We radio-tracked 24 Myotis daubentonii and 35 Myotis nattereri during the swarming season to determine the catchment area of a swarming site and to study habitat preferences of the bats so that important foraging habitats within the catchment area could be identified. Sixty-one percent of individuals were relocated and 39 day roosts were found for 31 bats. Maximum range from the swarming site was 26.7 km for M. daubentonii and 24.8 km for M. nattereri. Minimum convex polygons depicting the minimum catchment area of the swarming site measured 254 km2 for M. daubentonii and 497 km2 for M. nattereri. Including recoveries of ringed bats increases the area enclosed by the maximum range to at least 4118 km2. Compositional analysis of habitat used in relation to that available suggested selection of mixed agricultural areas by M. nattereri. Broad-leaved woodland was preferred for foraging. Parkland, woodland and open-water habitats were common around roosts of M. daubentonii. Such habitats should be conserved and enhanced to protect these species. Some individuals of both sexes returned to the swarming site of capture, but none visited another swarming site. Bats may be faithful to only one site and may be inflexible should that site be destroyed. Because the catchment area of swarming sites is large, such sites are probably important centres of outbreeding. Protection of these mating sites should be a conservation priority, and key habitats should be protected over a large area around swarming sites.

How well can indicator groups, as sets of species with well-known distributions, represent the distribution of overall biodiversity to select networks of areas for conservation? In the literature, reliable indicator groups of complementarity have proven difficult to find, with some taxon-based indicator groups resulting in no more species represented than when areas are chosen at random. We rigorously test which quantifiable characteristics of species make them better components of indicator groups of complementarity in area networks. We find that even indicator groups comprised of randomly chosen, taxonomically unrelated species perform better than randomly chosen areas, and we demonstrate the improved efficiency of protected-area networks possible when using indicator groups chosen on the basis of species' characteristics.

Understorey insectivorous birds are highly vulnerable to different forms of habitat disturbance in tropical forests. Here we examine the effects of an unprecedented surface fire on understorey insectivores and forest litter arthropods in a terra firme forest of central Brazilian Amazonia, and compare species and guild abundance both close to and far from the clearly distinguishable fireline separating burnt and unburnt forest. All six of the most abundant insectivorous foraging guilds examined were detrimentally affected by fire, with dead-leaf gleaners and professional ant-followers being the most heavily affected. While army ants were apparently absent from the burnt forest, results from pit-fall traps showed that wildfires had only a limited effect on the abundance of most leaf-litter invertebrates. The fireline appeared to be an abrupt barrier to many understorey insectivorous birds, and there was little evidence to suggest that primary forest species were recolonizing burnt forest up to 1 year after the fires. Factors affecting the capture frequency of insectivorous birds are discussed.

Introduced predators are a leading threat to seabird populations world-wide and cats (Felis catus) have probably had the most universally damaging effect (Moors & Atkinson, 1984). Eradication of feral cat populations from seabird colonies is a conservation priority (Tershy et al., 2002) and there are many studies that demonstrate the benefits of these actions for seabirds (e.g. Forsell, 1982; Cooper et al., 1995). However, detailed estimates of the effects of cat predation on seabird population viability are lacking in spite of the fact that such data could provide important support for land managers attempting to promote eradication programmes for seabird restoration.

Many species have strong habitat preferences that directly influence population viability. For successful reintroduction of threatened populations that rely on habitat structures, the correct placement of artificial structures is also important to population persistence. In this paper, we present a hierarchical approach to the problem of translocating animals that rely on permanent habitat structures, in which we first use population dynamics data to identify areas of suitable habitat, and then identify optimal configuration for habitat structures. We use data collected from a non-endangered, conspecific population of the endangered riparian woodrat (Neotoma fuscipes riparia) to examine the degree to which the distribution of dens in translocation sites might influence the likelihood that animals persist in their new environment. We characterize the habitats in which dens occur, analyze their spatial clustering, and compare them to temporal changes in population status for sex and age classes. We compare the potential efficacy of translocation efforts using spatial analysis versus solely habitat-based approaches and identify the optimal spatial configuration of dens that should be considered in this translocation effort. We found that patterns of habitat use were positively correlated with overstorey cover, and animal weight was positively correlated with understorey cover. Woodrats appear to select den locations on the basis of understorey cover, but also benefit from dense overstorey cover and distance to nearest tree. Our results suggest that in translocation efforts, artificial dens should be placed in clusters within a radius of 15 m, as values above and below this value showed negative correlations with body mass. Translocations should occur after reproductive events, which occur in April and August for woodrats in southern California. Our analyses provide practical guidelines in determining appropriate timing and spacing for translocation events in the context of animal condition, minimizing disease transmission, and reproduction.

The Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) breeds in Sicily and, in 22 years of monitoring, has shown a decline followed by a slight recovery. We used Generalised Linear Models to predict: (1) the distribution range, (2) the habitat selection within the range, (3) the quality (i.e., occupation rate, breeding success) of breeding sites. Some 60% of Sicily proved to be unsuitable, being either too densely forested and without cliffs for nesting, or too densely populated, along with intensive agriculture. The models converged, indicating that the pairs select a precise upland habitat where low cliffs, distant from urban areas, are surrounded by arboreal crops and Mediterranean vegetation. The variables predicting the quality of a site are also related to human disturbance, including the distance from a road or the presence of heavy traffic. Natural restocking, in the last 3 years, is occurring in quiet sites and in proximity to extensive grazing land rich in sheep and goat herds. These results focused on short-term programmes for local management of the species aimed at protracting the natural restocking: namely, the activation of (1) a stable system of artificial feeding stations, (2) nest site protection with joint activities for increasing public awareness, (3) a reintroduction project, by hacking, of juveniles born in captivity in Italian and European breeding centres.

Giant tortoises once thrived throughout the Galápagos archipelago, but today three island populations are extinct, only one individual survives from the island of Pinta, and several populations are critically endangered. We established the geographic origin of 59 captive tortoises housed at the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galápagos Islands in an effort to find a mate for the sole survivor from Pinta (‘Lonesome George’) and to augment the number of breeders in other imperilled populations. By comparison with an extensive database of mtDNA control region (CR) haplotypes and nine microsatellites, we determined the geographic and evolutionary origin of the captive individuals. All individuals had CR haplotypes and multilocus microsatellite genotypes identical to or closely related to known haplotypes from natural populations. No obvious mate was found for Lonesome George, although we found several captive individuals carrying an evolutionarily close but geographically distinct mtDNA haplotype. Tortoises with mtDNA haplotypes closely related to another at-risk population (San Cristóbal) were also identified. These individuals could be considered as candidates for augmentation of natural populations or captive-breeding programmes and exemplify how molecular techniques can provide insights for the development of endangered species management plans.

Specially trained detection dogs have been used to locate faeces (scats) for faecal analyses but their effectiveness has not been quantified. We evaluated detection and accuracy rates of dogs trained to find scats of endangered San Joaquin kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis mutica). Four dogs found from 0.43 to 5.37 presumptive kit fox scats per km of transect searched in two field sites where kit foxes and coyotes (Canis latrans) but not non-native red foxes (V. vulpes) were present. The unusually low detection rate (0.43 scats per km) by one dog (probably due to excessive panting in hot weather) was still similar to the average scat detection rate of two experienced humans. DNA tests of 1298 scats showed that all dogs were 100% accurate at distinguishing kit fox scats under our field conditions. Because red foxes are sympatric with kit foxes in some areas, we also conducted controlled discrimination experiments to see if trained dogs could distinguish between scats from kit and red foxes. Four dogs were 100% accurate at choosing a kit fox scat when red fox scats were present (n = 64 trials), but were less accurate at ignoring red fox scats in trials where a kit fox scat was absent.

