Pangolins, considered the most-trafficked mammals on Earth, are rapidly heading to extinction. Ei... more Pangolins, considered the most-trafficked mammals on Earth, are rapidly heading to extinction. Eight extant species of these African and Asian scale-bodied anteaters are commonly recognized, but their evolutionary relationships remain largely unexplored. Here we present the most comprehensive phylogenetic assessment of pangolins, based on genetic variation of complete mitogenomes and nine nuclear genes. We confirm deep divergence among Asian and African pangolins occurring not later than the Oligocene-Miocene boundary ca. 23 million-years-ago (Ma) (95% HPD=18.7-27.2), limited fossil evidence suggesting dispersals from Europe. We recognize three genera including Manis (Asian pangolins), Smutsia (large African pangolins) and Phataginus (small African pangolins), which first diversified in the Middle-Upper Miocene (9.8-13.3 Ma) through a period of gradual cooling coinciding with a worldwide taxonomic diversification among mammals. Based on large mitogenomic distances among the three ge...
To avoid unnecessary waste of limited resources and to help prioritize areas for conservation eff... more To avoid unnecessary waste of limited resources and to help prioritize areas for conservation efforts, this study aimed to provide information on habitat use by elephants between the wet and dry seasons in the Mole National Park (MNP) of Ghana. We compiled coordinates of 516 locations of elephants' encounters, 256 for dry season and 260 for wet season. Using nine predictor variables, we modeled the probability of elephant's distribution in MNP. We threshold the models to "suitable" and "nonsuitable" regions of habitat use using the equal training sensitivity and specificity values of 0.177 and 0.181 for the dry and wet seasons, respectively. Accuracy assessment of our models revealed a sensitivity score of 0.909 and 0.974, and a specificity of 0.579 and 0.753 for the dry and wet seasons, respectively. A TSS of 0.488 was also recorded for the dry season and 0.727 for the wet season indicating a good model agreement. Our model predicts habitat use to be con...
The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems... more The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)-has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international effort...
An investigation into the factors that influence crop raiding by forest elephants ( ) around the ... more An investigation into the factors that influence crop raiding by forest elephants ( ) around the Kakum Conservation Area (KCA) was carried out during July 2001 to June 2002. The frequency and distribution of crop raiding was assessed by analyzing crop damage report forms on all incursions by elephants into randomly selected sites around the KCA. The incidence of raids was then compared with environmental/natural and human variables for each month. Data on variables were collected through field measurements. There were 117 elephant crop damage incidents involving 58 farms belonging to 43 farmers. June was the peak month (2.4 raids /km ) of crop raiding activities whilst October experienced the least (0.1 raids /km ). Natural factors like fruit availability within KCA greatly reduced the risk of raids in nearby farms. However, at the farm level, the maturation period of maize presented the strongest risk. Also, environmental factors like rainfall, indirectly affected crop raids by pro...
A survey of buffaloes in the Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve, Ghana was conducted to assess their di... more A survey of buffaloes in the Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve, Ghana was conducted to assess their distribution in the dry season month of January 2013. Forty line transects were systematically distributed in the various vegetation types and a team of four persons led by a compass man recorded direct sightings of buffaloes along the transects. Coordinates of all buffalo sightings were marked using a Global Positioning System and then digitized into a Geographic Information System to yield a buffalo distribution map. Regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between the distribution of buffaloes and hunting activity recorded on transects. Results indicated that buffaloes were confined to the northern section of Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve, which constituted an existing protected zone, whilst no record of buffaloes were made south of Kogyae in the recovery and special use zones. Regression analysis indicated that hunting activity may be the most important variable influenci...
The bushmeat trade in tropical Africa represents illegal, unsustainable off-takes of millions of ... more The bushmeat trade in tropical Africa represents illegal, unsustainable off-takes of millions of tons of wild game - mostly mammals - per year. We sequenced four mitochondrial gene fragments (cyt b, COI, 12S, 16S) in >300 bushmeat items representing nine mammalian orders and 59 morphological species from five western and central African countries (Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea). Our objectives were to assess the efficiency of cross-species PCR amplification and to evaluate the usefulness of our multilocus approach for reliable bushmeat species identification. We provide a straightforward amplification protocol using a single 'universal' primer pair per gene that generally yielded >90% PCR success rates across orders and was robust to different types of meat preprocessing and DNA extraction protocols. For taxonomic identification, we set up a decision pipeline combining similarity- and tree-based approaches with an assessment of taxonomic expert...
