Demographic Strategies in the Management and Conservation of Species Populations

Demographic strategies are important in deciding what management actions are necessary for threatened populations and species, in an effort to increase demographic numbers and genetic variation, and alleviate the expression of genetic load while preserving genetic uniqueness (Willi 2021).

A common assumption for species conservation is that these dynamics are linked, such that large populations are more stable and small populations more variable due to stochasticity in demographic (Hallett 2018). Although analyses of species spatial distributions and genetic variation, creation of Red Lists and reserve design studies predominate in the plant conservation biology literature, in any conservation project they should be only a second step succeeding population demographic assessments. Demographic studies and analysis of species regeneration are vital because only such studies can provide the necessary information for effective conservation management (Volis 2020).

Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) have been used to improve the conservation of endangered species (Comizzoli  2019). ARTs include a range of techniques such as artificial insemination (AI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), embryo transfer (ET), and cloning (Comizzoli  2019). These techniques have been used to improve the genetic diversity of endangered species and to increase the number of individuals in captive breeding programs. However, these techniques are not always successful and can be expensive (Hildebrandt 2018).

Below a summary of different methodologies used to appraise the main population vital rates:



References:

Yvonne Willi, (2021), Conservation genetics as a management tool: The five best-supported paradigms to assist the management of threatened species, PNAS 119(1)

Lauren M. Hallett, (2018), Tradeoffs in demographic mechanisms underlie differences in species abundance and stability, Nature Communications 9

Sergei Volis, (2020), Importance of a single population demographic census as a first step of threatened species conservation planning, Biodiversity and Conservation 29

Comizzoli P, Holt WV, (2019), Advances and perspectives in the application of assisted reproductive technologies for wildlife conservation, Reprod Fertil Dev., 31(5)

Hildebrandt TB, Hermes R, Colleoni S, et al, (2018), Embryos and embryonic stem cells from the white rhinocero, Nat Commu, 9(1)

Borchers DL, Buckland ST, Zucchini W. (2002), Estimating animal abundance: closed populations, London: Springer

Millspaugh JJ, Marzluff JM. (2001), Radio tracking and animal populations, San Diego: Academic Press

Nichols JD, et al, (2000), A double-observer approach for estimating detection probability and abundance from point counts, Auk. 117(2)

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