation of behavioral diversity allows us to seed wild populations with behaviors that may prevent their extermination by invasive species (“behavioral rescue:“Schlaepfer et al 2005). A wide suite of behaviors can provide us with a toolkit for tutoring captive born individuals for reintroduction into the wild giving them the survival tools necessary to live in a novel environment (Moore et al . 2008).…”

Section: Proactive Attempts To Save Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A wide suite of behaviors can provide us with a toolkit for tutoring captive born individuals for reintroduction into the wild giving them the survival tools necessary to live in a novel environment (Moore et al . 2008).…”

Section: Proactive Attempts To Save Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(3) A wide suite of behaviors can provide us with a toolkit for tutoring captive born individuals for reintroduction into the wild giving them the survival tools necessary to live in a novel environment (Moore et al 2008). (4) Variations in behavior can unlock evolutionary puzzles and teach us about the power of natural selection to mold adaptation.…”

Section: Proactive Attempts To Save Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Vanishing behaviors

Caro

Sherman

2012

Conservation Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Unique patterns of animal behavior and life histories are not regarded as serious targets in making conservation and management decisions. Here we highlight the conceptual and practical conservation value of preserving such variations, review recent declines in behavioral diversity in wild populations, and encourage conservation biologists, animal behaviorists, and wildlife managers to document and protect behavioral diversity in the wild.

show abstract

Section: Proactive Attempts To Save Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Proactive Attempts To Save Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Proactive Attempts To Save Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Vanishing behaviors

Caro

Sherman

2012

Conservation Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Our approach is based on individual behavior and shows how individual behavior and conservation can be linked (Sutherland 1998, Buchholz 2007, Caro 2007, Moore et al 2008. Habitat-dependence analysis (Kenward 2001) allows us to establish a direct link between habitat selection behavior and conservation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative recommendations for amphibian terrestrial habitat conservation derived from habitat selection behavior

Indermaur

Schmidt

2011

Ecological Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Conservation scientists have noted that conservation managers rarely use scientific information when making decisions. One of the reasons why managers rarely use scientific information may be that conservation scientists rarely provide their knowledge in a way that can directly be used by conservation practitioners. Here we show how quantitative recommendations for conservation can be derived. Previous research on terrestrial habitat selection behavior of toads (Bufo bufo and Bufo viridis) showed that wood deposits are a key resource in the terrestrial habitat. We used habitat-dependence analysis to estimate the amount of this key resource, wood deposits, that individual toads require. Based on these estimates we then quantify the requirements for wood deposits for a population. Additionally, we quantified the area that a population requires. Although wood deposits vary strongly in size, we found little evidence for size preferences: only one species preferred smallest sizes of wood deposits. We report all the estimates in a way that can be directly used by conservation managers. Habitat-dependence analysis is a simple and useful tool to quantify habitat requirements. Provisioning of wood deposits may improve the quality of terrestrial habitat for amphibians. Thereby, managers may increase the carrying capacity of terrestrial habitats and support elevated population densities. Abstract. Conservation scientists have noted that conservation managers rarely use scientific information when making decisions. One of the reasons why managers rarely use scientific information may be that conservation scientists rarely provide their knowledge in a way that can directly be used by conservation practitioners. Here we show how quantitative recommendations for conservation can be derived. Previous research on terrestrial habitat selection behavior of toads (Bufo bufo and Bufo viridis) showed that wood deposits are a key resource in the terrestrial habitat. We used habitat-dependence analysis to estimate the amount of this key resource, wood deposits, that individual toads require. Based on these estimates we then quantify the requirements for wood deposits for a population. Additionally, we quantified the area that a population requires. Although wood deposits vary strongly in size, we found little evidence for size preferences: only one species preferred smallest sizes of wood deposits. We report all the estimates in a way that can be directly used by conservation managers. Habitat-dependence analysis is a simple and useful tool to quantify habitat requirements. Provisioning of wood deposits may improve the quality of terrestrial habitat for amphibians. Thereby, managers may increase the carrying capacity of terrestrial habitats and support elevated population densities.Ecological Applications, 21(7), 2011, pp. 2548-2554 Ó 2011 by the Ecological Society of

show abstract

“…But when that opportunity is available, it must be taken to ensure long‐term conservation goals. New Zealand scientists are leading by example (Moore et al. 2008a).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary, behavioural and molecular ecology must meet to achieve long‐term conservation goals

Keogh

2009

Molecular Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Founder populations in reintroduction programmes can experience a genetic bottleneck simply because of their small size. The influence of reproductive skew brought on by polygynous or polyandrous mating systems in these populations can exacerbate already difficult conservation genetic problems, such as inbreeding depression and loss of adaptive potential. Without an understanding of reproductive skew in a target species, and the effect it can have on genetic diversity retained over generations, long-term conservation goals will be compromised. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Miller et al. (2009a) test how founder group size and variance in male reproductive success influence the maintenance of genetic diversity following reintroduction on a long-term scale. They evaluated genetic diversity in two wild populations of the iconic New Zealand tuatara (Fig. 1), which differ greatly in population size and genetic diversity, and compared this to genetic diversity in multiple founder populations sourced from both populations. Population viability analysis on the maintenance of genetic diversity over 400 years (10 generations) demonstrated that while the loss of heterozygosity was low when compared with both source populations (1-14%), the greater the male reproductive skew, the greater the predicted losses of genetic diversity. Importantly however, the loss of genetic diversity was ameliorated after population size exceeded 250 animals, regardless of the level of reproductive skew. This study demonstrates that highly informed conservation decisions could be made when you build on a solid foundation of demographic, natural history and behavioural ecology data. These data, when informed by modern population and genetic analysis, mean that fundamental applied conservation questions (how many animals should make up a founder population?) can be answered accurately and with an eye to the long-term consequences of management decisions.Keywords: conservation genetics, founder population, heterozygosity, reintroduction, reproductive skew, tuatara Received 25 June 2009; revision accepted 7 July 2009In the late 1990s, fervent attempts were made to forge a collaborative link between the disparate disciplines of behaviour and conservation that would inform conservation planning and application. That effort, which included many of the World's top conservation and behavioural scientists, resulted in multiple edited books and review articles (see Angeloni et al. 2008), but the calls for a link between the disciplines has not resulted in increased collaboration or cross-fertilization (Caro 2007;Angeloni et al. 2008). In a recent review paper, Caro (2007) outlined a specific set of guidelines for how behavioural information could be more fruitfully employed to produce better conservation outcomes. He focused his guidelines rightly on descriptive and species-specific behavioural studies, as they have the most to offer on-the-ground conservation biologists. He painted a more cynical view for the contribution to conservation of behavio...

show abstract

The Debate on Behavior in Conservation: New Zealand Integrates Theory with Practice

Abstract: Behavioral research is increasingly a part of species conservation

Cited by 20 publications

References 27 publications

Vanishing behaviors

Vanishing behaviors

Quantitative recommendations for amphibian terrestrial habitat conservation derived from habitat selection behavior

Evolutionary, behavioural and molecular ecology must meet to achieve long‐term conservation goals

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About