Bioko Island Where the Wild Things Are…For Now
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Bioko Island Where the Wild Things are…for now. Shaya Honarvar Department of Biology Drexel University Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program Christian Zeigler, ILCP RAVE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • Professors and students at UNGE • BBPP employees • American undergraduates & and visiting instructors from the Study Abroad on Bioko Island • Students & volunteers on the Annual Expedition to Bioko’s Gran Caldera (1996 through 2011) • Recent funding: ExxonMobil Foundation (Moka Wildlife Center) National Geographic Conservation Trust Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation Tombros Foundation Phoebe Haas Charitable Trust Rotko Family Foundation Primate Conservation, Inc. International Primate Protection League HESS Corporation US Embassy BBPP’s mission is the conservation of Bioko Island’s biodiversity, especially its threatened primates and marine turtles, through the development of economically sustainable educational programs, research programs and conservation activities that demonstrate the value of wildlife. Christian Zeigler, ILCP RAVE Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea: 32 km offshore from Cameroon; separated from the African mainland ~12,000 yrs; area = ~2,000 km2 • 3 volcanic peaks (~3000m asl) with steep terrain (no logging) • Tropical climate (4o N latitude) with > 10 m rain/year in south • Capital city (Malabo) and most people (~100,000) in north • Politically isolated, Spanish-speaking, no other students or tourists • 2 protected areas making up ~ 40 % , but no guards • Southern 1/3 is very remote Why is Bioko important to biodiversity conservation? Monkeys: Seven species of monkeys live in Bioko’s forests, including Pennant’s red colobus and the Bioko drill. “Bioko Island is the single most important place in Africa for primate conservation action.” ---IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group Nesting sea turtles: Four species of sea turtles nest on the ~12 miles of Bioko’s southern beaches, including many leatherbacks and green turtles. Frogs: Bioko’s deep mountain valleys and high rainfall may be conducive to frog speciation. Frogs are also very sensitive to changes in climate, habitat loss and pollution. Conservation status of marine turtles on Bioko Island Sea Turtles of Bioko Island Sea turtle species IUCN Leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea CR Hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata CR Green turtle Chelonia mydas END Olive ridley turtle Lepidochelys olivacea VUL Justin Jay Threats to sea turtles The Gulf of Guinea contains one of the world’s largest nesting populations of the critically endangered leatherback turtle. Adult turtle (green turtles) take and occasional egg poaching Cronin Hearn Petroleum exploration and development has led to rapid economic expansion. • Belebu to Ureca road construction Fitzgerald, Ordway, Honarvar, Hearn (2011). Chelonian Conservation and Biology. 10, 177-180. Sea turtle conservation efforts on Bioko Island • Conservation efforts started by the Asociación Amigos de Doñana (1996) • Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program (1998) • Data collection by community members (18 men and 16 women) was resumed under the direction of the BBPP (2000). • Initiation of a PIT tagging program of the leatherbacks on the eastern- most beaches along with a flipper tagging program (2007). Tim Laman, ILCP RAVE Moaba Playa Camp: Site of leatherback turtle research camp. Long term collection of nesting ecology data 1) PIT tag leatherback turtles 6) Nest temperatures 2) Count number of eggs 3) Body measurements; SCCL & SCCW 7) Count number of hatchlings 4) Nest location on the beach 8) SCL, SCW and mass of hatchlings 5) Time of specific nesting activities 9) Post-hatching excavation Number of sea turtle encounters on the southern beaches of Bioko Island 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 1996 - 1997 Leatherback 1997 - 1998 Green 1998 - 1999 Olive Ridley 1999 - 2000 Hawksbill 2000 - 2001 2001 - 2002 2002 - 2003 2003 - 2004 2004 - 2005 2005 - 2006 2006 - 2007 2007 - 2008 2008 - 2009 2009 - 2010 2010 - 2011 2011 - 2012 350 Leatherback turtles have been PIT tagged in the past 5 nesting season on Playa Moaba! Two studies Due to the importance of this region for the future survival of leatherbacks, and the potential threat of an environmental disaster from increasing oil production, it is important to obtain adequate baseline data on these populations. Study #1: Changes in plasma chemistry and reproductive output of nesting leatherbacks. To understand how global climate change affects the biology of sea turtles it will be important to understand mechanisms that determine quality of beaches for water, gas and heat exchange in sea turtle eggs in order to predict which beaches will be suitable for nesting in future. Study #2: Tidal ventilation of sea turtle nests. Changes in plasma chemistry and reproductive output of nesting leatherbacks. 