Ex Situ Conservation

Seed desiccation sensitivity limits the ex situ conservation of up to 47 % of plant species, dependent on habitat. Whilst desirable, empirically determining desiccation tolerance levels in seeds of all species is unrealistic. A probabilistic model for the rapid identification of woody species at high risk of displaying seed desiccation sensitivity is presented. The model was developed using binary logistic regression on seed trait data [seed mass, moisture content, seed coat ratio (SCR) and rainfall in the month of seed dispersal] for 104 species from 37 families from a semi-deciduous tropical forest in Panamá. For the Panamanian species, only seed mass and SCR were significantly related to the response to desiccation, with the desiccation-sensitive seeds being large and having a relatively low SCR (i.e. thin 'seed' coats). Application of this model to a further 38 species, of known seed storage behaviour, from two additional continents and differing vegetation types (drylan...

The live of Balinese community can’t be separated from bamboo usage. Mostly, bamboos can grow from lowland to highland. Some bamboos also grow naturally in the forest. Six bamboos were reported as endemic in Bali, such as tiing liplip (Dinochloa sepang Widjaja & Astuti), tiing ooh (Bambusa ooh Widjaja & Astuti), buluh kedampal (Schizostachyum castaneum Widjaja), tiing bali (Gigantochloa baliana Widjaja & Astuti), tiing jajang aya (Gigantochloa aya Widjaja & Astuti) and tiing jajang taluh (Gigantochloa taluh Widjaja & Astuti). All of those have been conserved in Bali Botanic Garden.

У довіднику наведено інформацію про сучасний стан та подальші перспективи збереження рідкісних та зникаючих трав’янистих рослин у Національному дендрологічному парку «Софіївка» НАН України. Охарактеризовано 72 види рослин, серед яких занесені до Червоного списку Міжнародного союзу охорони природи, Європейського Червоного списку, додатків міжнародних конфенцій — Бернської та СІТЕС, Червоної книги України, списків регіонально рідкісних рослин Черкаської, Вінницької та Кіровоградської областей.
Для ботаніків, екологів, спеціалістів у галузі охорони природи, викладачів та студентів вищих навчальних закладів, вчитилів біології.

A clear understanding of genetic diversity in weedy rice is important in improving protocols for its conservation, ex situ. To this end, Asian collections of weedy rice together with accessions of the wild AA genome species Oryza nivara Sharma et Shastry and Oryza rufipogon Griffith, and the cultivated species, Oryza sativa L. were characterized using 16 qualitative morphological traits and 18 SSR markers. The Shannon-Weaver index (H') revealed higher diversity in the weedy (mean H' = 0.76) and wild O. nivara (mean H' = 0.79) and O. rufipogon samples (mean H' = 0.69) compared to the cultivated samples (mean H' = 0.44). The weedy forms showed high preference (> 90%) for high grain shattering and awn presence. Cluster analysis based on the 16 qualitative characters revealed three major clusters where weedy accessions grouped with (1) O. rufipogon samples (2) O. nivara, O. rufipogon and indica rice samples, and (3) indica, aus, and japonica and a few O. nivara and O. rufipogon rice samples. Cluster analysis based on SSR data concurred largely with morphological analysis. Genetic diversity indices (number of alleles, observed heterozygosity, expected heterozygosity) detected by SSR markers were comparable between the weedy (1.64, 0.11, 0.23) and O. rufipogon (1.53, 0.19, 0.23) samples. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) among the weedy forms revealed that differentiation within accessions accounted for 79% of the total variation.

Sri Lanka has an exceptionally rich amphibian biodiversity with high endemism. This paper describes 106 amphibian species, the majority confined to rainforests and many threatened with extinction. The key factors causing amphibian decline in Sri Lanka are of anthropogenic origins; habitat destruction and fragmentation, alien invasive species, wildlife diseases/pathogens, climate change and environmental pollution. Only 750 km2 of Sri Lanka are covered with tropical rainforests and this area is broken into 100 km2 fragments or less. It is difficult for amphibians to tolerate disturbances and to maintain a sustainable population size under these conditions. Alien and domestic species impose threats by direct predation, competition, disease contraction and habitat alteration. Parasites and pathogens, especially the chirtrid fungus, hamper the growth, reproductive success, and physical fitness of amphibians and can result in mortality. Climate change has reduced the distribution of amphibians by modifying vegetation and habitat structure rendering them unsuitable for some amphibians. Pollution, especially agro-chemicals, threaten amphibians causing anatomical malformations, physiological disorders and even mass mortalities. Furthermore, acid depositions causing diebacks in montane forests also destroy amphibian niches. This paper recommends a number of conservation initiatives including in-situ and ex-situ conservation, the establishment of buffer zones to protect core forests, promotion of research on biodiversity conservation, improvement of conservation policies and legal frameworks as well as community-based activities including raising public awareness, environmental education and the introduction of eco-friendly agricultural practices

