DOCSLIB.ORG

Exploring the Main Threats to the Threatened African Spurred Tortoise Centrochelys Sulcata in the West African Sahel

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Exploring the Main Threats to the Threatened African Spurred Tortoise Centrochelys Sulcata in the West African Sahel Exploring the main threats to the threatened African spurred tortoise Centrochelys sulcata in the West African Sahel F ABIO P ETROZZI,EDEM A. ENIANG,GODFREY C. AKANI,NIOKING A MADI E MMANUEL M. HEMA,TOMAS D IAGNE,GABRIEL H OINSOUDÉ S EGNIAGBETO L AURENT C HIRIO,GIOVANNI A MORI and L UCA L UISELLI Abstract The African spurred tortoise Centrochelys sulcata Keywords CITES, conservation, pet trade, Sahel, spurred is the second largest terrestrial turtle, with a scattered distri- tortoise, tortoise–livestock competition, transhumant graz- bution across the West African Sahel. This species is threa- ing system, wildfires tened and declining consistently throughout its range, but The supplementary material for this article can be found on- little is known about the causes of its decline. It has been hy- line at https://doi.org/./S pothesized that the decline is attributable to () competition with domestic cattle, () wildfire, and () the international pet trade. We conducted a series of analyses to investigate these three causes. Hypotheses and were analysed Introduction using a spatially explicit approach, using a database of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations he African spurred tortoise Centrochelys sulcata and logistic regression modelling; hypothesis was tested T(Plate ) is a native species of the Sahara Desert and by analysing the CITES trade database for –.We the Sahel, where its distribution is fragmented (Trape found a significant negative correlation between intensity et al., ; Petrozzi et al., , ). All populations of − of grazing (expressed as density of cattle, km ) and the this large tortoise (up to kg weight) are reported to be de- presence of spurred tortoises, and this negative effect in- clining, mainly as a result of two independent threats: com- creased when coupled with high fire intensity, whereas wild- petition with domestic livestock for food and space (Branch, fires alone did not have a significant influence on the ), and collection for the pet trade (CITES, ) and for species’ distribution at the global scale. There was a decrease subsistence (Branch, ). The species is categorized as in the annual export of wild individuals for the pet trade Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List (Tortoise & Freshwater after the introduction of export quotas by country and by Turtle Specialist Group, ). year, but trade data must be considered with caution. The hypothesis that cattle are negatively affecting the tortoise’s status and distribution had not been tested previ- ously but is theoretically valid because of the characteristics of the Sahel ecosystem where the species occurs. The Sahel is a transitional ecoregion of semi-arid grasslands, savannahs FABIO PETROZZI*, GODFREY C. AKANI,NIOKING AMADI and LUCA LUISELLI† and thorn shrublands across Burkina Faso, the Central (Corresponding author) Department of Applied and Environmental Biology, African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Nigeria E-mail [email protected] Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan (Trape et al., ; Mallon et al., ). In the Sahel, which includes EDEM A. ENIANG Department of Forestry and Natural Environmental Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, several of the world’s economically poorest regions, most Nigeria people rely on cattle grazing and derivate activities to sur- EMMANUEL M. HEMA Université Ouaga 1 Professeur Joseph Ki ZERBO/CUP-D, vive (Touré et al., ; Barry et al., ; Kagoné, ). laboratoire de Biologie et Ecologie Animales, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Two main types of grazing systems tend to coexist in coun- TOMAS DIAGNE African Chelonian Institute, Ngaparou-Mbour, Senegal tries of Sahelian Africa: traditional extensive systems and GABRIEL HOINSOUDÉ SEGNIAGBETO Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, modern, semi-intensive to intensive ones (Kagoné, ). University of Lomé, Togo Traditional systems are low-input systems, with no supple- LAURENT CHIRIO Grasse, France mented food or chemicals being used except during emer- GIOVANNI AMORI National Research Council (CNR) Institute of Ecosystem gency periods when forage availability is scarce. They Studies, Rome, Italy include the transhumant Fulani system (c. % of total cattle *Also at: Ecologia Applicata Italia srl, Rome, Italy stock), sedentary village stock-raising, and stock rearing in †Also at: IDECC–Institute for Development, Ecology, Conservation and Cooperation, via G. Tomasi di Lampedusa 33, I-00144 Rome, Italy developed pastoral areas. In the Fulani system, herds may be Received June . Revision requested July . single-species (Sudanian Fulani zebu) or mixed, with small Accepted September . First published online January . ruminants and cattle, and cattle are fed by opportunistic Oryx, 2018, 52(3), 544–551 © 2017 Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605316001125 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.35.93, on 30 Sep 2021 at 14:53:16, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605316001125 Threats to the Sahel tortoise 545 were poor and were not considered in the analysis, although spurred tortoises do occur in these countries (Largen & Spawls, ). From these data we deleted records of specimens that were not observed directly in the wild, as indicated in Petrozzi et al. (, ), or from areas where the species is now extinct (e.g. Cameroon; Chirio & LeBreton, ). For each presence point we used the longitude and latitude graticule used by Trape et al. (), in which each grid cell was , km ( × km), in QGIS .. (QGIS Development Team, ). We deleted grid cells with . % of the area covered by sea, leaving cells (n = ). Using QGIS we drew a minimum convex polygon inclu- ‘ ’ PLATE 1 An adult Centrochelys sulcata in the W National Park, sive of all presence points (n = ). Within this we created Niger, West Africa. Photograph by B. Cornelis. random absence points, using QGIS functions (Fig. b). When randomly selected absence grid cells coincided with exploitation of forage resources according to a yearly se- presence cells the cells were replaced with new, random ab- quence of grazing involving five seasons and the various sence cells. Square grid cells (Trape et al., ) were used for types of pasture available (Barry et al., ; Kagoné, both the presence and absence points. ). Both this system and modern intensive grazing are Livestock density distribution data were extrapolated invasive for the natural vegetation of the Sahel and, as a con- from Robinson et al. (). We clipped a raster of cattle sequence, large areas have been altered (Kagoné, ) and density (Robinson et al., ) with a shape file covering many species are threatened (Mallon et al., ). the whole of the species’ range, in which both presence Sahelian pastoralists burn wide areas to facilitate cattle and absence grid cells were included (Fig. c). We then re- grazing, and fires also spread naturally throughout the classified the resulting raster file using the FAO format, with Sahelian region (Behnke, ; Smet & Ward, ; eight classes of density for livestock, yielding eight raster Solomon et al., ). It is predicted that the spread of files. These were transformed into shape files, which were fires may have a negative effect on the distribution of then merged into a single shape file. This was clipped for spurred tortoises throughout the region. each presence and absence grid cell. The hypothesis that the international pet trade may be a All the shape files (classified shape files, merged shape factor in the depletion of spurred tortoise populations had file, and presence and absence grid cells with cattle density) not previously been analysed in depth, as it is difficult to were processed using SpatiaLite v. .. (Furieri, )to test with field data. Nonetheless, CITES data are available correct potential invalid geometries, thus obtaining an out- and may provide some insight into potential conservation put file (.sql) for each grid cell. The .sql files were imported issues. into QGIS and saved as a new shape file to obtain the surface Our aims were () to explore the tortoise–livestock com- of all the classes, both for each grid cell and in total. From petition hypothesis by evaluating whether the distribution the surface of each livestock class in each grid cell we calcu- of spurred tortoises is negatively correlated with the density lated the percentage of cell territory covered by the various of domestic livestock, () to analyse whether there is an ap- classes of livestock density. Eight classes of livestock density parent effect of the spatial distribution of fires on the distri- were used, as also used by FAO. Classes of predicted live- bution of tortoises, and () to analyse the CITES database to stock density (expressed as number of animals per km ), identify general patterns in the international trade