1) Body Condition Score was assessed. 2) Blood was collected in Lithium Heparin tubes 23 turtles (55 samples). 3) Packed Cell Volume and Total Protein were measured. 4) Blood Plasma was processed for Complete Blood Chemistry by VetScan VS2. Honarvar et al. (2011) Herpetologica 67, 222-235. Plasma biochemical concentrations analyzed by VetScan VS2 (ABAXIS) Plasma biochemical concentrations during the nesting season (n = 11) 18 16 16 14 10 12 12 10 10 8 8 6 6 4 Calcium (mg/dl) 4 Phosphate (mg/dl) 2 2 P < 0.0001 P < 0.01 0 0 0 6 150 145 5 140 4 135 130 3 125 120 2 115 Sodium (mmol/l) Potasium (mmol/l) 1 110 P < 0.0001 P < 0.01 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 0 1 2 3 4 5 Nesting Event (#) Plasma biochemical concentratios and PCV values during the nesting season (n = 11) 180 3.0 160 140 2.5 120 2.0 100 80 1.5 60 1.0 AST (U/L) 40 ALB (g/dl) 0.5 20 P < 0.05 P < 0.05 0 0 3.5 120 ) 3.0 100 2.5 80 2.0 60 1.5 40 1.0 20 Globulin (g/dl 0.5 P < 0.0001 (mg/dl) Glucose P < 0.01 0 0 50 7 6 40 5 30 4 (%) (g/dl) 3 20 2 10 Total Protein 1 P < 0.0001 P < 0.01 0 Packed Cell Volume 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 0 1 2 3 4 5 Nesting Event (#) Changes in plasma chemistry and reproductive output of nesting leatherbacks. The decreasing trends in plasma biochemical concentrations and PCV values found in this study can probably be attributed to the physiological stress of folliculogenesis and nesting, which is further compounded by a possible period of fasting during the nesting season. 100 A decreasing trend in egg mass ) 95 further supports this assumption. g 90 85 80 75 70 Average Egg Mass ( Mass Egg Average 65 P < 0.0005 60 1 2 3 4 5 Nesting event (#) Such data can be used in future conservation and management practices, such as comparative studies of clinically normal and diseased turtles, or as indicators of exposure to contaminants. Two studies Due to the importance of this region for the future survival of leatherbacks, and the potential threat of an environmental disaster from increasing oil production, it is important to obtain adequate baseline data on these populations. Study #1: Changes in plasma chemistry and reproductive output of nesting leatherbacks. To understand how global climate change affects the biology of sea turtles it will be important to understand mechanisms that determine quality of beaches for water, gas and heat exchange in sea turtle eggs in order to predict which beaches will be suitable for nesting in future. Study #2: Tidal ventilation of sea turtle nests. Tidal ventilation of sea turtle nests • Eggs are laid in the ground as deep as 70-80 cm • This changes the dynamics of the biophysical exchanges such as heat, water vapor and respiratory gases between the egg and the environment. • Turtle eggs are leathery or parchment-like • Smaller shell resistance to gas and heat exchange than bird eggs. Therefore, the conditions of the medium (soil type, temperature and moisture content) dominate the biophysical exchanges. Gas exchange modes Air diffusion tidal convection gas sink convection Pressure Sand 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 Water table 1 0.1 0.2 0.3 Tidal water table movements 1 0.5 ) m 0 table ater -0.5 W excursion ( -1 0 distance from water 24 16 20 8 12 0 4 Water table heights and gas concentrations Full moon 160 150 140 130 120 110 table height 100 90 cm above std) ( ater 80 W 70 60 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 Measuring the tide gauge day and night ! 10 1 hour after the high tide ) 8 1 hour after the low tide KPa 6 ( 2 4 PCO 2 Measuring CO and O levels. 2 2 0 18/1 28/1 1/ 1/1 1/2 2/6 2/1 2/2 2 2 Date7 (month/day)7 7 6 6 Convective ventilation of sea turtle nests by tidal pumping may significantly mitigate metabolic hypoxia and hypercapnia. As global climate continues to change It is important to be able to predict which beaches will be suitable for nesting in future and what are the mechanisms that determine the quality of nesting beaches. Joel Saltore, ILCP RAVE Conservation status of the critically endangered Bioko Pennant’s red colobus Tim Laman/ILCP RAVE Estimated ranges for Bioko Island monkeys in 2010 Bioko Drill (EN) Black colobus (EN) Pennant’s red colobus (CR) Mandrillus leucophaeus poensis Colobus satanas satanas Procolobus pennanti pennanti Santiestevan/BBPP Laman/ILCP Barbara Jonston Estimated ranges for Bioko Island monkeys in 2010 Red-eared monkey Crowned monkey Putty-nosed monkey Preuss’s monkey Cercopithecus erythrotis Cercopithecus pogonias Cercopithecus nictitans Allochrocebus/Cercopithecu erythrotis (VUL) pogonias (VUL) martini (VUL) preussi insularis (END) Laman/ILCP Laman/ILCP Ziegler/ILCP Bergl/NCZoo Threat to monkeys The only threat to monkeys, on Bioko Island is commercial hunting for a bushmeat market in Malabo • Bushmeat is a luxury item.