Habitat loss and fragmentation are main causes for Asian elephant population declines. We mapped wildlands - large, unfragmented and undeveloped areas - asking: (1) Where are the largest wildlands that constitute elephant habitats? (2) What proportion of these wildlands is protected? (3) What is their potential for elephant conservation? Our study demonstrates that wildlands constitute only 51% of the Asian elephant range. Myanmar has the largest wildland (∼170,000 km2), followed by Thailand and India. In Principal Components Analysis (PCA), the first two components explained 73% of the variation in fragmentation among ranges. We identified three fragmentation clusters from the PCA. Cluster A contains large ranges with unfragmented wildlands; cluster B includes ranges with well-developed transportation networks and large human populations; and cluster C contains ranges with severely fragmented wildlands. In cluster A, we identified four ranges with elephant populations >1000 animals: ARYO, MYUC, BNMH and BITE. Together with ranges that support >1000 elephants in cluster B, these A ranges have great potential for long-term elephant conservation. We propose that fragmentation clusters and population size can be used to identify different elephant monitoring and management zones.

The Przewalski's gazelle (Procapra przewalskii) is critically endangered and has experienced significant decline in population numbers in the past, and now survives in four isolated populations: the Bird Island, Hudong-Ketu, Yuanzhe and Shadao-Gahai populations. To understand better the effect of habitat fragmentation and geographical isolation on gene flow and genetic variation, and uncover genetic units for conservation, we examined the hypervariable region (420 bp) of the mitochondrial DNA control region of 29 Przewalski's gazelles from four localities distributed throughout their present geographical range. Phylogenetic analysis consistently revealed four distinct mtDNA lineages within Przewalski's gazelle, with each lineage restricted to a single geographical location. The study revealed a marked divergence of lineages from the Bird Island population relative to other populations, which corresponds to the geographical association. The nucleotide diversity within populations was very low (less than 0.004). The value of Nm was less than 0.3 individuals per generation, indicating low gene flow between populations. It was suggested that the Yuanzhe, Hudong-Ketu and Shadao-Gahai populations be managed as a conservation unit because of their genetic and geographical closeness.

We tested the association between host genetic diversity and resistance to a novel pathogen using controlled experiments to compare bacterially induced mortality among four populations of the endangered Gila topminnow (Poeciliopsis occidentalis) with different levels of genetic diversity, and between nine lines of inbred topminnows and their respective (non-inbred) source populations. We exposed fish in treatment groups to salinity shock and high concentrations of the bacterium Listonella (Vibrio) anguillarum, a causative agent of vibriosis in fish. Mortality associated with vibriosis (mortality) 1 to 6 days post-exposure differed among the populations, and between inbred and non-inbred samples. However, mortality was not associated with expected heterozygosity based on microsatellite loci diversity, nor was it associated with expected or observed heterozygosity at a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II locus. Neither was mortality related to the presence or absence of specific MHC alleles. Additionally, the effect of severe inbreeding was to reduce mortality in the inbred fish relative to the non-inbred controls in every population. Taken in the context of other studies, we conclude that effects of genetic diversity may be context- and locus-specific, environmental stress may be an important determinant of host immunity, and genetic diversity should be used cautiously to predict the potential response of a population to a specific environmental challenge.

The red-crested pochard (Netta rufina), a Eurasian diving duck, has seen its numbers declining and has received strong conservation concern. Data on population size and rate of decline are required to establish management plans, none of which is available for this species. Here we present the first population size estimate taking into account detection probability and habitat use in the Camargue, southern France. A non-random sample of 33 lakes was used to estimate detection probability from point-counts. Detectability was low, with only 57.5% of individual broods detected. A random sample of 37 lakes was then used to estimate brood densities. Adjusted densities (taking into account detection probability) were 0.1106 broods per ha of reedbed. Adjusted densities were extrapolated to the entire surface area of reedbeds in the Camargue estimated from a GIS to obtain abundance estimates of the brood population. A minimum estimate of 559 breeding pairs was obtained (95% confidence interval: 436-855). This estimate is much higher than previous ones (80-100 pairs for the Camargue, 250 pairs for France), and indicates strong underestimation of the population size when not taking into account detectability. Our results suggest that the red-crested pochard may require a reassessment of its conservation status for France and Europe. They further suggest that taking detection probability into account in population estimates of other cryptic species, and notably those of conservation concern, may help clarify their conservation status and may even affect the setting of conservation priorities.