of as obtained from the FAO dataset (FAO, ) and used Centrochelys sulcata. in our analyses, were: –; –; –; –; –; –; –; . Methods Fire analysis Data sources and geographical information system (GIS) The distribution of fire across the Sahelian region was calcu- procedures lated using historical MODIS (Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data (NASA, )for–;fires We extracted distribution data for spurred tortoises in West detected covered at least , m . A point shape file was Africa from the literature (Trape et al., ; Petrozzi et al., clipped, as for cattle distribution,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Chelonian Perivitelline Membrane-Bound Sperm Detection: a New Breeding Management Tool
    Zoo Biology 35: 95–103 (2016) RESEARCH ARTICLE Chelonian Perivitelline Membrane-Bound Sperm Detection: A New Breeding Management Tool Kaitlin Croyle,1,2 Paul Gibbons,3 Christine Light,3 Eric Goode,3 Barbara Durrant,1 and Thomas Jensen1* 1San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, Escondido, California 2Department of Biological Sciences, California State University San Marcos, San Marcos, California 3Turtle Conservancy, New York, New York Perivitelline membrane (PVM)-bound sperm detection has recently been incorporated into avian breeding programs to assess egg fertility, confirm successful copulation, and to evaluate male reproductive status and pair compatibility. Due to the similarities between avian and chelonian egg structure and development, and because fertility determination in chelonian eggs lacking embryonic growth is equally challenging, PVM-bound sperm detection may also be a promising tool for the reproductive management of turtles and tortoises. This study is the first to successfully demonstrate the use of PVM-bound sperm detection in chelonian eggs. Recovered membranes were stained with Hoechst 33342 and examined for sperm presence using fluorescence microscopy. Sperm were positively identified for up to 206 days post-oviposition, following storage, diapause, and/or incubation, in 52 opportunistically collected eggs representing 12 species. However, advanced microbial infection frequently hindered the ability to detect membrane-bound sperm. Fertile Centrochelys sulcata, Manouria emys,andStigmochelys pardalis eggs were used to evaluate the impact of incubation and storage on the ability to detect sperm. Storage at À20°C or in formalin were found to be the best methods for egg preservation prior to sperm detection. Additionally, sperm-derived mtDNA was isolated and PCR amplified from Astrochelys radiata, C.
    [Show full text]
  • Manual for the Differentiation of Captive-Produced and Wild-Caught Turtles and Tortoises (Testudines)
    Image: Peter Paul van Dijk Image:Henrik Bringsøe Image: Henrik Bringsøe Image: Andrei Daniel Mihalca Image: Beate Pfau MANUAL F O R T H E DIFFERENTIATION OF CAPTIVE-PRODUCED AND WILD-CAUGHT TURTLES AND TORTOISES (TESTUDINES) PREPARED BY SPECIES360 UNDER CONTRACT FOR THE CITES SECRETARIAT Manual for the differentiation of captive-produced and wild-caught turtles and tortoises (Testudines) This document was prepared by Species360 under contract for the CITES Secretariat. Principal Investigators: Prof. Dalia A. Conde, Ph.D. and Johanna Staerk, Ph.D., Species360 Conservation Science Alliance, https://www.species360.orG Authors: Johanna Staerk1,2, A. Rita da Silva1,2, Lionel Jouvet 1,2, Peter Paul van Dijk3,4,5, Beate Pfau5, Ioanna Alexiadou1,2 and Dalia A. Conde 1,2 Affiliations: 1 Species360 Conservation Science Alliance, www.species360.orG,2 Center on Population Dynamics (CPop), Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark, 3 The Turtle Conservancy, www.turtleconservancy.orG , 4 Global Wildlife Conservation, globalwildlife.orG , 5 IUCN SSC Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, www.iucn-tftsG.org. 6 Deutsche Gesellschaft für HerpetoloGie und Terrarienkunde (DGHT) Images (title page): First row, left: Mixed species shipment (imaGe taken by Peter Paul van Dijk) First row, riGht: Wild Testudo marginata from Greece with damaGe of the plastron (imaGe taken by Henrik BrinGsøe) Second row, left: Wild Testudo marginata from Greece with minor damaGe of the carapace (imaGe taken by Henrik BrinGsøe) Second row, middle: Ticks on tortoise shell (Amblyomma sp. in Geochelone pardalis) (imaGe taken by Andrei Daniel Mihalca) Second row, riGht: Testudo graeca with doG bite marks (imaGe taken by Beate Pfau) Acknowledgements: The development of this manual would not have been possible without the help, support and guidance of many people.
