Geckos in zoos: A global approach on distribution patterns of threatened geckos (Gekkota) in zoological institutions

Rech, Inna; Ginal, Philipp; Rauhaus, Anna; Ziegler, Thomas; Rödder, Dennis

doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2023.126467

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 35 publications

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“…Another important future step should be producing a high-quality genome assembly, as this would provide more information about the genomic health of these populations (for example by analyzing the population frequency of runs of homozygosity and deleterious alleles to assess the effects of inbreeding), and about genomic signatures of local adaptation 64 . Finally, a management plan should be integrated with the ongoing efforts in captive breeding that have already produced protocols for artificial incubation for this species 65 and future ex-situ conservation programs that include zoo-kept gecko populations to build insurance colonies for this endangered taxon 66 . This would benefit from implementing more monitoring, ecological and reproductive studies of P. sentosus .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population genomics reveals how 5 ka of human occupancy led the Lima leaf-toed gecko (Phyllodactylus sentosus) to the brink of extinction

Arana,

Esteves,

Ramírez

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Small species with high home fidelity, high ecological specialization or low vagility are particularly prone to suffer from habitat modification and fragmentation. The Lima leaf-toed gecko (Phyllodactylus sentosus) is a critically endangered Peruvian species that shelters mostly in pre-Incan archeological areas called huacas, where the original environmental conditions are maintained. We used genotyping by sequencing to understand the population genomic history of P. sentosus. We found low genetic diversity (He 0.0406–0.134 and nucleotide diversity 0.0812–0.145) and deviations of the observed heterozygosity relative to the expected heterozygosity in some populations (Fis − 0.0202 to 0.0187). In all analyses, a clear population structuring was observed that cannot be explained by isolation by distance alone. Also, low levels of historical gene flow were observed between most populations, which decreased as shown in contemporary migration rate analysis. Demographic inference suggests these populations experienced bottleneck events during the last 5 ka. These results indicate that habitat modification since pre-Incan civilizations severely affected these populations, which currently face even more drastic urbanization threats. Finally, our predictions show that this species could become extinct in a decade without further intervention, which calls for urgent conservation actions being undertaken.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population genomics reveals how 5 ka of human occupancy led the Lima leaf-toed gecko (Phyllodactylus sentosus) to the brink of extinction

Arana,

Esteves,

Ramírez

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Present status and trends of “ex situ” Cercopithecinae monkey populations worldwide

Fraschetti,

Gippoliti

2024

Journal for Nature Conservation

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A Gecko-eye View of Naturalistic Enclosures

Victoria,

Abigail,

James

2023

Insights Biol Med

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Naturalistic enclosures have become a popular exhibition technique for zoos, and reptiles and amphibians are regularly housed in these exhibits. While a considerable sum of research indicates that visitors prefer naturalistic exhibits, there are fewer studies documenting the behaviour and welfare of animals housed under these conditions. This study investigated the impact of a naturalistic enclosure on the behaviour of the turquoise dwarf gecko (Lygodactylus williamsi), and the welfare perceptions of visitors. When kept under naturalistic enclosures, dwarf geckos were seen to bask (p = 0.022), and engage in inactive behaviours (p = 0.001) significantly less frequently. A non-significant decrease was also seen in locomotion | (p = 0.074). While time spent hidden remains a confounding factor for behavioural analysis, the study indicates that when provided with hiding opportunities, L. williamsi may spend a considerable amount of time hidden from the public. Questionnaire analysis revealed that 84.6% of individuals believed that naturalistic enclosures demonstrated better welfare. Additionally, individuals who had previously owned a reptile were more likely to identify that areas to hide, enrich, and mimic the natural environment were important aspects of enclosure design. While the actual benefits of naturalistic enclosure design cannot be fully addressed by this study, this work suggests that visitors tend to inherently believe that naturalistic enclosures facilitate better welfare, even if they are not aware of the natural environment of the species being housed. This requires keepers to consider both aspects of functionality and enclosure relevance when designing exhibits for herptiles.

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Geckos in zoos: A global approach on distribution patterns of threatened geckos (Gekkota) in zoological institutions

Cited by 3 publications

References 35 publications

Population genomics reveals how 5 ka of human occupancy led the Lima leaf-toed gecko (Phyllodactylus sentosus) to the brink of extinction

Population genomics reveals how 5 ka of human occupancy led the Lima leaf-toed gecko (Phyllodactylus sentosus) to the brink of extinction

Present status and trends of “ex situ” Cercopithecinae monkey populations worldwide

A Gecko-eye View of Naturalistic Enclosures

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