Population Conservation Requires Improved Understanding of In Situ Life Histories

Acolas, Marie‐Laure; Geßner, Jörn; Rochard, E.

doi:10.1007/978-3-642-20611-5_44

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Sturgeons adopt a nomadic lifestyle by foraging within estuarine and marine habitats until finally leaving the estuary to further grow at sea before coming back to the river to breed. However, knowledge about young stages of this species in the wild is limited (Acolas et al 2011b). The specific needs of this migratory species with regard to habitat, as well as vulnerability during migration, due to overfishing and habitat degradation are major factors involved in population collapse over the past few decades (Rochard et al 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

European sturgeon (Acipenser sturio L.) young of the year performance in different rearing environments –study within a stocking program

2016

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The European sturgeon is critically endangered and the French ex-situ conservation approach involves developing a captive stock to produce offspring for release to boost natural populations. The purpose of our study was to assess the effects of rearing environment before stocking on the survival, growth, and behavior of threemonth-old sturgeons from two different crossings. Enriched rearing was designed to mimic the variability of the natural environment using river water, natural photoperiod, substrate, variable water current and depths. Traditional rearing was carried out with bare tanks, underground water, dark conditions, without current and at constant depth. Fish survival was determined monthly and growth was estimated weekly. Behavior was assessed with exploration and novel prey tests in solitary using video tracking. Results demonstrated that enriched condition resulted in bigger fish from the first month. Growth curve analysis revealed that enriched environment made both fish crossings grow in a similar manner. In contrast, crossings growth differed in traditional rearing which may reflect a genotype-environment interaction. Behavioral data highlighted that enriched-reared fish were slower to explore a new environment but more individuals engaged on doing so than traditional-reared fish. Results also showed that survival was high (>80 %) during all the trial. However, survival was lower during the second month in enriched environment. Our findings advocate for the integration of enriched rearing practices within the juvenile production for release in order to boost the performance linked to fitness. Stocking practices and life history research must work together to favor adaptive aquaculture approaches, which support species conservation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

European sturgeon (Acipenser sturio L.) young of the year performance in different rearing environments –study within a stocking program

2016

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“…The results demonstrate that any barrier to migration during any season may have negative or even devastating effects on the asp population. Identifying critical habitats and describing movement between them is important knowledge to facilitate the protection of threatened species (Acolas et al ., 2011; Simpson & Mapleston, 2002). This study emphasized the need for a case‐specific approach to fish populations to determine general patterns in habitat use.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Migration patterns of a potamodromous piscivore, asp (Leuciscus aspius), in a river–lake system

Kärgenberg

Økland

Thalfeldt³

et al. 2020

Journal of Fish Biology

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Potamodromous fishes require safe migration routes between spawning, feeding and wintering habitats to complete their life cycle. As knowledge on asp migrations is restricted, this work investigated the movements of adult asp tagged with acoustic transmitters for 3 years in the large Peipsi-Emajõgi-Võrtsjärv lake-river system, Estonia, which is free of migration barriers. Asp showed complex migration patterns, moving between and within different waterbodies (lakes, river, tributaries) in all seasons, but with a tendency to repeat habitat use patterns between years. Lakes were mainly used for feeding during spring and summer (after spawning 65% of the fish migrated to Lake Peipsi), and more so by large fish. The majority (80-96%) of the fish spent the winter in the rivers, mostly close to their subsequent spawning area. Spawning areas were in swift-flowing waters in tributaries and the main river. The results indicate that asp may benefit from an extensive and diverse complex of habitats, and any migration barrier during any season may restrict the natural habitat use by asp. Maintenance and restoration of habitat heterogeneity and connectivity is critical to protect behaviourally diverse fish populations and increase resilience in rivers negatively impacted by various human activities.

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“…Prior to the implementation of any protection strategies, a thorough understanding of baseline physiology and behaviours, along with an appraisal of stressors and their effects, is required (Gessner andRochard 2011, Stevenson 2006). Though otters are considered charismatic 'flagship' fauna (Stevens et al 2011), literature on baseline behaviours remains relatively scarce, with the majority of recent literature covering the status of the species and extent of occurrence, and less commonly habitat use or diet.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Conditions and Vigilance Behaviour in the Smooth-coated Otter, Lutrogale perspicillata

Travell

Fernandez

2022

Preprint

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Vigilance is an ecologically important behaviour that acts as a defence mechanism against threats such as predators, competitors, and environmental pressures. Being vigilant can place energetic constraints on an individual, as conducting other behaviours such as grooming can be limited. The smooth-coated otter is a vulnerable species, and understanding baseline behaviour, such as vigilance, and stressor effects can be a crucial step in implementing any conservation strategies. However, literature on this charismatic species is relatively sparse, with the majority of research covering prey items, habitat use and extent of occurrence. Using camera trap footage along with historical climate datasets, the current study assessed various aspects of vigilance behaviour of the smooth-coated otter. These aspects include how long individuals dedicated to being vigilant, what they prioritised being vigilant over, and how intense their vigilance efforts were. Variables that are expected to change with global climate change such as temperature, and to an extent, air pressure, were associated with increases in vigilance duration. Wind speeds, which are also expected to be affected by climate change, along with increasing numbers of conspecifics, were linked to increased intensity possibly highlighting that increasing ambient movement results in more frequent head rotations. When vigilance is ineffectual however, such during periods of higher rainfall, cloud cover or at night, intensity decreases, and gazing towards conspecifics increases - possibly to reaffirm where safety lies when threats cannot be adequately monitored.

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Population Conservation Requires Improved Understanding of In Situ Life Histories

Cited by 8 publications

References 15 publications

European sturgeon (Acipenser sturio L.) young of the year performance in different rearing environments –study within a stocking program

European sturgeon (Acipenser sturio L.) young of the year performance in different rearing environments –study within a stocking program

Migration patterns of a potamodromous piscivore, asp (Leuciscus aspius), in a river–lake system

Environmental Conditions and Vigilance Behaviour in the Smooth-coated Otter, Lutrogale perspicillata

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