The Yangtze finless porpoise: On an accelerating path to extinction?

Mei, Zhigang; Zhang, Xinqiao; Huang, Shuqiang; Zhao, Xiong; Hao, Yiming; Zhang, Lin; Qian, Zhengyi; Zheng, Jinsong; Wang, Kexiong; Wang, Ding

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2014.02.033

Cited by 101 publications

(102 citation statements)

References 15 publications

(44 reference statements)

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“…4, Tables 3, S10 and S11). These genetic inferences are in line with the field estimates 14,15,42 , reporting a continuous decline of the YFP since the 1980s [10][11][12][13][14][15]43,44 . Half of the census populations in the main stem of the Yangtze River would have been lost within the past 15 years, with the abundance dropping from 2,500 porpoises in 1991 10 to 1,225 in 2006 13 .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…With such rapid range contraction, Mei et al 15 estimated that the YFP may become extinct within the next 60 years or less 14 . The YFP was thus recently reclassified as a Critically Endangered sub-species on the IUCN Red List 9 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…during the Yangtze Freshwater Dolphin Expedition conducted in 2012 (YFDE2012) reported that populations declined even further to ∼1,040 individuals, including ~500 porpoises in the Yangtze main stream, ~450 in PY and ~90 in DT 14 . With such rapid range contraction, Mei et al 15 estimated that the YFP may become extinct within the next 60 years or less 14 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Genetic footprint of population fragmentation and contemporary collapse in a freshwater cetacean

Chen

Fontaine

Chehida

et al. 2016

Preprint

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1Understanding demographic trends and patterns of gene flow in an endangered species is crucial for devising conservation strategies. Here, we examined the extent of population structure and recent evolution of the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis). By analysing genetic variation at the mitochondrial and nuclear microsatellite loci for 148 individuals, we identified three populations along the Yangtze River, each one connected to a group of admixed ancestry. Each population displayed extremely low genetic diversity, consistent with extremely small effective size (≤92 individuals). Habitat degradation and distribution gaps correlated with highly asymmetric gene-flow that was inefficient in maintaining connectivity between populations. Genetic inferences of historical demography revealed that the populations in the Yangtze descended from a small number of founders colonizing the river from the sea during the last Ice Age. The colonization was followed by a rapid population split during the last millennium predating the Chinese Modern Economy Development. However, genetic diversity showed a clear footprint of population contraction over the last 50 years leaving only ~2% of the pre-collapsed size, consistent with the population collapses reported from field studies. This genetic perspective provides background information for devising mitigation strategies to prevent this species from extinction.Dispersal and gene flow in a meta-population maintain local demographic and genetic variation, thus increasing the probability of species persistence 1,2 . Persistence of wide-ranging animals occupying fragmented landscapes depends on the matrix quality of the habitat and the ability of individuals to move among habitat patches 3 , and corridors facilitating this movement across such landscape [4][5][6]

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

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confidence: 99%

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Genetic footprint of population fragmentation and contemporary collapse in a freshwater cetacean

Chen

Fontaine

Chehida

et al. 2016

Preprint

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“…Due to a series of detrimental human activities such as including illegal fishing, dam construction, and water pollution, the population size of the YFP had declined to approximately 1040 by the end of the year 2012. Unfortunately, its rate of decline is accelerating [29]. As a result, the YFP had recently been reclassified as a critically endangered (CR) population in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species [54].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fecal Bacterial Composition of the Endangered Yangtze Finless Porpoises Living Under Captive and Semi-natural Conditions

et al. 2015

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Intestinal microbiota is essential to the health and physiology of host animals. We undertook the first microbiological study of the fecal bacterial composition from critically endangered (CR) Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis; YFPs) living under captive and semi-natural conditions using both high-throughput sequencing method and 16S rRNA gene clone library method. As determined by high-throughput sequencing of V3-V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene, seminatural samples harbored 30 and 36 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), which was more than the 22 and 27 OTUs detected from YFPs living in captivity. In captive YFPs Firmicutes was the predominant phylum, whereas this was Proteobacteria for YFPs living in semi-nature conditions. This suggests habitat-specific fecal bacterial composition of YFPs. Plesiomonas spp. and Aeromonas spp., which are potentially pathogenic, were identified in all the feces. Bacterial diversity from one porpoise living in captivity was also determined by constructing a 16S rRNA gene clone library and only 1 phylum was identified. Highthroughput sequencing was more effective at determining the bacterial diversity compared to the 16S rRNA gene clone library. This study provides important information for the management and conservation of the CR YFPs.

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“…However, adequate evidence of the rate of population decline and risk of extinction relevant *Corresponding author: leszek@hku.hk to population status assessment under Criteria A, C and E of the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria version 3.1 (IUCN 2001) remains rare across the species range (Huang et al 2012b, Huang & Karczmarski 2014, leaving relevant impact assessments under various anthropogenic threats to qualitative rather than quantitative means. The effectiveness of management policies based on qualitative assessments can be easily compromised or, even worse, the policies themselves may be misguided and focus on the mitigation of the apparent threats but overlook other, indirect but sometime powerful impacts, as indicated by the recent history of the extinction of the baiji Lipotes vexillifer (Turvey et al 2007(Turvey et al , 2013 and the currently accelerating decline of the Yangtze finless porpoise Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis (Mei et al 2012(Mei et al , 2014.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population trends and vulnerability of humpback dolphins Sousa chinensis off the west coast of Taiwan

Huang¹,

Chang²,

Karczmarski³

2014

Endang. Species. Res.

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Predictive modeling of population trends can indicate the rate of population decline and risk of extinction, providing quantitative means of assessing conservation status and threats. Our study tests the rate of population change and risk of extinction of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin Sousa chinensis off the west coast of Taiwan, the only humpback dolphin population classified as Critically Endangered (CR) by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Under the most optimistic assumptions, almost 60% of simulations (out of 250 replications × 5000 iterations) predicted that population decline will exceed 80% within 3 generations, while the mean estimate of population decline within 1 generation was > 50% of the current population numbers. Status classification performed using IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria Version 3.1 supported previous CR classification, while risk assessment models that factored in anthropogenic impacts further increased the estimated extinction risk. At an adult survival rate of 0.95, a modeled increment of annual bycatch rate by 1% of population size increased the probability of extinction within 100 yr by 7.5%; this increase was lower at a higher adult survival rate. The estimated extinction risk was greatest under the impact of habitat loss, reaching a hazardous level when habitat carrying capacity dropped to less than 50%, indicating that habitat fragmentation and alteration of coastal environments pose the greatest threats to this population, even if the cumulative sum of fragmented patches of habitat may superficially appear to be large.

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The Yangtze finless porpoise: On an accelerating path to extinction?

Cited by 101 publications

References 15 publications

Genetic footprint of population fragmentation and contemporary collapse in a freshwater cetacean

Genetic footprint of population fragmentation and contemporary collapse in a freshwater cetacean

Fecal Bacterial Composition of the Endangered Yangtze Finless Porpoises Living Under Captive and Semi-natural Conditions

Population trends and vulnerability of humpback dolphins Sousa chinensis off the west coast of Taiwan

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