Translocation of species, climate change, and the end of trying to recreate past ecological communities

Thomas, Chris D.

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2011.02.006

Cited by 332 publications

(264 citation statements)

References 55 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

250

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…However, due to the perceived risks to recipient ecosystems, AC is often proposed as a last resort for conservation management, only to be implemented when all in situ options are considered unlikely to succeed (Hoegh-Guldberg et al 2008;Mueller and Hellmann 2008;Richardson et al 2009;Vitt et al 2009). We support this proposition, while also noting that a failure to implement AC is effectively a decision to favour those taxa that are able to disperse without assistance (Thomas 2011).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Is Australia ready for assisted colonization? Policy changes required to facilitate translocations under climate change.

Burbidge¹,

Byrne²,

Coates³

et al. 2011

Pac. Conserv. Biol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Assisted Colonization (AC) has been proposed as one method of aiding species to adapt to the impacts of climate change. AC is a form of translocation and translocation protocols for threatened species, mostly for reintroduction, are well established in Australia. We evaluate the information available from implementation of translocations to understand how existing policies and guidelines should be varied to plan, review and regulate AC. While the risks associated with AC are potentially greater than those of reintroductions, AC is likely to be the only available method, other than germplasm storage and establishment of captive populations, of conserving many taxa under future climate change. AC may also be necessary to maintain ecosystem services, particularly where keystone species are affected. Current policies and procedures for the preparation of Translocation Proposals will require modification and expansion to deal with Assisted Colonization, particularly in relation to risk management, genetic management, success criteria, moving associated species and community consultation. Further development of risk assessment processes, particularly for invasiveness, and guidelines for genetic management to maintain evolutionary potential are particularly important in the context of changing climate. Success criteria will need to respond to population establishment in the context of new and evolving ecosystems, and to reflect requirements for any co-establishment of interdependent species. Translocation Proposals should always be subjected to independent peer review before being considered by regulators. We conclude that consistent approaches by regulators and multilateral agreements between jurisdictions are required to minimize duplication, to ensure the risk of AC is adequately assessed and to ensure the potential benefits of AC are realized.

show abstract

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Is Australia ready for assisted colonization? Policy changes required to facilitate translocations under climate change.

Burbidge¹,

Byrne²,

Coates³

et al. 2011

Pac. Conserv. Biol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…1a-e), assisted migration is a strategy to help them reach more climatically suitable areas (Hoegh-Guldberg et al 2008;Thomas 2011;Schwartz et al 2012;Aitken and Whitlock 2013;Williams and Dumroese 2013). The term 'assisted migration' encompasses both movements within current species ranges-assisted gene flow-as well as assisted colonisation of areas outside of current rangestranslocations (Aitken and Whitlock 2013).…”

Section: Assisted Migrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This approach could prove particularly valuable in preserving narrowrange endemic species experiencing very rapid climate change and are unable to adapt or migrate quickly enough (Thomas 2011 ; Fig. 1a).…”

Section: Assisted Migrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1a). Clearly, the movement of species outside their current range is not without risk, and may present an invasive problem (Thomas 2011;Schwartz et al 2012), but translocations generally only occur for the most endangered species which are under threat in their current location and so any successfully established populations would be deemed a success.…”

Section: Assisted Migrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Constraints to and conservation implications for climate change adaptation in plants

2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Contemporary climate change is having widespread impacts on plant populations. Understanding how plants respond to this change is essential to our efforts to conserve them. The key climate responses of plant populations can be categorised into one of three types: migration, in situ adaptation, or extirpation. If populations are to avoid extirpation then migration and/or in situ adaptation is essential. In this review we first articulate the current and future constraints of plant populations, but trees in particular, to the different adaptation strategies (e.g. space availability, rate of change, habitat fragmentation, niche availability). Secondly, we assess the use of the most appropriate methods (e.g. natural environmental gradients, genome and transcriptome scans) for assessing and understanding adaptive responses and the capacity to adapt to future challenges. Thirdly, we discuss the best conservation approaches (e.g. assisted migration, biodiversity corridors, ex situ strategies) to help overcome adaptive constraints in plants. Our synthesis of plant, and particularly tree, responses and constraints to climate change adaptation, combined with the identification of conservation strategies designed to overcome constraints, will help deliver effective management actions to assist adaptation in the face of current and future climate change.

show abstract

“…This may have potential consequences for survival, fitness, fecundity and reproductive success of water voles and consequently population viability and persistence. As such, it is an ecologically meaningful locus and understanding its dynamics in populations is useful in a conservation context (Hedrick 2001;Seddon 2010;Thomas 2011;Oliver and Piertney 2012;Grueber et al 2013). This reinforces the point made by Acevedo-Whitehouse and Cunningham (2006) that the MHC is not the only region of the immunogenome that is important and should be characterised in an ecological context.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gene dynamics of toll-like receptor 4 through a population bottleneck in an insular population of water voles (Arvicola amphibius)

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Understanding the extent to which diversity at immunologically important genes is reduced by demographic perturbations such as population bottlenecks, and the resulting consequences this has on individual fitness, is of fundamental importance for the effective management of genetic resources in natural populations. Toll-like receptors are key immunological genes with well-established links to fitness. Here, levels of allelic diversity and heterozygosity at the toll-like receptor 4 locus (Tlr4) were characterised across 280 water voles (Arvicola amphibius) from an isolated, island population in north west Scotland that went through a severe population bottleneck between 2004 and 2006 that eroded neutral microsatellite variation. Two functional Tlr4 alleles were resolved prior to the population crash at frequencies close to parity and an excess of heterozygote genotypes relative to Hardy-Weinberg expectations. Through the population bottleneck both alleles were retained with genotype frequencies conforming to Hardy-Weinberg expectations. Tlr4 genotype was significantly associated with gamasid mite, flea (Megabothris walkeri) and sheep tick larva (Ixodes ricinus) burdens among individuals, suggesting a mechanism through which parasite mediated selection could affect Tlr4 diversity. The results are examined with recourse to the extent that they are consistent with the effects of genetic drift and balancing selection, and their significance is discussed in relation to identifying target genes that assay ecological and adaptively meaningful genetic variation in a conservation context.

show abstract

Translocation of species, climate change, and the end of trying to recreate past ecological communities

Cited by 332 publications

References 55 publications

Is Australia ready for assisted colonization? Policy changes required to facilitate translocations under climate change.

Is Australia ready for assisted colonization? Policy changes required to facilitate translocations under climate change.

Constraints to and conservation implications for climate change adaptation in plants

Gene dynamics of toll-like receptor 4 through a population bottleneck in an insular population of water voles (Arvicola amphibius)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About