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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Overfishing Drives Over One-Third Of All Sharks And Rays Toward A Global Extinction Crisis, Nicholas K. Dulvy, Nathan Pacoureau, Cassandra L. Rigby, Riley A. Pollom, Rima W. Jabado, David A. Ebert, Brittany Finucci, Caroline M. Pollock, Jessica Cheok, Danielle H. Derrick, Katelyn B. Herman, C. Samantha Sherman, Wade J. Vanderwright, Julia M. Lawson, Rachel H.L. Walls, John K. Carlson, Patricia Charvet, Kinattumkara K. Bineesh, Daniel Fernando, Gina M. Ralph, Jay H. Matsushiba, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Sonja V. Fordham, Colin A. Simpfendorfer Nov 2021

Overfishing Drives Over One-Third Of All Sharks And Rays Toward A Global Extinction Crisis, Nicholas K. Dulvy, Nathan Pacoureau, Cassandra L. Rigby, Riley A. Pollom, Rima W. Jabado, David A. Ebert, Brittany Finucci, Caroline M. Pollock, Jessica Cheok, Danielle H. Derrick, Katelyn B. Herman, C. Samantha Sherman, Wade J. Vanderwright, Julia M. Lawson, Rachel H.L. Walls, John K. Carlson, Patricia Charvet, Kinattumkara K. Bineesh, Daniel Fernando, Gina M. Ralph, Jay H. Matsushiba, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Sonja V. Fordham, Colin A. Simpfendorfer

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The scale and drivers of marine biodiversity loss are being revealed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessment process. We present the first global reassessment of 1,199 species in Class Chondrichthyes-sharks, rays, and chimeras. The first global assessment (in 2014) concluded that one-quarter (24%) of species were threatened. Now, 391 (32.6%) species are threatened with extinction. When this percentage of threat is applied to Data Deficient species, more than one-third (37.5%) of chondrichthyans are estimated to be threatened, with much of this change resulting from new information. Three species are Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct), representing …


First Record Of Blacknape Large-Eye Bream Gymnocranius Satoi (Perciformes: Lethrinidae) In The Philippines, Nicko Amor Flores, Jade Tifany Rey, Jeffrey T. Williams, Kent Carpenter, Mudjekeewis Santos Jan 2021

First Record Of Blacknape Large-Eye Bream Gymnocranius Satoi (Perciformes: Lethrinidae) In The Philippines, Nicko Amor Flores, Jade Tifany Rey, Jeffrey T. Williams, Kent Carpenter, Mudjekeewis Santos

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Philippines has been regarded as the center of the center of marine shorefish biodiversity, having the highest number of fish species per square area in the world. The blacknape large-eye bream, Gymnocranius satoi, has been reported to occur from Southern Japan, Taiwan to Northwestern Australia and to the Coral Sea, but has not previously been recorded from the Philippines. From 2011 – 2019, the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) collaborated with the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution (NMNH/SI), USA, and the Old Dominion University (ODU), Virgina, USA, to inventory all commercial fish …


The Conservation Status Of Marine Biodiversity Of The Western Indian Ocean, R. Bullock, Gina Ralph, E. Stump, F. Al Abdali, J. Al Asfoor, B. Al Buwaiqi, A. Al Kindi, A. Ambuali, Tiffany Birge, P. Borsa, F. Di Dario, B. Everett, S. Fennessy, C. Fonseca, Claire Gorman, A. Govender, H. Ho, W. Holleman, N. Jiddawi, M. Khan, H. Larson, Christi Linardich, P. Matiku, K. Matsuura, C. Maunde, H. Motomura, T. Munroe, R. Nair, C. Obota, B. Polidoro, B. Russell, S. Shaheen, Y. Sithole, W. Smith-Vaniz, F. Uiblein, S. Weerts, A. Williams, S. Yahya, Kent Carpenter Jan 2021

The Conservation Status Of Marine Biodiversity Of The Western Indian Ocean, R. Bullock, Gina Ralph, E. Stump, F. Al Abdali, J. Al Asfoor, B. Al Buwaiqi, A. Al Kindi, A. Ambuali, Tiffany Birge, P. Borsa, F. Di Dario, B. Everett, S. Fennessy, C. Fonseca, Claire Gorman, A. Govender, H. Ho, W. Holleman, N. Jiddawi, M. Khan, H. Larson, Christi Linardich, P. Matiku, K. Matsuura, C. Maunde, H. Motomura, T. Munroe, R. Nair, C. Obota, B. Polidoro, B. Russell, S. Shaheen, Y. Sithole, W. Smith-Vaniz, F. Uiblein, S. Weerts, A. Williams, S. Yahya, Kent Carpenter