Este trabajo técnico educativo es una compilación de experiencias en la producción intensiva de pecarí de collar. Las tareas contenidas en él, son producto de experiencias académicas y prácticas en la UMA Rancho Viveros de 25 años atrás a la fecha y en otros criaderos intensivos de pecarí de collar. Algunos aspectos podrán diferir de lo reportado en la literatura, pues aquí se enfatiza su aplicación en proyectos campesinos. La naturaleza y alcances de la experiencia, presenta su importancia en cuanto a la actual trascendencia social; pues los proyectos campesinos de crianza de pecarí de collar que inicien con base en las tecnologías propuestas de este manual, estarán siendo detonantes de regiones prioritarias del estado de Veracruz y otras partes del país; donde la especie necesita conservarse y aprovecharse racionalmente mediante una producción sustentable. Por lo que, el presente trabajo práctico-educativo describe experiencias propias en manejo de algunos puntos clave de la cría intensiva del pecarí de collar, en los ámbitos de mas difícil control para la producción de esta especie, la cual, mediante apego a los lineamientos de la  normatividad justifica la propuesta, en razón de disponer de una alternativa de adopción de tecnología básica; con el fin de establecer una opción adecuada, segura y eficaz, en la producción intensiva de pecarí de collar.

Annually, millions of tourists go on safari and visit zoos primarily to view large charismatic wildlife. These venues rely on the inherent appeal of these animals to increase visitation and anchor conservation efforts. In conservation campaigns, flagship species are used to stimulate a connection to a species and promote pro-conservation behaviors. However, empirical support for behavioral outcomes associated with flagships is lacking. Nor is it known how a connection to a species influences behaviors. This study explored (a) how tourists connect to wildlife, how this relationship is influenced by the on-site experience, and how these factors interact to influence behavior, and (b) how the experiences between safari and zoo venues differed. A model was developed using interactional theory and analyzed with structural equation modeling. Data were obtained from 416 tourists to Tanzanian parks and protected areas and 452 tourists to two U.S. zoos and one aquarium. An existing connection to wildlife and experiential factors directly influenced tourists’ connection to a species, but not behaviors. Tourists’ connection to a species had a significant positive influence on pro-conservation behaviors for individual species and general biodiversity. The influence of the experience was equivalent across safari and zoo venues. Results support the ability of safari and zoo wildlife tourism to produce conservation outcomes.

Cangak Merah merupakan burung yang berdarah panas dan merupakan salah satu jenis burung Kuntul-kuntulan. Berukuran besar (80cm), berwarna abu-abu, coklat berangan dan hitam. Topi hitam dengan jambul menjuntai. Terdapat strip hitam menurun sepanjang leher yang merah karat khas. Punggung dan penutup sayap abu abu, bulu terbang hitam. Bulu lainnya coklat kemerahan. Burung betina tidak berwarna cerah seperti burung jantan, dengan bulu yang lebih pendek memanjang pada tengkuk (Robinson & Chasen 1936).

SUMMARY The phytogeographical notable flora of the Province Sondrio: a preliminary inventory for conservation activities. The Province of Sondrio covers approx. 3.212 Km 2 and hosts a very diverse and rich flora that, according to the current estimates, amounts to about 1.850 taxa of vascular plants. The reasons for this high level of plant diversity lie in the considerable altitudinal

La efectividad de la conservación ex situ depende, fundamentalmente, de que el estado de salud de los individuos mantenidos en estas condiciones sea óptimo. Para comprobarlo, se realizan de manera habitual numerosos exámenes e intervenciones que, paradójicamente, podrían poner en riesgo la salud del animal si no se realizan de forma correcta. El condicionamiento operante es un método de aprendizaje de conductas muy recomendado por la bibliografía, porque facilita el manejo animal en condiciones ex situ a la vez que disminuye los riesgos. En este trabajo se ha demostrado la efectividad de este método mediante la realización de un caso práctico con cuatro individuos de lémur de cabeza blanca. Se ha comprobado que el condicionamiento operante es un método útil en el ámbito de la biología de la conservación, con aplicaciones diversas.

