Rapid Population Growth of a Critically Endangered Carnivore

Grenier, Martin B.; McDonald, David B.; Buskirk, Steven W.

doi:10.1126/science.1144648

Cited by 27 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Two mechanisms could allow the Lokoué population to recover more rapidly: increased population growth (via increased birth rate and/or decreased mortality rate) and increased immigration. Compensatory changes in life-history traits can enable animal populations to recover from perturbations and have rescued populations from the brink of extinction [39]. Demographic responses to a reduction in population size include increased reproductive rates, earlier onset of sexual maturity, increased survival of some population classes, or increased recruitment rates [40].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recovery Potential of a Western Lowland Gorilla Population following a Major Ebola Outbreak: Results from a Ten Year Study

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Investigating the recovery capacity of wildlife populations following demographic crashes is of great interest to ecologists and conservationists. Opportunities to study these aspects are rare due to the difficulty of monitoring populations both before and after a demographic crash. Ebola outbreaks in central Africa have killed up to 95% of the individuals in affected western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) populations. Assessing whether and how fast affected populations recover is essential for the conservation of this critically endangered taxon. The gorilla population visiting Lokoué forest clearing, Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of the Congo, has been monitored before, two years after and six years after Ebola affected it in 2004. This allowed us to describe Ebola's short-term and long-term impacts on the structure of the population. The size of the population, which included around 380 gorillas before the Ebola outbreak, dropped to less than 40 individuals after the outbreak. It then remained stable for six years after the outbreak. However, the demographic structure of this small population has significantly changed. Although several solitary males have disappeared, the immigration of adult females, the formation of new breeding groups, and several birth events suggest that the population is showing potential to recover. During the outbreak, surviving adult and subadult females joined old solitary silverbacks. Those females were subsequently observed joining young silverbacks, forming new breeding groups where they later gave birth. Interestingly, some females were observed joining silverbacks that were unlikely to have sired their infant, but no infanticide was observed. The consequences of the Ebola outbreak on the population structure were different two years and six years after the outbreak. Therefore, our results could be used as demographic indicators to detect and date outbreaks that have happened in other, non-monitored gorilla populations.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recovery Potential of a Western Lowland Gorilla Population following a Major Ebola Outbreak: Results from a Ten Year Study

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Similarly, elasticity analysis of a Leslie matrix inevitably concludes that management strategies improving survival are best applied to the youngest age class (rule E1; Table 3). Elasticity conclusions such as those of Grenier et al (2007) -that survival in the first year of a black-footed ferret's life is more important to its life history than later survival -are predetermined by the choice of PPM structure. Further, recruitment from parents belonging to the youngest age class (and thus the elasticity to this parameter) is often zero.…”

Section: Implications Of the Rulesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns and rules for sensitivity and elasticity in population projection matrices

Carslake

Townley

Hodgson

2009

Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Sensitivity and elasticity analysis of population projection matrices (PPMs) are established tools in the analysis of structured populations, allowing comparison of the contributions made by different demographic rates to population growth. In some commonly used structures of PPM, however, there are mathematically inevitable patterns in the relative sensitivity and elasticity of certain demographic rates. We take a simulation approach to investigate these mathematical constraints for a range of PPM models. Our results challenge some previously proposed constraints on sensitivity and elasticity. We also identify constraints beyond those which have already been proven mathematically, and promote them as candidates for future mathematical proof. A general theme among these rules is that changes to the demographic rates of older or larger individuals have less impact on population growth than do equivalent changes among younger or smaller individuals. However, the validity of these rules in each case depends on the choice between sensitivity and elasticity, the growth rate of the population and the PPM structure used. If the structured population conforms perfectly to the assumptions of the PPM used to model it, the rules we describe represent biological reality, allowing us to prioritise management strategies in the absence of detailed demographic data. Conversely, if the model is a poor fit to the population (specifically; if demographic rates within stages are heterogeneous) such analyses could lead to inappropriate management prescriptions. Our results emphasise the importance of choosing a structured population model which fits the demographics of the population.

show abstract

“…This species lives almost exclusively on prairie dogs [44]. When a prairie dog supply is gone, the black footed ferret will disappear, i.e., this carnivore is the most endangered mammal in North America [21]. Unfortunately, no experimental data are available about the olfactory relationship between the prairie dog and its predator.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Behavioral responses of predator-naïve dwarf hamsters (Phodopus campbelli) to odor cues of the European ferret fed with different prey species

Apfelbach

Soini

Vasilieva

et al. 2015

Physiology & Behavior

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rapid Population Growth of a Critically Endangered Carnivore

Cited by 27 publications

References 4 publications

Recovery Potential of a Western Lowland Gorilla Population following a Major Ebola Outbreak: Results from a Ten Year Study

Recovery Potential of a Western Lowland Gorilla Population following a Major Ebola Outbreak: Results from a Ten Year Study

Patterns and rules for sensitivity and elasticity in population projection matrices

Behavioral responses of predator-naïve dwarf hamsters (Phodopus campbelli) to odor cues of the European ferret fed with different prey species

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About