Temporal and spatial variation in age-specific survival rates of a long-lived mammal, the Hawaiian monk seal

Baker, Jason D.; Thompson, Paul M.

doi:10.1098/rspb.2006.3737

Cited by 68 publications

(104 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The majority of the species (~85%) have been tagged with unique plastic tags [49]. The resulting tissue plugs were preserved in ethanol or a 20% dimethylsulfoxide saturated salt solution and extracted using DNeasy Blood and Tissue Kits (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genome-Wide Loss of Diversity in the Critically Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal

Schultz

Marshall

Pfunder³

2010

Diversity

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Threatened species often exhibit low genetic diversity as a result of selective sweeps, historical bottlenecks, or persistent small population size. Whereas selective sweeps create localized reduction of variation at a chromosome, population bottlenecks result in the loss of rare alleles throughout the genome. Heterozygosity is lost more slowly and is severely impacted only when populations are small for an extended period of time. We test the hypotheses of selective sweep, historical bottleneck and persistently small population size to explain extremely low genetic diversity in the critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi). Of 163 microsatellite loci isolated from the species' genome, only 17 are polymorphic. Mapping 98 monomorphic and 12 polymorphic loci to 35 chromosomes throughout the dog genome, we reject the selective sweep hypothesis. Genotyping 2,423 Hawaiian monk seals at the 17 polymorphic loci plus a locus previously isolated from another pinniped species, we find evidence for a recent bottleneck (P = 0.04). This is consistent with historical records describing intense hunting in the 19th century; however, the bottleneck was not of sufficient severity and duration to explain the genome-wide depletion of genetic diversity (H O = 0.05; A = 1.1). Long-term population size restriction is a more likely explanation. Though at least two of the OPEN ACCESSDiversity 2010, 2 864 polymorphic loci appear to be candidates for selection, the low genetic diversity of the species may further threaten chances for survival of this critically endangered species in a changing world.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genome-Wide Loss of Diversity in the Critically Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal

Schultz

Marshall

Pfunder³

2010

Diversity

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“…For example, intraspecific predation was one of the leading causes of death among adult female cougars Puma concolor during periods of high harvest pressure (Stoner et al, 2006). Secondly, the lack of differences in survival rates between the sexes could have been caused by state dependent biological factors that made females more mortality prone than predicted from their mating system and sexspecific behavioural characteristics (Baker & Thompson, 2007). Such factors could, for instance, include a higher spatial philopatry in females and associated increased risk of persecution if the animal is residing within a conflict prone area, or breeding-related shifts in diet and behaviour that could increase mortality risks and offset the increased mortality expected by males.…”

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confidence: 99%

Survival rates and causes of mortality of leopards Panthera pardus in southern Africa

Swanepoel

Somers

Hoven

et al. 2014

Oryx

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Estimation of survival rates is important for developing and evaluating conservation options for large carnivores. However, telemetry studies for large carnivores are often characterized by small sample sizes that limit meaningful conclusions. We used data from 10 published and 8 unpublished studies of leopards Panthera pardus in southern Africa to estimate survival rates and investigate causes of leopard mortality. Mean survival rates were significantly lower in non-protected (0.55 ± SE 0.08) compared to protected areas (0.88 ± 0.03). Inside protected areas juveniles had significantly lower survival (0.39 ± 0.10) compared to subadults (0.86 ± 0.07) and adults (0.88 ± 0.04).There was a greater difference in cause of death between protected and non-protected areas for females compared to males, with people being the dominant cause of mortality outside protected areas for both females and males. We suggest there is cause for concern regarding the sustainability of leopard populations in South Africa, as high female mortality may have severe demographic effects and a large proportion of suitable leopard habitat lies in non-protected areas. However, because a large proportion of deaths outside protected areas were attributed to deliberate killing by people, we suggest that management interventions may have the potential to increase leopard survival dramatically. We therefore stress the urgency to initiate actions, such as conflict mitigation programmes, to increase leopard survival in non-protected areas.