    [Show full text]
  • Movement, Home Range and Habitat Use in Leopard Tortoises (Stigmochelys Pardalis) on Commercial
    Movement, home range and habitat use in leopard tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis) on commercial farmland in the semi-arid Karoo. Martyn Drabik-Hamshare Submitted in fulfilment of the academic requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Discipline of Ecological Sciences School of Life Sciences College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science University of KwaZulu-Natal Pietermaritzburg Campus 2016 ii ABSTRACT Given the ever-increasing demand for resources due to an increasing human population, vast ranges of natural areas have undergone land use change, either due to urbanisation or production and exploitation of resources. In the semi-arid Karoo of southern Africa, natural lands have been converted to private commercial farmland, reducing habitat available for wildlife. Furthermore, conversion of land to energy production is increasing, with areas affected by the introduction of wind energy, solar energy, or hydraulic fracturing. Such widespread changes affects a wide range of animal and plant communities. Southern Africa hosts the highest diversity of tortoises (Family: Testudinidae), with up to 18 species present in sub-Saharan Africa, and 13 species within the borders of South Africa alone. Diversity culminates in the Karoo, whereby up to five species occur. Tortoises throughout the world are undergoing a crisis, with at least 80 % of the world’s species listed at ‘Vulnerable’ or above. Given the importance of many tortoise species to their environments and ecosystems— tortoises are important seed dispersers, whilst some species produce burrows used by numerous other taxa—comparatively little is known about certain aspects relating to their ecology: for example spatial ecology, habitat use and activity patterns.
    [Show full text]
  • A Survey of the Potential Distribution of the Threatened Tortoise Centrochelys Sulcata Populations in Burkina Faso (West Africa)
    Tropical Ecology 57(4): 709-716, 2016 ISSN 0564-3295 © International Society for Tropical Ecology www.tropecol.com A survey of the potential distribution of the threatened tortoise Centrochelys sulcata populations in Burkina Faso (West Africa) FABIO PETROZZI1,2, EMMANUEL M. HEMA3,4 , LUCA LUISELLI1,5*& WENDENGOUDI GUENDA3 1Niger Delta Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation Unit, Department of Applied and Environmental Biology, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, P.M.B. 5080 Nkpolu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria 2Ecologia Applicata Italia s.r.l., via Edoardo Jenner 70, Rome, Italy 3Université de Ouagadougou/CUPD, Laboratoire de Biologie et Ecologie Animales, 09 B.P. 848 Ouagadougou 09 - Burkina Faso 4Groupe des Expert en Gestion des Eléphants et de la Biodiversité de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (GEGEBAO) 5Institute for Development, Ecology, Conservation and Cooperation, via G. Tomasi di Lampedusa 33, I-00144 Rome, Italy Abstract: The African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata) is a threatened species, especially in West Africa, where it shows a scattered distribution. In Burkina Faso, the species distribution is unknown and we documented the current distribution and potential habitat characteristics. We found evidence of the species in a few sites in the northern and eastern part of the country, whereas some records from the southern part of Burkina Faso were considered unreliable. Multiple specimens were recorded only in four localities, mainly in the Sahel ecological zone. Annual rainfall was negatively related to the observed number of tortoises per site, and indeed these tortoises were found in the Sahel and adjacent ecoregions where rainfall is lower than other regions in Burkina Faso whereas latitude and numbers of tortoise individuals observed in each site were positively related.