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) is comprised of productive and highly diverse marine ecosystems that are rich sources of food security, livelihoods, and natural wonder. The ecological services that species provide are vital to the productivity of these ecosystems and healthy biodiversity is essential for the continued support of economies and local users. The stability of these valuable resources, however, is being eroded by growing threats to marine life from overexploitation, habitat degradation and climate change, all of which are causing serious reductions in marine ecosystem services and the ability of these ecosystems to support human communities. Quantifying the impacts …


Using Genetics To Inform Restoration And Predict Resilience In Declining Populations Of A Keystone Marine Sponge, Sarah M. Griffiths, Evelyn D. Taylor-Cox, Donald C. Behringer, Mark J. Butler Iv, Richard F. Preziosi Feb 2020

Using Genetics To Inform Restoration And Predict Resilience In Declining Populations Of A Keystone Marine Sponge, Sarah M. Griffiths, Evelyn D. Taylor-Cox, Donald C. Behringer, Mark J. Butler Iv, Richard F. Preziosi

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Genetic tools can have a key role in informing conservation management of declining populations. Genetic diversity is an important determinant of population fitness and resilience, and can require careful management to ensure sufficient variation is present. In addition, population genetics data reveal patterns of connectivity and gene flow between locations, enabling mangers to predict recovery and resilience, identify areas of local adaptation, and generate restoration plans. Here, we demonstrate a conservation genetics approach to inform restoration and management of the loggerhead sponge (Spheciospongia vesparium) in the Florida Keys, USA. This species is a dominant, habitat-forming component of marine ecosystems in …


Conserving Spawning Stocks Through Harvest Slot Limits And No-Take Protected Areas, Gaya Gnanalingam, Holly Gaff, Mark J. Butler Iv Jan 2020

Conserving Spawning Stocks Through Harvest Slot Limits And No-Take Protected Areas, Gaya Gnanalingam, Holly Gaff, Mark J. Butler Iv

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The key to the conservation of harvested species is the maintenance of reproductive success. Yet for many marine species large, old individuals are targeted despite their disproportionate contribution to reproduction. We hypothesized that a combination of no-take marine protected areas (MPAs) and harvest slot limits (maximum and minimum size limits) would result in the conservation of large spawning individuals under heavy harvest. We tested this approach under different harvest intensities with a 2-sex, stage-structured metapopulation model for the Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus). P. argus is intensively harvested in the Caribbean, and in many localities large, mature individuals no longer …


Translating Globally Threatened Marine Species Information Into Regional Guidance For The Gulf Of Mexico, Kyle Strongin, Beth Polidoro, Christi Linardich, Gina Ralph, Kent Carpenter Jan 2020

Translating Globally Threatened Marine Species Information Into Regional Guidance For The Gulf Of Mexico, Kyle Strongin, Beth Polidoro, Christi Linardich, Gina Ralph, Kent Carpenter

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

A comprehensive understanding of the status of marine organisms in the Gulf of Mexico is critical to the conservation and improved management of marine biodiversity in the region. Threats and extinction risk, based on application of the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria at the global level, were analyzed for 1,300 Gulf of Mexico marine species. These species include all known marine mammals, sea birds, marine reptiles, cartilaginous fishes, bony shorefishes, corals, mangroves, seagrasses and complete clades of select invertebrates. Analyses showed that 6% of these species are threatened, 2% Near Threatened, 9% Data Deficient, and 83% Least Concern. However, …


Mapping Status And Conservation Of Global At-Risk Marine Biodiversity, Casey C. O'Hara, Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez, Gina M. Ralph, Benjamin S. Halpern Jan 2019

Mapping Status And Conservation Of Global At-Risk Marine Biodiversity, Casey C. O'Hara, Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez, Gina M. Ralph, Benjamin S. Halpern

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

To conserve marine biodiversity, we must first understand the spatial distribution and status of at‐risk biodiversity. We combined range maps and conservation status for 5,291 marine species to map the global distribution of extinction risk of marine biodiversity. We find that for 83% of the ocean, >25% of assessed species are considered threatened, and 15% of the ocean shows >50% of assessed species threatened when weighting for range‐limited species. By comparing mean extinction risk of marine biodiversity to no‐take marine reserve placement, we identify regions where reserves preferentially afford proactive protection (i.e., preserving low‐risk areas) or reactive protection (i.e., mitigating …


Impact Of Vehicular Traffic On Vertebrate Fauna In Horton Plains And Yala National Parks Of Sri Lanka: Some Implications For Conservation And Management, Suranjan Karunarathna, Sudheera Ranwala, Thilina Surasinghe, Majintha Madawala Jan 2017

Impact Of Vehicular Traffic On Vertebrate Fauna In Horton Plains And Yala National Parks Of Sri Lanka: Some Implications For Conservation And Management, Suranjan Karunarathna, Sudheera Ranwala, Thilina Surasinghe, Majintha Madawala

