Small effective population sizes of two remnant ocelot populations (Leopardus pardalis albescens) in the United States
Threatened populations are vulnerable to the effects of genetic drift and inbreeding, particularly when gene flow is low and the effective population size is small. Estimates of effective population size (Ne) provide important information on the status of endangered populations that have experienced severe fragmentation and serve as indicators of genetic viability. Genetic data from […]
Applying the Heat to Research Techniques for Species Conservation
NONE
Use of fecal glucocorticoid metabolite measures in conservation biology research: considerations for application and interpretation
Fecal glucocorticoid metabolite analyses are increasingly being used by a variety of scientists (e.g., conservation biologists, animal scientists) to examine glucocorticoid (i.e., stress hormone) secretion in domestic and wild vertebrates. Adrenocortical activity (i.e., stress response) is of interest to conservation biologists because stress can alter animal behavior, reduce resistance to disease, and affect population performance. […]
Simple method for calculating confidence limits around inbreeding rate and effective population size estimates from pedigrees
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430100305.abs An important concept in population genetics is effective population size (Ne), which describes the expected rate of loss of genetic variability from a population. One way to estimate Ne is using a pedigree. However, there are no methods for comparing the Ne estimated from a pedigree with that expected from life-history models. In […]
The comparative method in conservation biology
The phylogenetic comparative approach is a statistical method for analyzing correlations between traits across species. Whilst it has revolutionized evolutionary biology, can it work for conservation biology? Although it is correlative, advocates of the comparative method hope that it will reveal general mechanisms in conservation, provide shortcuts for prioritizing conservation research, and enable us to […]
Toward a synthesis of conservation and animal welfare science
Conservation biology and animal welfare science are multidisciplinary fields of research that address social concerns about animals. Conservation biology focuses on wild animals, works at the level of populations, ecological systems and genetic types, and deals with threats to biodiversity and ecological integrity. Animal welfare science typically focuses on captive (often domestic) animals, works at […]
Wildlife conservation and animal welfare: two sides of the same coin?
Human activities deprive wild animals of their life requisites by destroying or impoverishing their surroundings, causing suffering of individuals. Yet, the notion that animal welfare applies to wildlife has escaped many animal welfarists and conservationists. A well-accepted and applied ethical foundation for animal conservation that considers animal welfare is lacking. We address this by examining […]
Eighteen reasons animal behaviourists avoid involvement in conservation
We summarize 18 common misgivings that animal behaviourists raise about becoming involved in conservation. We argue that many of the supposed institutional and interdisciplinary differences break down under scrutiny; that the supposed basic-applied dichotomy is often imaginary or insufficient to prevent interchange of ideas between behaviour and conservation; and that arguments about professional lifestyle, scientific […]