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“…Beginning in the late 1980s at one site and spreading throughout the NWHI by the early 2000s, poor juvenile survival associated with food limitation was becoming chronic (Craig & Ragen 1999, Baker & Thompson 2007, Baker 2008. Such a trend could not be attributed to disturbance or harassment on shore.…”

Section: Resale or Republication Not Permitted Without Written Consenmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Further, Baker et al (2007) concluded that varying produc tivity significantly affected juvenile seal survival, whereas effects on older seals were relatively weak and equivocal. Juvenile age classes typically comprise only a small proportion of the total population, and adult monk seal survival has been shown to be fairly constant and high (Baker & Thompson 2007 Based on the foregoing information, we predicted that periods of increasing beach counts would tend to occur during periods of generally positive PDO, and vice versa. Further, regime shifts evident in PDO were expected to be followed by corresponding alterations in beach count trends.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When there is a shift to a negative PDO regime, lower primary productivity propagates up the ecosystem's food web, ultimately resulting in reduced prey for top predators (such as monk seals). Previous studies have shown that juvenile monk seal survival is most variable (Baker & Thompson 2007) and responds to changes in productivity ). In contrast, adult survival rates tend to be high and relatively invariant (Baker & Thompson 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relative influence of climate variability and direct anthropogenic impact on a sub-tropical Pacific top predator, the Hawaiian monk seal

Baker¹,

Howell²,

Polovina³

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Abundance trends of Hawaiian monk seals Monachus schauinslandi at 6 subpopulations throughout the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) have fluctuated considerably during the past 5 decades. Direct human impacts have been widely accepted as the primary cause of previous monk seal population declines and, consequently, much conservation effort has focused on minimizing these threats. Yet climate variability has been increasingly identified as a factor influencing monk seal demography. We endeavored to evaluate the relative influence of climate versus direct anthropogenic impacts on historic trends in monk seal populations. Periods of growth and decline in monk seal abundance at 4 subpopulations were associated with positive and negative phases, respectively, of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). Moreover, PDO regime shifts were followed, after approximately 2 yr lags, by corresponding changes in monk seal abundance trajectories, especially in the absence confounding human impacts. We propose that the PDO is a proxy for varying productivity in the northern NWHI, the effects of which propagate vertically through the food web and are reflected in top predators such as the monk seal. Our results suggest that long-term dynamics of monk seal populations may have been driven as much, if not more, by climate−ocean variability as by direct human activity. In recent years, direct human impacts on monk seals have been virtually eliminated from the NWHI. As such, previous and continued detailed monitoring of Hawaiian monk seal demographics offer a unique opportunity to document and understand how future anticipated global climate change will affect marine ecosystems in the central North Pacific. KEY WORDS: Pacific Decadal Oscillation · Monachus schauinslandii · Climate change · Northwestern Hawaiian Islands · Population dynamics · Anthropogenic disturbance Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 469: [175][176][177][178][179][180][181][182][183][184][185][186][187][188][189] 2012 change intensify (Overland & Wang 2007, Hoegh-Guldberg & Bruno 2010. Large-scale physical changes will alter marine biotic communities in ways that are difficult to predict (Brander 2007). Thus, clarifying the links between climate variability and toppredator population dynamics and, moreover, monitoring those populations into the future will likely be crucial for understanding impacts as climate change fully manifests in the oceans. However, for this process to be most informative, separating direct anthropogenic impacts from other factors, namely climate variability, is critical (Van Houtan & Halley 2011). Achieving this is difficult because of simultaneous occurrences of these influences, the possibility of non-independent effects, and typically incomplete data on the nature and magnitude of both natural and direct anthropogenic perturbations.The Hawaiian monk seal Monachus schauinslandi is a long-lived, large-bodied predator with a range extending more than 2500 km througho...

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Temporal and spatial variation in age-specific survival rates of a long-lived mammal, the Hawaiian monk seal

Cited by 68 publications

References 34 publications

Genome-Wide Loss of Diversity in the Critically Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal

Genome-Wide Loss of Diversity in the Critically Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal

Survival rates and causes of mortality of leopards Panthera pardus in southern Africa

Relative influence of climate variability and direct anthropogenic impact on a sub-tropical Pacific top predator, the Hawaiian monk seal

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