    [Show full text]
  • 15Th Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles
    CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA 2017 15th Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles Joint Annual Meeting of the Turtle Survival Alliance and IUCN Tortoise & Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group Program and Abstracts August 7 - 9 2017 Charleston, SC Additional Conference Support Provided by: Kristin Berry, Herpetologiccal Review, John Iverson, Robert Krause,George Meyer, David Shapiro, Anders Rhodin, Brett and Nancy Stearns, and Reid Taylor Funding for the 2016 Behler Turtle Conservation Award Provided by: Brett and Nancy Stearns, Chelonian Research Foundation, Deb Behler, George Meyer, IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, Leigh Ann and Matt Frankel and the Turtle Survival Alliance TSA PROJECTS TURTLE SURVIVAL ALLIANCE 2017 Conference Highlights In October 2016, the TSA opened the Keynote: Russell Mittermeier Tortoise Conservation Center in southern Madagascar that will provide long- Priorities and Opportunities in Biodiversity Conservation term care for the burgeoning number of tortoises seized from the illegal trade. Russell A. Mittermeier is The TSA manages over 7,800 Radiated Executive Vice Chair at Con- Tortoises in seven rescue facilities. servation International. He served as President of Conser- vation International from 1989 to 2014. Named a “Hero for the Planet” by TIME magazine, Mittermeier is regarded as a world leader in the field of biodiversity and tropical forest conservation. Trained as a primatologist and herpetologist, he has traveled widely in over 160 countries on seven continents, and has conducted field work in more than 30 − focusing particularly on Amazonia (especially Brazil The TSA-Myanmar team and our vet- and Suriname), the Atlantic forest region of Brazil, and Madagascar.
    [Show full text]
  • TCF Summary Activity Report 2002–2018
    Turtle Conservation Fund • Summary Activity Report 2002–2018 Turtle Conservation Fund A Partnership Coalition of Leading Turtle Conservation Organizations and Individuals Summary Activity Report 2002–2018 1 Turtle Conservation Fund • Summary Activity Report 2002–2018 Recommended Citation: Turtle Conservation Fund [Rhodin, A.G.J., Quinn, H.R., Goode, E.V., Hudson, R., Mittermeier, R.A., and van Dijk, P.P.]. 2019. Turtle Conservation Fund: A Partnership Coalition of Leading Turtle Conservation Organi- zations and Individuals—Summary Activity Report 2002–2018. Lunenburg, MA and Ojai, CA: Chelonian Research Foundation and Turtle Conservancy, 54 pp. Front Cover Photo: Radiated Tortoise, Astrochelys radiata, Cap Sainte Marie Special Reserve, southern Madagascar. Photo by Anders G.J. Rhodin. Back Cover Photo: Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle, Rafetus swinhoei, Dong Mo Lake, Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo by Timothy E.M. McCormack. Printed by Inkspot Press, Bennington, VT 05201 USA. Hardcopy available from Chelonian Research Foundation, 564 Chittenden Dr., Arlington, VT 05250 USA. Downloadable pdf copy available at www.turtleconservationfund.org 2 Turtle Conservation Fund • Summary Activity Report 2002–2018 Turtle Conservation Fund A Partnership Coalition of Leading Turtle Conservation Organizations and Individuals Summary Activity Report 2002–2018 by Anders G.J. Rhodin, Hugh R. Quinn, Eric V. Goode, Rick Hudson, Russell A. Mittermeier, and Peter Paul van Dijk Strategic Action Planning and Funding Support for Conservation of Threatened Tortoises and Freshwater
    [Show full text]
  • Proposed Amendment to 21CFR124021
    Richard Fife 8195 S. Valley Vista Drive Hereford, AZ 85615 December 07, 2015 Division of Dockets Management Food and Drug Administration 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061 Rockville, MD 20852 Reference: Docket Number FDA-2013-S-0610 Proposed Amendment to Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Volume 8 Revised as of April 1, 2015 21CFR Sec.1240.62 Dear Dr. Stephen Ostroff, M.D., Acting Commissioner: Per discussion with the Division of Dockets Management staff on November 10, 2015 Environmental and Economic impact statements are not required for petitions submitted under 21CFR Sec.1240.62 CITIZEN PETITION December 07, 2015 ACTION REQUESTED: I propose an amendment to 21CFR Sec.1240.62 (see exhibit 1) as allowed by Section (d) Petitions as follows: Amend section (c) Exceptions. The provisions of this section are not applicable to: By adding the following two (2) exceptions: (5) The sale, holding for sale, and distribution of live turtles and viable turtle eggs, which are sold for a retail value of $75 or more (not to include any additional turtle related apparatuses, supplies, cages, food, or other turtle related paraphernalia). This dollar amount should be reviewed every 5 years or more often, as deemed necessary by the department in order to make adjustments for inflation using the US Department of Labor, Bureau of labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index. (6) The sale, holding for sale, and distribution of live turtles and viable turtle eggs, which are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List as Extinct In Wild, Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable (IUCN threatened categorizes).
