Measuring success of a reintroduced population of the American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus Olivier) to Nantucket Island, MA

Mckenna-Foster, Andrew; Perrotti, Lou; Blyth, Julia; LoPresti, Eric F.; Kennedy, Robert S.

doi:10.1007/s10841-016-9926-2

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…In North America, zoological institutions are increasingly involved in captive-breeding programmes aiming to release animals into the wild (Brichieri-Colombi et al, 2018). A specially designated breeding facility at Roger Williams Park Zoo has been responsible for the propagation and release of over 2,800 Critically Endangered American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus Olivier, 1790) to Nantucket Island, Massachusetts (Mckenna-Foster et al, 2016). In addition to their contribution of valuable source stock, involving zoos in translocation projects has the additional benefits of promoting the conservation of the focal species, raising public awareness, educating the public and raising extra funds (Miller et al, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying factors associated with the success and failure of terrestrial insect translocations

Bellis

Bourke

Williams

et al. 2019

Biological Conservation

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Translocation is increasingly used as a management strategy to mitigate the effects of human activity on biodiversity. Based on the current literature, we summarised trends in terrestrial insect translocations and identified factors associated with success and failure. As the authors' definitions of success and failure varied according to the individual sets of goals and objectives in each project, we adopted a standardised species-specific definition of success. We applied generalised linear models and information-theoretic model selection to identify the most important factors associated with translocation success. We found literature documenting the translocation of 74 terrestrial insect species to 134 release sites. Of the translocations motivated by conservation, 52% were considered successful, 31% were considered to have failed and 17% were undetermined. Our results indicate that the number of individuals released at a translocation site was the most important factor associated with translocation success, despite this being a relatively infrequent perceived cause of failure as reported by authors. Factors relating to weather and climate and habitat quality were the most commonly perceived causes of translocation failure by authors. Consideration of these factors by managers during the planning process may increase the chance of success in future translocation attempts of terrestrial insects. Introduction Translocation represents a valuable tool for wildlife conservation (Fischer and Lindenmayer, 2000;Germano and Bishop, 2009). There has been substantial growth in translocation practice during the past three decades Taylor et al., 2017), resulting in a taxonomically diverse assemblage of translocation case studies. In response to the growing use of translocation as a management tool, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published a set of broad guidelines in 2013 for conservation-based translocations (IUCN, 2013). These guidelines offer a detailed framework for all phases of a translocation, generalised for all organisms and have likely contributed to the successful recovery of threatened species. In addition to the IUCN guidelines, there have been a number of global reviews, covering amphibians and reptiles (e.g.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying factors associated with the success and failure of terrestrial insect translocations

Bellis

Bourke

Williams

et al. 2019

Biological Conservation

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“…Although it could be argued that we need better information about the demography and behavior of at-risk butterflies, there are almost no data for any other at-risk insect (Table 1). One exemplar is the critically endangered American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus, with data on demography and dispersal estimated primarily from MRR studies (7,24,55,60). Another species with some related information is the critically endangered Bombus affinis, for which there are MRR studies (9) and long-term distribution records of foraging workers (17,22,37,39).…”

Section: Concluding Thoughts and Extensions Across At-risk Insectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Movement and Demography of At-Risk Butterflies: Building Blocks for Conservation

Schultz

Haddad

Henry

et al. 2019

Annu. Rev. Entomol.

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The number of insect species at risk of population decline and extinction is increasing rapidly. Yet we know almost nothing about the ecology of these species, except for at-risk butterflies. A growing body of literature shows how butterfly vital rates, including demography and movement, are essential for guiding conservation and recovery. History has shown us that without these data, conservation decisions often weaken, rather than enhance, population viability. This is especially true in changing landscapes. We review knowledge of vital rates across all at-risk butterflies. We have information on movement for 17 of 283 butterfly species and information on demography for 19 species. We find that habitat-specific movement behavior is key to understanding how to connect populations, and habitat-specific demography is central to managing habitats. Methods and analyses worked out for butterflies can provide a scaffold around which to build studies for the conservation of other at-risk insects.

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“…The only surviving natural population of N. americanus in eastern North America occurs on Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island [68,69]. This population was used to create a captive breeding program and reintroduce N. americanus to islands on the east coast [70]. Reintroduction efforts for N. americanus occurred on Nantucket and Penikese Islands, off the coast of Massachusetts, in Ohio, Missouri [70], and in New York.…”

Section: Implications For Reintroduction and Translocationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Occurrence of the American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) and Associated Silphid Beetle Community in South Dakota: Implications for Managed Relocation

Hoback,

Snethen,

Reed

et al. 2024

Diversity

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The American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus Olivier (Coleoptera: Siliphidae), is a federally threatened species in the United States, occurring in less than 10% of its historic range. The continued monitoring of extant populations found in South Dakota, the northernmost edge of its confirmed range, is imperative to future conservation efforts, especially with the predicted loss of the species in southern regions because of climate change. Proposed strategies to preserve the species include the reintroduction or translocation of individuals from habitats that have become unsuitable. Beyond adequate habitat and carrion resource requirements, community-level silphid interactions may challenge these efforts because of competition. From 2018 to 2020, we used 80 carrion-baited pitfall traps per year to conduct two 5-day surveys in June and August. A total of 25,923 Silphidae belonging to 15 species were collected in 1200 trap nights. Cumulatively, 1150 N. americanus were captured and marked with 263 recaptures. Like past findings, N. americanus was concentrated in western Tripp County with limited occurrence in Gregory and Todd Counties, suggesting no expansion of their known range in the past decade. Generalized linear mixed-effects models indicated N. americanus abundance was significantly predicted by the co-occurrence of the carrion beetles Oieceoptoma inaequale F. and Oiceoptoma noveboracense Forster, whereas pitfall trap catches dominated by the burying beetle Nicrophorus marginatus F. had predictively less N. americanus. Collectively, these data provide insights into the existing, northernmost N. americanus population dynamics and silphid beetle communities. Concurrent with monitoring extant populations, the characterization of silphid communities that co-occur with N. americanus may provide much-needed information for managed relocation opportunities.

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Measuring success of a reintroduced population of the American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus Olivier) to Nantucket Island, MA

Cited by 10 publications

References 17 publications

Identifying factors associated with the success and failure of terrestrial insect translocations

Identifying factors associated with the success and failure of terrestrial insect translocations

Movement and Demography of At-Risk Butterflies: Building Blocks for Conservation

The Occurrence of the American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) and Associated Silphid Beetle Community in South Dakota: Implications for Managed Relocation

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