Abstract
AbstractOne of the main recommendations of reintroduction biology for prospective projects is that they should be planned with local species knowledge and with species‐specific quantitative modelling, for example, from population viability analysis (PVA). Here, we apply this approach to the planned reintroduction of the critically endangered Floreana mockingbird Mimus trifasciatus in the Galápagos Archipelago. After its extinction on Floreana Island, the Floreana mockingbird today only persists on two small islets, Champion and Gardner. In the context of a wider island restoration project, there are plans to reintroduce M. trifasciatus back to Floreana to establish a population as large and genetically diverse as possible, while minimizing the impact on the two source populations. To aid the planning of this reintroduction effort, we compared six potential reintroduction strategies that differ in three aspects: (1) use of captive breeding, (2) state‐(in)dependent sourcing of birds, (3) time span for translocations. We assessed the strategies’ performance using a multi‐site count‐based PVA and simulations of coancestry as a measure of genetic diversity. In general, PVA and coancestry results were comparable in terms of the strategies’ performance. Strategies with captive breeding resulted in larger population sizes and higher genetic diversity on Floreana after 20 years. However, the advantages of captive breeding disappeared when the population growth rate in captivity or on Floreana was very low. The reintroductions did not negatively impact the source populations’ viability, provided no more than 2 and 16 birds were taken annually from the two source islets. The approach employed here shows how a count‐based PVA in combination with simulations of genetic diversity can help reintroduction planning.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