I circa cinquanta individui di orso bruno marsicano, bellissima sottospecie appenninica di orso bruno (Ursus arctos marsicanus - Altobello, 1921) rappresentano la popolazione più minacciata d'Europa tra i mammiferi.
Che fare per provare a salvarlo?
Tra le varie ipotesi la Società Italiana per la Storia della Fauna propone la creazione di una banca genetica per la riproduzione e la conservazione della specie ex situ (art 9 Convenzione per la Biodiversità), così come già accade in altre parti del mondo per altre specie. Si tratta di una misura che mira a mettere in sicurezza il patrimonio genetico di questa popolazione endemica italiana ridotta al lumicino

Ex-situ conservation helps to provide the flexibility to respond to unforeseen environmental changes and consequent impacts on habitat conservation and utilization of wild plant species. Ex-situ collections are sources of plant material for recovery of threatened or endangered species, habitat rehabilitation and restoration, crop improvement, new product development, and a wide variety of research studies.

‘Putting the right species back in the right place’: expressed in the words of Bruce Pavlik, the Head of Restoration Ecology at the Millennium Seed Bank at Kew Gardens in a fundraisingclip for the Breathing Planet Campaign, the work of biodiversity repositories seems straightforward. A simple matter of renewing the colonial and capitalistic capture of nature by exhausting its diversity in collecting, and then of reinserting species, suspended in the form of genetic information, into the neat spaces their disappearance or almost-dispappearance has left in their original ecosystems, the redemptive value of biodiversity repositories seems  unquestionable. ‘There is no technological reason why any species should go extinct’, the clip goes on. The cryopreservation of genetic material in seed banks and ‘frozen zoos’ is often and justifiably understood as genetic-fetishistic suspension, several times removed from animal lives in actual habitats; I propose however to read them as world-making devices in their own right too, more entangled and entangling than they might present themselves to be. Collecting and saving are two mandates that have effects both on the species whose genetic information is banked and on the natures that are made possible or impossible through the projects delineated by biodiversity repositories; but they have also been implicated in a third such mandate, the assisted adaptation of species to anthropogenic climate change (be it the plan fo r‘chaperoned assisted relocation’ proposed by the Missouri Botanical Garden or the ‘cultivation of marginally hardy taxa’ proposed at the Arnold Arboretum). How are biodiversity repositories an active intervention into the shaping of natures both inside and outside, and what are the consequences of what happens within the apparatus of these repositories for wider understandings of landscapes and species under threat? How linked is the suspension of metabolic processes and evolutionary potential and the understanding of Earth as manageable,
perhaps even terraformable? What do they contribute to conservation biology’s biopolitical and cultural shaping of individuals, species, ecosystems suspended and remade through the different uses for which biodiversity repositories can be put to work?

Refer to Groves (1969), in Sulawesi island there are two type of anoa,  low land anoa (Bubalus depressicornis) and mountain/high land anoa (Bubalus quarlesi). Both species are classified as endangered by the IUCN (2001). It has been estimated that there are around 5000 individuals left in the wild. Anoa populations are decreasing, however.

"Zoos in the 21st century are striving to make effective contributions to conservation. Although zoos are extremely popular and host over 600 million visitors worldwide, one challenge zoos face is how to effectively engage visitors and raise awareness and action for conservation. To this end, zoos commonly rely on charismatic megafauna, which have been shown to elicit a connection with zoo visitors. However, little is known about how to measure a connection to a species or how this connection may influence conservation behaviors. This study had two sequential objectives. The first was to develop a scale to measure visitors’ connection to a species (Conservation Caring). The second was to investigate the relationship of Conservation Caring to pro‐conservation behaviors, following a zoo experience. Pre‐ (n=411) and post‐visit (n=452) responses were collected from three sites in order to assess the reliability and validity of a scale to measure Conservation Caring. Structural equation modeling was used to explore the relationship between Conservation Caring and pro‐conservation behaviors. Conservation
Caring was deemed a valid and reliable scale and was a strong predictor of species oriented behaviors (b=0.62), for example, “adopting” an animal, but a weak predictor for biodiversity oriented behaviors (b=0.07), for example, supporting sustainability policies. Results support the role zoos can play in fostering a connection to wildlife and stimulating proconservation
behaviors. Additionally, visitors connected to a wide array of animals. On the basis of these results, zoos may recruit a wider assemblage of species as potential flagships."