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Abstract: Impacts of roadkills are extensively documented in developed nations. Only a handful of studies on road mortality has emerged from developing nations where tourism and rural development have led to an expansion of transportation networks. To fill such gaps, we conducted a survey to document roadkills in and around two tourism-heavy national parks of Sri Lanka and identified factors that contribute to road mortality. Based on a questionnaire, we interviewed 68 local villagers, 56 local and 59 foreign visitors, and 57 safari drivers to document their opportunistic observations on roadkills, their awareness about roadkills, and to understand potential causes …


Insights Into The Ecology, Genetics And Distribution Of Lucanus Elaphus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Lucanidae), North America's Giant Stag Beetle, Michael D. Ulyshen, Louis G. Zachos, John O. Stireman Iii, Thomas N. Sheehan, Ryan C. Garrick Jan 2017

Insights Into The Ecology, Genetics And Distribution Of Lucanus Elaphus Fabricius (Coleoptera: Lucanidae), North America's Giant Stag Beetle, Michael D. Ulyshen, Louis G. Zachos, John O. Stireman Iii, Thomas N. Sheehan, Ryan C. Garrick

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

1. Little is known about the biology or conservation status of Lucanus elaphus Fabricius in North America despite well-documented declines of a related species, Lucanus cervus (L.), in Europe. This study provides information critical to developing conservation plans for L. elaphus including the species’ larval substrate requirements, genetic data and range-wide estimates of habitat suitability. 2. In Mississippi floodplain forests, larval L. elaphus were recovered from a wide range of log sizes and rot types and were either found tunnelling within the wood or feeding beneath logs at the soil–wood interface. The species appears to require 1–2 years to complete …


The Conservation Status Of Marine Biodiversity Of The Pacific Islands Of Oceania, H. Pippard, G. M. Ralph, M. S. Harvey, K. E. Carpenter, J. R. Buchanan, D. W. Greenfield, H. D. Harwell, H. K. Larson, A. Lawrence, C. Linardich, K. Matsuura, H. Motomura, T. A. Munroe, R. F. Myers, B. C. Russell, W. F. Smith-Vaniz, J. C. Vié, R. R. Thaman, J. T. Williams Jan 2017

The Conservation Status Of Marine Biodiversity Of The Pacific Islands Of Oceania, H. Pippard, G. M. Ralph, M. S. Harvey, K. E. Carpenter, J. R. Buchanan, D. W. Greenfield, H. D. Harwell, H. K. Larson, A. Lawrence, C. Linardich, K. Matsuura, H. Motomura, T. A. Munroe, R. F. Myers, B. C. Russell, W. F. Smith-Vaniz, J. C. Vié, R. R. Thaman, J. T. Williams

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Pacific Islands of Oceania are small islands and atolls occurring over a vast expanse of ocean that are characterized by immense biodiversity and endemism. This project represents a major expansion of the coverage of the Pacific Islands’ marine biodiversity on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The threats to Pacific Island marine biodiversity are many. Results from IUCN Red List initiatives such as this can guide decision-making and conservation prioritization of Pacific Island governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector. By shaping regional and national policies with these data in mind, priority sites for maintaining marine biodiversity …


Are We Missing Important Areas In Pelagic Marine Conservation? Redefining Conservation Hotspots In The Ocean, Dana K. Briscoe, Sara M. Maxwell, Raphael Kudela, Larry B. Crowder Jan 2016

Are We Missing Important Areas In Pelagic Marine Conservation? Redefining Conservation Hotspots In The Ocean, Dana K. Briscoe, Sara M. Maxwell, Raphael Kudela, Larry B. Crowder

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The protection of biodiversity is one of the most important goals in terrestrial and marine conservation. Marine conservation approaches have traditionally followed the example of terrestrial initiatives. However, patterns, processes, habitats, and threats differ greatly between the 2 systems - and even within the marine environment. As a result, there is still a lack of congruence as to how to best identify and prioritize conservation approaches moving from the static terrestrial and nearshore realm into a more fluid, 3-dimensional pelagic realm. To address this problem, we investigate how the conservation science literature has been used to inform and guide management …


Shortfalls And Solutions For Meeting National And Global Conservation Area Targets, Stuart H. M. Butchart, Martin Clarke, Robert J. Smith, Rachel E. Sykes, Jorn P. W. Scharlemann, Mike Harfoot, Graeme M. Buchanan, Ariadne Angulo, Andrew Balmford, Bastian Bertzky, Thomas M. Brooks, Kent E. Carpenter, 28 Others Jan 2015

Shortfalls And Solutions For Meeting National And Global Conservation Area Targets, Stuart H. M. Butchart, Martin Clarke, Robert J. Smith, Rachel E. Sykes, Jorn P. W. Scharlemann, Mike Harfoot, Graeme M. Buchanan, Ariadne Angulo, Andrew Balmford, Bastian Bertzky, Thomas M. Brooks, Kent E. Carpenter, 28 Others