50 Pachyderm No. 40 JanuaryJune 2006 Sam et al. Short J. 1981. Diet and feeding of forest elepha... more 50 Pachyderm No. 40 JanuaryJune 2006 Sam et al. Short J. 1981. Diet and feeding of forest elephants, Bia National Park. Mammalia 45: 177186. Short JC. 1983. Density and seasonal movements of the forest elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis Matschie) in the Bia ...
48 Pachyderm No. 38 JanuaryJune 2005 Adjewodah et al. Hoare R. 1999. Data collection and analysi... more 48 Pachyderm No. 38 JanuaryJune 2005 Adjewodah et al. Hoare R. 1999. Data collection and analysis protocol for humanelephant conflict situation in Africa. A docu-ment prepared for the IUCN African Elephant Special-ist Group's HumanElephant Conflict Taskforce. AfESG, ...
Pachyderm No. 31 JulyDecember 2001 63 Introduction In West Africa, the number of elephants has d... more Pachyderm No. 31 JulyDecember 2001 63 Introduction In West Africa, the number of elephants has decreased dramatically as a consequence of hunting and habitat loss (Roth and Douglas-Hamilton 1991). Today, West African elephants account for less than 5% of the ...
Knowledge on the impacts of logging activity on inhabitant primate species in Kwabre Rainforest, ... more Knowledge on the impacts of logging activity on inhabitant primate species in Kwabre Rainforest, Ghana, is vital for the development of a comprehensive conservation and management plan. With this background, primate density and diversity were recorded along line transects in logged and unlogged areas (strata) to assess the impact of logging activity on these parameters. Six distinct primate species were confirmed including Roloway monkey (Cercopithecus roloway, listed as endangered in the IUCN List of Threatened Species), white-naped mangabey (Cercocebus lunulatus, vulnerable), and Geoffroy’s black-and-white colobus (Colobus vellerosus, vulnerable). There was a significant difference (Mann-WhitneyUtest:U=36.0,p<0.01) in primate encounter rates between the logged and unlogged strata with higher species diversity in unlogged stratum (H=2.91) compared to the logged stratum (H=1.44). Regression analysis indicated a significant effect (r2=0.945,p<0.01) of logging on primate encount...
Pangolins, considered the most-trafficked mammals on Earth, are rapidly heading to extinction. Ei... more Pangolins, considered the most-trafficked mammals on Earth, are rapidly heading to extinction. Eight extant species of these African and Asian scale-bodied anteaters are commonly recognized, but their evolutionary relationships remain largely unexplored. Here we present the most comprehensive phylogenetic assessment of pangolins, based on genetic variation of complete mitogenomes and nine nuclear genes. We confirm deep divergence among Asian and African pangolins occurring not later than the Oligocene-Miocene boundary ca. 23 million-years-ago (Ma) (95% HPD=18.7-27.2), limited fossil evidence suggesting dispersals from Europe. We recognize three genera including Manis (Asian pangolins), Smutsia (large African pangolins) and Phataginus (small African pangolins), which first diversified in the Middle-Upper Miocene (9.8-13.3 Ma) through a period of gradual cooling coinciding with a worldwide taxonomic diversification among mammals. Based on large mitogenomic distances among the three ge...
To avoid unnecessary waste of limited resources and to help prioritize areas for conservation eff... more To avoid unnecessary waste of limited resources and to help prioritize areas for conservation efforts, this study aimed to provide information on habitat use by elephants between the wet and dry seasons in the Mole National Park (MNP) of Ghana. We compiled coordinates of 516 locations of elephants' encounters, 256 for dry season and 260 for wet season. Using nine predictor variables, we modeled the probability of elephant's distribution in MNP. We threshold the models to "suitable" and "nonsuitable" regions of habitat use using the equal training sensitivity and specificity values of 0.177 and 0.181 for the dry and wet seasons, respectively. Accuracy assessment of our models revealed a sensitivity score of 0.909 and 0.974, and a specificity of 0.579 and 0.753 for the dry and wet seasons, respectively. A TSS of 0.488 was also recorded for the dry season and 0.727 for the wet season indicating a good model agreement. Our model predicts habitat use to be con...
The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems... more The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)-has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international effort...