    [Show full text]
  • The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science
    Advance Publication The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science Accepted Date: 11 January 2021 J-STAGE Advance Published Date: 21 January 2021 ©2021 The Japanese Society of Veterinary Science Author manuscripts have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication but have not yet been edited. Wildlife Science Full paper Survey of tortoises with urolithiasis in Japan Yoshinori Takami1)*, Hitoshi Koieyama2), Nobuo Sasaki3), Takumi Iwai4), Youki Takaki1), Takehiro Watanabe1), Yasutugu Miwa3)4) 1) Verts Animal Hospital, 4-3-1, Morooka, Hakata-Ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka, 812-0894, Japan 2) Reptile Clinic, 2F, Morisima Building, 3-2-3, Hongo, Bunkyou-Ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan 3) VISION VETS GROUP Lab, #201 NAESHIRO Bldg., 1-24-6, Komagome, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-0003, Japan 4) Miwa Exotic Animal Hospital, 1-25-5, Komagome, Tosima-Ku, Tokyo, 170-0003, Japan *Correspondence to: Takami, Y. Verts Animal Hospital, 4-3-1, Morooka, Hakata-Ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka, 812-0894, Japan Tel: 092-707-8947 Fax: 092-707-8948 E-mail: [email protected] Running Head: UROLITHIASIS PREVALENCE IN TORTOISES 1 ABSTRACT Urolithiasis is a disease often seen in tortoises at veterinary hospitals, however there have been no comprehensive research reports of tortoises with urolithiasis in Japan. In this study, we analyzed tortoises diagnosed with urolithiasis at three domestic veterinary hospitals. Based on medical records, we assessed the diagnostic method, species, sex, body weight, dietary history, husbandry, clinical signs, clinical examination, treatment for urolithiasis, and clinical outcome. The total number of cases in the 3 facilities was 101. As for species of tortoises, the most common was the African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata) with 42 cases (41.6%), followed by the Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) with 30 cases (29.7%).
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Mitogenomics Clarifies Radiation of Extinct Mascarene Giant Tortoises (Cylindraspis Spp.)
    Title Ancient mitogenomics clarifies radiation of extinct Mascarene giant tortoises (Cylindraspis spp.) Authors Kehlmaier, C; Graciá, E; Campbell, P; Hofmeyr, MD; SCHWEIGER, S; Martínez-Silvestre, A; Joyce, W; Fritz, U Date Submitted 2019-11-26 www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Ancient mitogenomics clarifes radiation of extinct Mascarene giant tortoises (Cylindraspis spp.) Christian Kehlmaier1, Eva Graciá2, Patrick D. Campbell3, Margaretha D. Hofmeyr4, Silke Schweiger5, Albert Martínez-Silvestre6, Walter Joyce7 & Uwe Fritz 1* The fve extinct giant tortoises of the genus Cylindraspis belong to the most iconic species of the enigmatic fauna of the Mascarene Islands that went largely extinct after the discovery of the islands. To resolve the phylogeny and biogeography of Cylindraspis, we analysed a data set of 45 mitogenomes that includes all lineages of extant tortoises and eight near-complete sequences of all Mascarene species extracted from historic and subfossil material. Cylindraspis is an ancient lineage that diverged as early as the late Eocene. Diversifcation of Cylindraspis commenced in the mid-Oligocene, long before the formation of the Mascarene Islands. This rejects any notion suggesting that the group either arrived from nearby or distant continents over the course of the last millions of years or had even been translocated to the islands by humans. Instead, Cylindraspis likely originated on now submerged islands of the Réunion Hotspot and utilized these to island hop to reach the Mascarenes. The fnal diversifcation took place both before and after the arrival on the Mascarenes. With Cylindraspis a deeply divergent clade of tortoises became extinct that evolved long before the dodo or the Rodrigues solitaire, two other charismatic species of the lost Mascarene fauna.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecological History and Latent Conservation Potential: Large and Giant Tortoises As a Model for Taxon Substitutions