The use of in vitro techniques for conservation has been rising steadily since their inclusion in The Convention on Biological Diversity and The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. Unfortunately, bryophytes are often overlooked in conservation initiatives, but they are important in a number of large-scale ecosystem processes, i.e. nutrient, water and carbon cycling. There is a long history of the use of tissue culture in cultivating bryophytes, and many species respond well to in vitro techniques. For 6 yr (2000–2006), The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the UK statutory conservation agencies supported a project for the ex situ conservation of bryophytes. Living and cryopreserved collections of UK threatened species were successfully established and the cryopreserved collection continues to be maintained. Other in vitro conservation collections are maintained over Europe, at botanic gardens, museums and by individual university researchers, but there is no coherent European collection of bryophytes for conservation, or standardisation of techniques. A major issue for many in vitro collections is the maintenance of within species genetic diversity. Such diversity is considered to be important, as it is the basis by which populations of species can adapt to new conditions and evolve. We are proposing to establish a European network for in vitro conservation of bryophytes. We envisage that this will include living collections, cryopreserved collections and spore collections. Conservation of genetic diversity would be a priority and the collections would provide a valuable resource for conservation initiatives and support research into rare and threatened species.

The germination requirements and the basis of the optimal water content before and after cryopreservation were studied for ten endangered Brazilian species of Bromeliaceae. Constant and alternating temperature regimes were used to determine the best conditions for seed germination. The relationship between seed water content and relative humidity was evaluated using water sorption isotherms at 15 °C. Seeds were cryostored at four water contents (3, 5, 7 and 9%) and three storage periods (0, 180 and 365 days), and loss in viability and vigour were estimated. Fresh seeds of all species showed maximum germination in < 30 days at temperatures between 20 and 30 °C, indicating the absence of a physical/morphological dormancy. A sigmoidal relationship between seed water content and relative humidity was observed with no apparent differences in sorption characteristics among the species. The optimum water content for cryopreservation of most of these species was c. 7%. Ultra-drying (3% seed water content) had a detrimental effect on seed viability and vigour. Our experiments suggested orthodox storage behaviour for all species of Bromeliaceae examined as they are able to survive desiccation and freezing. This study has shown the feasibility of ex situ conservation in seed cryobanks of endangered bromeliads from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest to support future reintroduction of these species in nature.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/enhanced/doi/10.1111/boj.12219/

Europe has the greatest concentration of botanic gardens in the world, they cultivate extensive collections of plants that include samples of European threatened plant species. This study looks at the effectiveness of these collections in supporting species conservation. A three part study is presented: (1) the results of a survey and assessment of threatened plants in botanic gardens, as defined by the Bern Convention; (2) case studies illustrating current issues in the ex situ management of European threatened plant species; and (3) presentation of policy recommendations on further improving botanic garden contributions to European plant conservation. The survey indicated that of 119 European botanic gardens in 29 European countries, 105 are cultivating 308 of the 573 threatened plant species listed by the Bern Convention. The survey identified 25 botanic gardens in 14 countries undertaking 51 conservation projects focused on 27 Bern listed species. In particular this survey has e...

