Endangered Species

The diversity of local Mediterranean food elements is not known in detail, but offers itself to search for new vegetables, salads, fruits and spices which could be used in to enrich diets outside their region of origin. Most amid those interesting local elements are edible wild plants and weeds. Ethnobotanical research has identified ca. 2,300 different plant and fungi taxa, which are gathered and consumed in the Mediterranean. Among these,
1,000 are only consumed in one single zone, therefore are strictly local. The percentage of local gathered food plant (GFP) taxa (present in 5 samples), is higher in the main centers of diversity at the periphery of the Mediterranean (Sahara, Alps, Caucasus, Canary Islands, the Levant). Islands (Sicily, Sardinia, Crete, Cyprus) also show a high proportion. Endemism of GFP taxa only accounts for a limited number of these ‘ethnobotanical endemics’ (only ca. 350 are endemic/ endangered species). On the other hand, only a few taxa – 30 occurring in...

In the southern Bago Yoma mountain range in Myanmar, Asian elephants are being killed at a disturbing rate. This emerging crisis was identified initially through a telemetry study when 7 of 19 of collared elephants were poached within a year of being fitted with a satellite-GPS collar. Subsequent follow up of ground teams confirmed the human caused death or disappearance of at least 19 elephants, including the seven collared individuals, within a 35 km2 area in less than two years. The carcasses of 40 additional elephants were found in areas located across south-central Myanmar once systematic surveys began by our team and collaborators. In addition to the extreme rate of loss, this study documents the targeting of elephants for their skin instead of the more common ivory, an increasing trend in Myanmar. Intensive research programs focused on other conservation problems identified this issue and are now encouraging local authorities to prioritize anti-poaching efforts and improve co...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service (Services) have jointly passed a rule revising the definition for "destruction or adverse modification" of designated critical habitat. The former definition: “Destruction or adverse modification means a direct or indirect alteration that appreciably diminishes the value of critical habitat for both the survival and recovery of a listed species. Such alterations include, but are not limited to, alterations adversely modifying any of those physical or biological features that were the basis for determining the habitat to be critical,” The definition has been replaced by the amended definition,  “Destruction or adverse modification means a direct or indirect alteration that appreciably diminishes the conservation value of critical habitat for listed species. Such alterations may include, but are not limited to, effects that preclude or significantly delay the development of physical or biological features that support the life-history needs of the species for recovery.”
The purpose of this white paper is to identify and analyze the potential for judicial review of ESA listings made under the definition amendment and the possible outcomes using the Chevron doctrine. The Services are replacing the invalidated definition with one that is consistent with the Endangered Species Act, legislative history and circuit court opinions.

We describe the distribution and estimate densities of Grauer's gorillas (Gorilla gorilla graueri) and eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthi) in a 12,770-km2area of lowland forest between the Lowa, Luka, Lugulu, and Oku rivers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the site of the largest continuous population of Grauer's gorillas. The survey included a total of 480 km of transects completed

Limonium narbonense Miller is a fertile tetraploid species with a sporophytic self-incompatibility system. This sea lavender is found in coastal salt marshes which have been under intense human pressure during the past decades resulting in significant habitat fragmentation. Eleven microsatellite loci specifically designed for this species were amplified in 135 individuals from five populations. These markers were used to investigate the polyploid nature, the levels of genetic diversity and population structure in this species. L. narbonense showed high levels of genetic diversity (A = 7.82, P = 100% H T = 0.446), consistent with its likely autotetraploid origin revealed in this study and obligate outcrossing breeding system. Inbreeding (F IS) values were low in the three southern populations (mean F IS = 0.062), and higher in the northern populations (mean F IS = 0.184). Bayesian analysis of population structure revealed that populations could be grouped into two genetic clusters, one including three southern populations and the other the two northernmost ones. Individuals from the two northernmost populations showed higher admixture of the two genetic clusters than individuals from the three southern ones. A thorough analysis of microsatellite electrophoretic patterns suggests an autotetraploid origin for L. narbonense. The genetic structure revealed in this study is attributed to a recent migration from the southern area. This result suggests a net gene flow from the south to the north, likely facilitated by migratory movements of birds visiting the temporary flooded ponds occupied by L. narbonense.