    Ecography 33: 272Á284, 2010 doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0587.2010.06305.x # 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation # 2010 Ecography Subject Editors: David Nogue´s-Bravo and Carsten Rahbek. Accepted 7 March 2010 Ecological history and latent conservation potential: large and giant tortoises as a model for taxon substitutions Dennis M. Hansen, C. Josh Donlan, Christine J. Griffiths and Karl J. Campbell D. M. Hansen ([email protected]), Dept of Biology, Stanford Univ., 371 Serra Mall, CA 94305, USA. Á C. J. Donlan, Advanced Conservation Strategies, P.O. Box 1201, Midway, UT 84049, USA, and Copeland Fellow in Global Sustainability, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002, USA, and Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. Á C. J. Griffiths, School of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 1UG, UK, and Inst. of Environmental Sciences, Univ. of Zurich, 190 Winterthurerstrasse, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland. Á K. J. Campbell, Island Conservation, LML, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA, and School of Integrative Systems, Univ. of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland 4343, Australia. Starting in the late 1970s, ecologists began unraveling the role of recently extinct large vertebrates in evolutionary ecology and ecosystem dynamics. Three decades later, practitioners are now considering the role of ecological history in conservation practice, and some have called for restoring missing ecological functions and evolutionary potential using taxon substitutes Á extant, functionally similar taxa Á to replace extinct species. This pro-active approach to biodiversity conservation has proved controversial. Yet, rewilding with taxon substitutes, or ecological analogues, is now being integrated into conservation and restoration programmes around the world.
    [Show full text]
  • The Last Giant Continental Tortoise of Europe: a Survivor in the Spanish Pleistocene Site of Fonelas P-1
    Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 470 (2017) 30–39 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/palaeo The last giant continental tortoise of Europe: A survivor in the Spanish Pleistocene site of Fonelas P-1 Adán Pérez-García a,⁎, Evangelos Vlachos b,AlfonsoArribasc a Grupo de Biología Evolutiva, Facultad de Ciencias, UNED, Paseo de la Senda del Rey 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain b CONICET – Museo Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio, Av. Fontana 140, 9100 Trelew, Chubut, Argentina c Estación paleontológica Valle del Río Fardes, Museo Geominero, Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, Ríos Rosas 23, 28003 Madrid, Spain article info abstract Article history: The presence of remains of a giant tortoise in the lower Pleistocene site of Fonelas P-1 (Guadix Basin, Betic Received 20 October 2016 Ranges; Granada, southeastern Spain) is reported and analyzed herein for the first time. This finding represents Received in revised form 22 December 2016 the youngest evidence of a large tortoise in continental Europe, dating the age of extinction of this successful lin- Accepted 9 January 2017 eage as several hundred thousand years younger than previously thought. So far, the most recent record known Available online 12 January 2017 for continental Europe was at least 400,000 years older than the occurrence reported herein (Vaterá, Greece), that for the Spanish record being about 1.3 million years older (Las Higueruelas). This finding is justified as the Keywords: Terrestrial turtles youngest evidence of Titanochelon, a genus recorded in Europe since the beginning of the Miocene, which in- Testudines cludes the largest terrestrial turtles known for the entire European fossil record.
    [Show full text]
  • Chelonian Advisory Group Regional Collection Plan 4Th Edition December 2015
    Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Chelonian Advisory Group Regional Collection Plan 4th Edition December 2015 Editor Chelonian TAG Steering Committee 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Mission ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Steering Committee Structure ........................................................................................................... 3 Officers, Steering Committee Members, and Advisors ..................................................................... 4 Taxonomic Scope ............................................................................................................................. 6 Space Analysis Space .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Survey ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Current and Potential Holding Table Results ............................................................................. 8 Species Selection Process Process ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Decision Tree ........................................................................................................................... 13 Decision Tree Results .............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]