The current understanding of the status of the vegetation in Lebanon is largely derived from herbarium data and associated floristic studies produced by early 20th century field botanists. In common with other areas in the Mediterranean, the Lebanese coastline is highly threatened by unregulated development, yet current patterns of species richness along the Lebanese coastal zone are little studied. The objective of this study was to assess the floristic richness of the Lebanese coastal zone and to provide baseline information for conservation planning. For this purpose, permanent sample plots (6 m × 100 m) were established in 26 selected vegetation communities in coastal habitats. Monthly field collections of plant specimens were undertaken between October 1999 and July 2000. A total of 441 species were collected and identified. None of the recorded species are currently considered globally threatened, but two are Lebanese endemics (Matthiola crassifolia Boiss. & Gaill., Origanum ehrenbergii Boiss.). Species richness varied between communities, ranging from six species in a littoral limestone pavement community to 113 in an abandoned terrace community. The similarity between communities, based on Sorensen indices, was low and a large number of species were recorded only once. Cluster analysis showed a grouping of different communities within locations in some instances and the clustering of similar community types regardless of location in others. Species richness in riparian and littoral communities consisted mostly of habitat non-specific species. The low community similarity, patchy species distribution, and predominance of habitat non-specific species all point to the need to complement in situ conservation measures with ex situ conservation.

The aim of this study was to elaborate cryopreservation methods for ex situ conservation of European catfish. The success of sperm cryopreservation was evaluated by post-thaw sperm motility and velocity, percentage of live spermatozoa and fertility (hatching rates) using frozen/thawed sperm. The best hatching rates of 82–86% were obtained with sperm stored for 5h before freezing in immobilizing solution and

Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) is one of the most important forage grass species in Europe. In Portugal 34% of the cultivated area is dedicated to animal fodder. Italian ryegrass area in Entre Douro e Minho (EDM) region was mainly with landraces. Changes in traditional agricultural systems are contributing to a major loss of genetic diversity mainly to landraces. Portuguese Italian ryegrass landraces are threatened since nineteen years and collecting missions took place in EDM to ex situ conservation. The main Italian ryegrass landraces from EDM are “castelhano’s” and “verdeal’s” agro type. The aim of this study was to evaluate the existence of morphological variability between EDM Italian ryegrass landraces, to analyse the existence of duplicates in the germplasm collection and to evaluate the farmer’ classification. The landraces were characterised based on morphological traits of International Plant Genetic Resources Institute and International Union for the Protectio...

Germplasm collections of tree crop species represent fundamental tools for conservation of diversity and key steps for its characterization and evaluation. For the olive tree, several collections were created all over the world, but only few of them have been fully characterized and molecularly identified. The olive collection of Perugia University (UNIPG), established in the years’ 60, represents one of the first attempts to gather and safeguard olive diversity, keeping together cultivars from different countries. In the present study, a set of 370 olive trees previously uncharacterized was screened with 10 standard simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and nine new EST-SSR markers, to correctly and thoroughly identify all genotypes, verify their representativeness of the entire cultivated olive variation, and validate the effectiveness of new markers in comparison to standard genotyping tools. The SSR analysis revealed the presence of 59 genotypes, corresponding to 72 well known cultivars, 13 of them resulting exclusively present in this collection. The new EST-SSRs have shown values of diversity parameters quite similar to those of best standard SSRs. When compared to hundreds of Mediterranean cultivars, the UNIPG olive accessions were splitted into the three main populations (East, Center and West Mediterranean), confirming that the collection has a good representativeness of the entire olive variability. Furthermore, Bayesian analysis, performed on the 59 genotypes of the collection by the use of both sets of markers, have demonstrated their splitting into four clusters, with a well balanced membership obtained by EST respect to standard SSRs. The new OLEST (Olea expressed sequence tags) SSR markers resulted as effective as the best standard markers. The information obtained from this study represents a high valuable tool for ex situ conservation and management of olive genetic resources, useful to build a common database from worldwide olive cultivar collections, also based on recently developed markers.

Heavy metal contaminated soils are very hard to restore. This type of soil pollution is primarily attributed to anthropogenic activities, including, smelting, mining and various industrial activities. The world&#39;s heavily effected areas from heavy metal pollution have been proving as health risks to more than 10 million people in various countries. Linfen in China people faced extreme loads of pollution, In Haina of Dominican Republic, people suffered from a huge amount of lead poisoning due to, in Ranipet a city of India about 3.5 million people are being affected by tannery waste. Bioaccumulation of metal toxins in the food chain poses disastrous effects on human health. Plants accumulate some non essential heavy metals having no contribution in biological functions these heavy metals cause serious risks to plants, animals and human health. In order to remediate this problem in situ and ex situ techniques are being used but in situ methods are more effective than ex situ. Phyto...