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Society for Conservation Biology: 2002 Annual Meeting

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Society for Conservation Biology: 2002 Annual Meeting


Society for Conservation Biology 16th Annual Meeting July 14-July 19 2002
co-hosted by DICE and the British Ecological Society


Abstracts for Biogeography

Monday 15th July, 13.30 - 15.00, Rutherford Lecture Theatre 1

Chair: Marlow Pellatt




(BLOCK CAPITALS indicate the presenting author)


13.30 - 13.45
PELLATT, MARLOW G. and Anita Holtham. Parks Canada, Western Canada Service Centre, 300 – 300 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 6B4, Canada, <marlow_pellatt@pch.gc.ca> (MGP) and Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada (AH).

LAND-SEA INTERACTIONS ON THE WEST COAST OF CANADA

Parks Canada has a mandate to maintain the ecological integrity of terrestrial and marine ecosystems in representative regions within Canada and its national waters. In order to understand the ecological integrity of any given ecosystem it is essential to understand the natural range of variability in which the system exists as well as the impact people have had on it. This study is a multiproxy investigation that uses palaeoecological methods to reconstruct environmental conditions for the last ~300 years in three lakes and their watersheds on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Pollen, diatoms, sediment, and stable isotope analyses of 210PB dated sediments from three lakes in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve of Canada reveal changes in forest structure, limnological conditions, land-sea interactions, and nutrient levels over time. These data suggest that 20th century logging and fishing practices have had impacts on the temperate rain forests and pacific salmon abundance of coastal British Columbia. Results of this study have implications to management of the national park reserve and its protected marine waters. Implications include ecosystem restoration, lake-fertilisation, logging practices along the edge of the park, and fishing practices in the waters protected by the park.

13.45 - 14.00
CARPENTER, CHRIS. Wildlands Studies Program, San Francisco State University, College of Extended Learning, 3 Mosswood Circle, Cazadero, CA 95421, USA, <cccarp@rocketmail.com>.

ALTITUDINAL GRADIENTS OF PLANT SPECIES RICHNESS IN THE EASTERN HIMALAYA, NEPAL

Eastern Himalayan ecoregions comprise a landscape of great ecological significance with high biological diversity amongst habitats that range from near tropical to periglacial. They also support intensive human subsistence activity at low to middle elevations. Here, altitudinal gradients of plant species richness provide insight into factors that might control latitudinal patterns of biodiversity. We analyse species richness patterns derived from more than seven hundred 400 m2 study plots established in the forests and alpine meadows of Eastern Nepal, at elevations of 400 to 5400 m. Both trees and understory vegetation show a decline in species richness that begins at about 1500 m. For understory and alpine plants, elevation is a strong predictor of species richness (r2 = 0.68, 0.73 respectively). Patterns of taxonomic and phenological change with altitude, among assemblages of forest trees, are similar to a latitudinal transect of East Asia. Deciduous tree species have a bimodal abundance distribution consistent with seasonal moisture stress at low elevation, cold at higher elevation. The most species rich forest assemblages are located at elevations (1000-2000 m) most affected by human subsistence activity; special emphasis on conservation is needed in this subtropical zone.



14.00 - 14.15
SHAW, ALLISON. Department of Botany, Iowa State University, 353 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA, <aeshaw@iastate.edu>.

BIOGEOGRAPHY, TAXONOMY, AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY OF ASPLENIUM MONANTHES L. IN THE APPALACHIANS

Asplenium monanthes L. is a montane tropical fern with rare populations in climatically moderated habitats in the southern Appalachian Mountains of the United States. The species’ distribution in the Appalachians may represent relicts of a more widespread pre-Pleistocene distribution or alternatively post-Pleistocene long-distance colonisation from neotropical populations. To determine the degree of genetic and morphological differentiation between Appalachian, Mexican, Central American, and Caribbean populations, A. monanthes samples were compared between regions using starch gel electrophoresis, comparative gametophyte morphology, and comparative spore architecture. Preliminary data shows the Appalachian populations to be no more different from neotropical populations than one neotropical region is from another. Therefore the Appalachian populations tentatively appear to be of relatively recent origin, and no taxonomic elevation is currently warranted for the Appalachian populations.
In addition to the biogeographical investigation, the Appalachian populations were characterised with respect to habitat, microclimate, genetic variability, demographics, and ontogeny of lab-raised individuals for use in conservation planning for this rare species.



