SPECIES AND LANDSCAPE APPROACHES TO CONSERVATION

1. Ecology 6080 - Pringle lecture: 13 October 2009 SPECIES AND LANDSCAPE APPROACHES TO CONSERVATION

2. Determinants of population change BIDE factors: Birth, Immigration, Death,Emigration (age and sex dependent) Life history characteristics (e.g., age and sex structure of the population)

3. POPULATION REGULATION (a) Density-independent (birth and death not affected by population density) (b, c) Density-dependent: Mortality increases with density-b birth rates or number of offspring decline with density-c

4. Allee Effect Social behavior can play a direct role in regulating some animal populations Intermediate to high population densities may be required to stimulate courtship/ breeding activity or to otherwise allow reproduction Allee et al. 1949

5. Queen conch suffers from Allee effects in the Exuma Cays, Bahamas concept of minimum viable population size

6. Extinction risks for small populations Demographic uncertainty (small populations extinct by chance events) Environmental uncertainty (loss of local population lead to extinction) Catastrophe (can’t recover from large habitat losses)

7. Environmental uncertainty: the example of Black Stilt shorebirds in New Zealand

8. Example of effects of environmental uncertainty on a small population • Black Stilts are rarest shorebird in world • Lay eggs in braided rivers of New Zealand • Increasing frequency of floods is destroying eggs • Substitute ceramic eggs, replaced with incubated eggs from hatchery

10. Population dynamics should be understood as resulting from a hierarchy of processes

12. The landscape species approach to conservation planning, activities, and actions

13. The Success of Endangered Species Recovery and Habitat Conservation Plans (i.e. under the Endangered Species Act)is dependent on thislandscape/species approach

14. Example: Designing a species recovery program for the Whooping Crane -15 cranes alive in the early 1940s -Western flock reached 200 by 2004 -Recovery goal for 2020: 3 self-sustaining populations, each with 25 nesting pairs which persist for 10 years

16. -Eastern flock began in 2001 from 11 chicks bred in captivity

18. Reintroducing the eastern flock -eggs hatched in a captive breeding center in Maryland -transferred to Wisconsin for flight school

19. Strict protocol for raising chicks

24. Metapopulation structure affected by source–sink dynamics:

25. Until recently critical habitat was defined as the places where a species was most common instead of defining it based on habitat-specific reproductive success and survivorshipSource population has high reproductive success and survivorship

26. How knowledge of metapopulation dynamics can help in species recovery plans Peregrine Falcon breeding pairs in 3 populations • Populations augmented with captive release and translocation programs

27. Solid circles are actual counts • Line is population estimate without augmentation • Only coastal population has benefited,

29. Population Viability Analysis (PVA) Examines the demographic effects of different threats or management practices on a population or set of populations by projecting into the future Quantitative risk analysis which often combines field studies of organisms life histories with simulation modeling Important tool in helping to develop habitat conservation plans for endangered species

30. PVA and predicting the future of the Florida Manatee -currently around 3000 total -PVA used for a 1000 yr simulation to determine probability of persistence over 750 yrs -decreasing chances of long- term persistence from random catastrophes or human caused events

31. Conclusion:Only under constant conditions (no environmental variation), inexistence of catastrophes, or very large population sizes does the manatee population have high chances of surviving in the long term. (Marmontel 1993)

32. The California Condor Recovery Program • PVA used to determine • Habitat Conservation Plan • 1987 - last 27 condors captured • from wild and put into • captive breeding program • 2006 - 290 birds with 140 in wild • ~$20 million spent since 1980 • Goal: 3 separate populations • of 150 birds each

37. Releasing condors into an overall population sink? ingestion of lead shot power lines hunting

40. Landscape models for Conservation -Landscape approach recognizes the interconnectedness of populations and incorporates this concept into models and management plans

41. Distribution of suitable breeding habitat for Bachman’s Sparrow: 1970 1990 2010 Note the island-like nature of the habitats

42. Necessity of a landscape approach in developing recovery plans for the Florida Panther Current status: 30-50 individuals; inbreeding and mortality Recovery goals: -3 viable populations of at least 240 individuals have been established and maintained for a minimum of 14 yrs -sufficient habitat quality quantity and spatial configuration to support these populations is protected

43. Recovery goals (Continued):-population may be distributed in a metapopulation structure composed of subpopulations that total the appropriate number of individuals.-There must be an exchange of individuals and gene flow among sub-populations-For down-listing, exchange of individuals can be either natural or through management (the latter in a formally documented and funded manner)-For de-listing, exchange of individuals and gene flow among subpopulations lmust be natural (I.e. not manipulated or managed)-Habitat should be un-fragmented and accommodate hunting, breeding, dispersal and territorial behavior supporting each metapopulation at a density of 2-3 animals/100 mi2

44. Regional planning: - use of 20 yrs of radio telemetry data and GIS software to develop a regional blue-print for landscape restoration that enhances dispersal and facilitates colonization -almost 1 million ha of forest identified in a barrier-rich patchwork of land uses -this can serve as the basis for future land-use decisions -large scale land protection must happen quickly

45. Spatially Explicit Population Models (SEPM) Composed of three major elements: (1) a landscape map depicting habitat patches (2) a scenario for how the landscape will change in the future (3) a series of population models that include movement traits

46. Results of a simulation model for Northern Spotted Owls where suitable habitat is scattered

47. Results of a simulation model for Northern Spotted Owls where suitable habitat is clustered

48. Results of a simulation model for Northern Spotted Owls where suitable habitat is clustered and surrounded by marginal habitat

49. All species aren’t created equal • Ecologically functional populations (EFP) (all pollinators, etc) -Strong interactors (ecological engineers elephants and beavers) -Keystone species and resources (hornbills, fruitbats, fig and palm trees)

50. Example #1 of strong interactor: Hornbills • large birds • disperse large seeds (mostly) • few disperser substitutes, except certain primates • Old World tropics