An investigation into the factors that influence crop raiding by forest elephants ( ) around the ... more An investigation into the factors that influence crop raiding by forest elephants ( ) around the Kakum Conservation Area (KCA) was carried out during July 2001 to June 2002. The frequency and distribution of crop raiding was assessed by analyzing crop damage report forms on all incursions by elephants into randomly selected sites around the KCA. The incidence of raids was then compared with environmental/natural and human variables for each month. Data on variables were collected through field measurements. There were 117 elephant crop damage incidents involving 58 farms belonging to 43 farmers. June was the peak month (2.4 raids /km ) of crop raiding activities whilst October experienced the least (0.1 raids /km ). Natural factors like fruit availability within KCA greatly reduced the risk of raids in nearby farms. However, at the farm level, the maturation period of maize presented the strongest risk. Also, environmental factors like rainfall, indirectly affected crop raids by pro...
A survey of buffaloes in the Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve, Ghana was conducted to assess their di... more A survey of buffaloes in the Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve, Ghana was conducted to assess their distribution in the dry season month of January 2013. Forty line transects were systematically distributed in the various vegetation types and a team of four persons led by a compass man recorded direct sightings of buffaloes along the transects. Coordinates of all buffalo sightings were marked using a Global Positioning System and then digitized into a Geographic Information System to yield a buffalo distribution map. Regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between the distribution of buffaloes and hunting activity recorded on transects. Results indicated that buffaloes were confined to the northern section of Kogyae Strict Nature Reserve, which constituted an existing protected zone, whilst no record of buffaloes were made south of Kogyae in the recovery and special use zones. Regression analysis indicated that hunting activity may be the most important variable influenci...
The bushmeat trade in tropical Africa represents illegal, unsustainable off-takes of millions of ... more The bushmeat trade in tropical Africa represents illegal, unsustainable off-takes of millions of tons of wild game - mostly mammals - per year. We sequenced four mitochondrial gene fragments (cyt b, COI, 12S, 16S) in >300 bushmeat items representing nine mammalian orders and 59 morphological species from five western and central African countries (Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea). Our objectives were to assess the efficiency of cross-species PCR amplification and to evaluate the usefulness of our multilocus approach for reliable bushmeat species identification. We provide a straightforward amplification protocol using a single 'universal' primer pair per gene that generally yielded >90% PCR success rates across orders and was robust to different types of meat preprocessing and DNA extraction protocols. For taxonomic identification, we set up a decision pipeline combining similarity- and tree-based approaches with an assessment of taxonomic expert...
50 Pachyderm No. 40 JanuaryJune 2006 Sam et al. Short J. 1981. Diet and feeding of forest elepha... more 50 Pachyderm No. 40 JanuaryJune 2006 Sam et al. Short J. 1981. Diet and feeding of forest elephants, Bia National Park. Mammalia 45: 177186. Short JC. 1983. Density and seasonal movements of the forest elephant (Loxodonta africana cyclotis Matschie) in the Bia ...
48 Pachyderm No. 38 JanuaryJune 2005 Adjewodah et al. Hoare R. 1999. Data collection and analysi... more 48 Pachyderm No. 38 JanuaryJune 2005 Adjewodah et al. Hoare R. 1999. Data collection and analysis protocol for humanelephant conflict situation in Africa. A docu-ment prepared for the IUCN African Elephant Special-ist Group's HumanElephant Conflict Taskforce. AfESG, ...
Pachyderm No. 31 JulyDecember 2001 63 Introduction In West Africa, the number of elephants has d... more Pachyderm No. 31 JulyDecember 2001 63 Introduction In West Africa, the number of elephants has decreased dramatically as a consequence of hunting and habitat loss (Roth and Douglas-Hamilton 1991). Today, West African elephants account for less than 5% of the ...
Knowledge on the impacts of logging activity on inhabitant primate species in Kwabre Rainforest, ... more Knowledge on the impacts of logging activity on inhabitant primate species in Kwabre Rainforest, Ghana, is vital for the development of a comprehensive conservation and management plan. With this background, primate density and diversity were recorded along line transects in logged and unlogged areas (strata) to assess the impact of logging activity on these parameters. Six distinct primate species were confirmed including Roloway monkey (Cercopithecus roloway, listed as endangered in the IUCN List of Threatened Species), white-naped mangabey (Cercocebus lunulatus, vulnerable), and Geoffroy’s black-and-white colobus (Colobus vellerosus, vulnerable). There was a significant difference (Mann-WhitneyUtest:U=36.0,p<0.01) in primate encounter rates between the logged and unlogged strata with higher species diversity in unlogged stratum (H=2.91) compared to the logged stratum (H=1.44). Regression analysis indicated a significant effect (r2=0.945,p<0.01) of logging on primate encount...
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