Comparing estimates of census and effective population size in an endangered amphibian
| dc.contributor.author | Brooks, George C. | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Wendt, A. | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Haas, Carola A. | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Roberts, J. H. | en |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-09-29T13:28:45Z | en |
| dc.date.available | 2023-09-29T13:28:45Z | en |
| dc.date.issued | 2023-03 | en |
| dc.description.abstract | The field of conservation has seen a shift in focus from monitoring trends in census population size to trends in `effective' population size. Numerous genetic methods exist for estimating effective population size, resulting in uncertainty among conservation practitioners as to which methods are most appropriate when conducting population assessments or evaluating recovery efforts. Demographic approaches offer a promising avenue to provide a link between census and effective population size using life-history information, but rarely do studies have all three sources of data (genetic, demographic, life history) necessary to perform an explicit evaluation of their performance. Using data from a long-term study of reticulated flatwoods salamanders (Ambystoma bishopi) in western Florida, USA, we assessed the magnitude of temporal variation in census population sizes oNTHORN and the effective number of breeders Nbo THORN of two breeding populations to (1) document changes in the number of breeding adults over the 9-year study duration, (2) determine whether N and Nb provide similar information about population size and trends and (3) compare alternative demographic and genetic approaches for estimating Nb. We found that genetic estimates of bN b, particularly if averaged across multiple estimation methods, closely tracked spatiotemporal variation in N. Demographic estimates of Nb also closely tracked N but were sensitive to the assumed variance in reproductive success. In the absence of genetic information, detailed knowledge of mating systems and the environmental factors that skew reproductive contributions appear necessary for demographic Nb to reliably inform management decisions. In these populations, bN b appears too small (<40 individuals) to confer long-term genetic resilience, highlighting the importance of restoring landscape connectivity and indicating that caution must be taken when sourcing animals for reintroduction efforts. More generally, our study reveals insights into the utility of alternative Nb estimation methods in guiding recovery efforts of threatened and endangered species. | en |
| dc.description.notes | Acknowledgements We thank the team of people who have made this research possible. Special mention should be given to Kelly Jones, Brandon Rincon, Steve Goodman, Vivian Porter, Cody Ewers and the myriad seasonal technicians involved in data collection. Tom Gorman established the initial drift fencing study and assisted with development of protocols for genetic tissue sampling which provided the raw data on which all this work is based. We thank Leanna House and Yan Jiao for their guidance in developing the statistical analyses of demographic data. Scott Harrison and Lance McBrayer provided valuable assistance with the genetic component of the study. R. Waples, an anonymous reviewer, and the associate editor provided comments on an earlier draft that greatly improved the paper. We also thank the Natural Resources Branch of Eglin Air Force Base (Jackson Guard), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Program, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Aquatic Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Program and the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech for funding and logistical support on this project. This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, McIntire Stennis project 1006328 and 1024640. | en |
| dc.description.sponsorship | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Program; USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, McIntire Stennis project [1006328, 1024640] | en |
| dc.description.version | Published version | en |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | en |
| dc.identifier.doi | https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12871 | en |
| dc.identifier.eissn | 1469-1795 | en |
| dc.identifier.issn | 1367-9430 | en |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10919/116370 | en |
| dc.language.iso | en | en |
| dc.publisher | Wiley | en |
| dc.rights | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International | en |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | en |
| dc.subject | Ambystoma bishopi | en |
| dc.subject | conservation genetics | en |
| dc.subject | demographic model | en |
| dc.subject | effective population size | en |
| dc.subject | endangered species recovery | en |
| dc.subject | flatwoods salamander | en |
| dc.title | Comparing estimates of census and effective population size in an endangered amphibian | en |
| dc.title.serial | Animal Conservation | en |
| dc.type | Article - Refereed | en |
| dc.type.dcmitype | Text | en |
Files
Original bundle
1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
- Name:
- Animal Conservation - 2023 - Brooks.pdf
- Size:
- 237.75 KB
- Format:
- Adobe Portable Document Format
- Description:
- Published version