The initial colonization by Sinogastromyzon puliensis is hypothesized to be in southern Taiwan, followed by its northward dispersal. To unravel its phylogeographical history, the mitochondrial control regions of S. puliensis were sequenced. Hierarchical analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that more genetic variation resided among populations (ΦST = 0.879, p = 0) than within populations (ΦSC = 0.871, p = 0), as supported by significant pairwise FST values showing high genetic differentiation and rare migrations among populations. High levels of genetic differentiation can be explained by either long-term isolation among populations or a consequence due to the founder effect. Both a Neighbor-joining (NJ) tree and maximum parsimony (MP) analysis divided 4 populations of S. puliensis into 3 major groups. Group I is composed of populations of the Wu and Choshui Rivers, in which reciprocal monophyly was not supported. The Tzengwen River, comprising group II, is sister to group I. Group III is the basal clade and consisted of only the Kaoping River in a phylogram rooted by S. wui. According to the topological pattern and character of haplotypes without a 16-bp deletion, the Kaoping River is proposed to be the first habitat colonized by the ancestor of S. puliensis, after which this fish dispersed northwards. This dispersal pattern is concordant with the previously proposed hypothesis.

Climate change is taking place more rapidly and severely in the Arctic than anywhere on the globe, exposing Arctic vertebrates to a host of impacts. Changes in the cryosphere dominate the physical changes that already affect these animals, but increasing air temperatures, changes in precipitation, and ocean acidification will also affect Arctic ecosystems in the future. Adaptation via natural selection is problematic in such a rapidly changing environment. Adjustment via phenotypic plasticity is therefore likely to dominate Arctic vertebrate responses in the short term, and many such adjustments have already been documented. Changes in phenology and range will occur for most species but will only partly mitigate climate change impacts, which are particularly difficult to forecast due to the many interactions within and between trophic levels. Even though Arctic species richness is increasing via immigration from the South, many Arctic vertebrates are expected to become increasingly ...

Changes in the status and distribution of Wisconsin's double-crested cormorant (DCCO) breeding population during the 20th century closely approximate a similar pattern throughout the Great Lakes and generally along the Atlantic coast: a gradual increase in popula- tion size from about 1921 until about 1950, followed by a population crash, and then a remarkable population resurgence beginning in the early

Jacquemontia reclinata House (Convolvulaceae) is a federally listed endangered species endemic to coastal strand habitat of south-eastern Florida. In order to identify the closest relatives of J. reclinata, a phylogenetic reconstruction was performed based on nucleotide sequence data from the internal transcribed spacer region of nuclear ribosomal DNA and from the trnH-psbA intergenic spacer of chloroplast DNA. The three putative relatives of J. reclinata and the majority of Jacquemontia Choicy species known to occur in the Caribbean Islands were included. The strict consensus tree concurs with previous morphological studies, indicating that J. reclinata is closely related to the Caribbean species J. cayensis Britton, J. curtisii Hallier f., and J. havanensis (Jacq.) Urb. These three species and J. reclinata form an unresolved clade. Nucleotide divergence within this clade is low, suggesting that the group is recent, perhaps diversifying after the latest glacial period. These taxa need to be studied further using population-level DNA markers. Most species endemic to the Caribbean Basin form a strongly supported clade. Our phylogeny supports Convolvulus nodiflorus Desr. as part of Jacquemontia. In addition, J. ovalifolia (West) Hallier f. ssp. sandwicensis (A. Gray) K.R. Robertson is sister to the Antillean endemic J. solanifolia (L.) Hallier f. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 154, 443–454.