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Governments have committed to conserving greater than or equal to 17% of terrestrial and greater than or equal to 10% of marine environments globally, especially "areas of particular importance for biodiversity" through "ecologically representative" Protected Area (PA) systems or other "area-based conservation measures", while individual countries have committed to conserve 3-50% of their land area. We estimate that PAs currently cover 14.6% of terrestrial and 2.8% of marine extent, but 59-68% of ecoregions, 77-78% of important sites for biodiversity, and 57% of 25,380 species have inadequate coverage. The existing 19.7 million km super(2) terrestrial PA network needs only 3.3 million …


A Popular And Potentially Sustainable Fishery Resource Under Pressure-Extinction Risk And Conservation Of Brazilian Sciaenidae (Teleostei: Perciformes), Ning L. Chao, Flávia L. Frédou, Manuel Haimovici, Monica B. Peres, Beth Polidoro, Marcelo Raseira, Rosana Subira, Kent E. Carpenter Jan 2015

A Popular And Potentially Sustainable Fishery Resource Under Pressure-Extinction Risk And Conservation Of Brazilian Sciaenidae (Teleostei: Perciformes), Ning L. Chao, Flávia L. Frédou, Manuel Haimovici, Monica B. Peres, Beth Polidoro, Marcelo Raseira, Rosana Subira, Kent E. Carpenter

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Croakers (Sciaenidae) are major fishery resource in Brazil; constituting 22% of marine and 9% of freshwater fishery landings. Croakers are subject to heavy fishing pressure throughout Brazil, but habitat alteration is also an important threat to regional populations. In this regional Sciaenidae assessment, each species was analyzed for relative risk of extinction, including the identification and quantification of the impact of major threats and existing conservation measures, based on application of the Categories and Criteria of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Of the 52 species of Sciaenid fishes (34 marine and 18 freshwater) present in Brazilian waters, the …


Concordance Between Phylogeographic And Biogeographic Boundaries In The Coral Triangle: Conservation Implications Based On Comparative Analyses Of Multiple Giant Clam Species, Timery S. Deboer, Maria Rio Abdon Naguit, Mark V. Erdmann, Maria Carmen A. Ablan-Lagman, Ambariyanto, Kent E. Carpenter, Abdul Hamid A. Toha, Paul H. Barber Jan 2014

Concordance Between Phylogeographic And Biogeographic Boundaries In The Coral Triangle: Conservation Implications Based On Comparative Analyses Of Multiple Giant Clam Species, Timery S. Deboer, Maria Rio Abdon Naguit, Mark V. Erdmann, Maria Carmen A. Ablan-Lagman, Ambariyanto, Kent E. Carpenter, Abdul Hamid A. Toha, Paul H. Barber

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Marine habitats are in decline worldwide, precipitating a strong interest in marine conservation. The use of biogeographic data to designate ecoregions has had significant impacts on terrestrial conservation efforts. However, classification of marine environments into ecoregions has only become available in the last several years, based on biogeographic data supplemented by geomorphology, ocean currents, and water temperatures. Here we use a comparative phylogeographic approach to test for concordant phylogeographic patterns in three closely related species of Tridacna giant clams across the Coral Triangle, the most biodiverse marine region in the world and one of the most threatened. Data from a …


The Effects Of Climate Change On Biodiversity: Pressing Issues And Research Priorities, Friedhelm Krupp, Lytton J. Musselman, Mohammed M.A. Kotb, Ilka Weidig Jan 2009

The Effects Of Climate Change On Biodiversity: Pressing Issues And Research Priorities, Friedhelm Krupp, Lytton J. Musselman, Mohammed M.A. Kotb, Ilka Weidig

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.


Human Activity Mediates A Trophic Cascade Caused By Wolves, Mark Hebblewhite, Clifford A. White, Clifford G. Nietvelt, John A. Mckenzie, Tomas E. Hurd, John M. Fryxell, Suzanne E. Bayley, Paul C. Paquet Aug 2005

Human Activity Mediates A Trophic Cascade Caused By Wolves, Mark Hebblewhite, Clifford A. White, Clifford G. Nietvelt, John A. Mckenzie, Tomas E. Hurd, John M. Fryxell, Suzanne E. Bayley, Paul C. Paquet

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Experimental evidence of trophic cascades initiated by large vertebrate predators is rare in terrestrial ecosystems. A serendipitous natural experiment provided an opportunity to test the trophic cascade hypothesis for wolves (Canis lupus) in Banff National Park, Canada. The first wolf pack recolonized the Bow Valley of Banff National Park in 1986. High human activity partially excluded wolves from one area of the Bow Valley (low-wolf area), whereas wolves made full use of an adjacent area (high-wolf area). We investigated the effects of differential wolf predation between these two areas on elk (Cervus elaphus) population density, adult …