14.15 - 14.30
ANTHONY, NICOLA, Stephen Clifford, Mireille Johnson-Bawe, Kate Abernethy, Lee White, Kathryn Jeffery, Jean Wickings and Michael Bruford. Biodiversity and Ecological Processes, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Wales, CF10 3TL, UK, <anthonynm2000@yahoo.co.uk> (NA, KJ, MB), Centre International de Recherches Médicales à Franceville, B.P. 769, Franceville, Gabon (SC, KA, JW) and Wildlife Conservation Society, New York (LW).

THE DARWIN INITIATIVE IN GABON: MITOCHONDRIAL PHYLOGEOGRAPHY AND CONSERVATION OF WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLAS

The research focus of the Darwin Initiative in Gabon is to use genetic data to create a national long-term conservation strategy for western lowland gorillas. Gabon is an important centre of biodiversity and harbours the largest remaining populations of western lowland gorillas, Gorilla gorilla gorilla. Understanding population genetic structure and patterns of gene flow at different spatial scales is essential to the formulation of an effective conservation management strategy. We surveyed mitochondrial D-loop variation in hair and faecal samples collected from wild gorillas across much of their current range. Results indicate considerable genetic diversity and phylogeographic structure within gorillas. Phylogenetic analysis recapitulates the major evolutionary split between eastern and western gorillas and indicates two major haplogroups within western gorillas. One group is made up of sequences from Nigeria and Cameroon. The other is comprised of populations from the remaining western gorilla range and includes three discrete subgroups of sequences from: a) Gabon and adjacent Congo, b) Equatorial Guinea, and c) Dzanga region of Central African Republic. The spatial distribution of DNA variation suggest that Pleistocene refugia may have played an important role in shaping patterns of genetic structure within western lowland gorillas and have important consequences for their conservation.



14.30 - 14.45
AUGERI, DAVID M. Wildlife Research Group, Department of Anatomy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK, <augeri@wildrockies.org> and <da236@cam.ac.uk>.

DISTURBANCE EFFECTS ON MALAYAN SUN BEAR (HELARCTOS MALAYANUS) ECOLOGY, LANDSCAPE USE, AND CONSERVATION

The sun bear is protected on Appendix I with C.I.T.E.S. and by Indonesian, Malaysian, and Brunei laws, but lack of information regarding sun bear ecology, population dynamics, and disturbances inhibits conservation strategy development. Disturbances can affect sun bear fitness, genetic viability, evolutionary potential, and community dynamics. Therefore, this research is focused on natural patterns of, versus disturbance effects on, sun bear ecology, landscape use, and habitats on Sumatra and Borneo. Conventional wildlife study problems and elusivity are addressed through controlled sign censuses and forage productivity and habitat surveys in disturbed and undisturbed habitats integrated with modelling and genetic analyses. A systematic remote camera Capture-Recapture study is also being conducted on relative sun bear densities and distributions. Data are being modelled in 1) Resource Selection Functions; 2) CAPTURE and DISTANCE density software packages; 3) metapopulation models; and 4) a Geographic Information System (GIS). Results indicate significant differences among sun bear distributions, preferred habitats, ecology, and landscape use across temporal and geographic extents. Biogeographic analyses attribute differences to logging, habitat fragmentation, human presence, and other disturbances. Results and critical habitat needs are being integrated with cultural, socio-economic, political, and environmental education requirements for regional sun bear and biodiversity conservation plans.



14.45 - 15.00
COX, JOHN J., David S. Maehr, and Jeffrey L. Larkin. University of Kentucky, Department of Forestry, #7 T.P. Cooper Bldg. Lexington, KY 40546-0073, USA, <coyote1701@yahoo.com>.

THE BIOGEOGRAPHY OF FAUNAL PLACE NAMES IN THE UNITED STATES

The names of native wildlife species are indelibly attached to thousands of natural features, towns, and landmarks throughout the United States. In order to elucidate potential relationships between place names and their respective species, we assessed the abundance, distribution, density, and historical range fidelity of a select number of animal place names within the continental United States and Alaska by querying a United States Geological Survey database for common names representing 23 genera or species. Our search generated over 35,000 faunal place names across 49 states, with overall densities highest in the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains. The distribution of place names for all species except the coyote, corroborate the familiar pattern of range constriction characteristic of many species during the past century. Species historically ubiquitous in the US were more abundant and occurred in more states than those species with historically localized distributions. Non-ubiquitous species showed strong fidelity to historical ranges and were statistically significant. We conclude that faunal place names are important indicators of a species historical distribution, density, and regional abundance. Prudent analysis of place names may provide important biogeographical information for maintaining or restoring species and habitat components.

Last updated: 01.07.02