scholarly journals Marginalized Groups of Gelada (Theropithecus gelada) Living in and around the Highly Disturbed Mount Guna Community Conservation Area, Northwest Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Hirpasa Teressa ◽  
Hailu Minale ◽  
Solomon Birie ◽  
Yismaw Alemayehu

Gelada (Theropithecus gelada) is the only surviving primate of the genus Theropithecus that is endemic to Ethiopia. It adapted to live in afroalpine and subafroalpine ecosystems of the Ethiopian alpine. Although it is at risk of habitat loss due to agricultural expansion and deforestation, gelada has been classified as a least concern by the IUCN. Gelada has great importance as it represents the Ethiopian national treasure which brings tourists to the country. However, no proper gelada census has been carried out in and around Mount Guna (Mt. Guna). Therefore, the current study aimed to provide an accurate count of gelada individuals living in the study area. Total count along line transects was carried out from January 1–May 30, 2018, to estimate the population of gelada. According to the current result, gelada individuals counted from the entire sites of Mt. Guna were estimated to be 56. Forty-two gelada individuals were counted from outside the protected area, while 14 of them were from the protected area. There was a significant difference between gelada individuals counted from inside and outside the protected areas (P = 0.047). The ratio of age-sex of geladas also computed to be adult males: adult females: subadult males: subadult females: immature is 1 : 3.12 : 0.88 : 1.25 : 0.75 for the total population. Furthermore, five groups of geladas were observed outside the Mt. Guna community conservation area at three sites, while only one group of geladas was identified from the protected area. Based on the current result, we recommend further research to study the population trend, fertility problems, and conservation mechanisms of geladas living within the agricultural land and human-gelada conflicts around Mt. Guna.

Oryx ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 394-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Okot Omoya ◽  
Tutilo Mudumba ◽  
Stephen T. Buckland ◽  
Paul Mulondo ◽  
Andrew J. Plumptre

AbstractDespite > 60 years of conservation in Uganda's national parks the populations of lions and spotted hyaenas in these areas have never been estimated using a census method. Estimates for some sites have been extrapolated to other protected areas and educated guesses have been made but there has been nothing more definitive. We used a lure count analysis method of call-up counts to estimate populations of the lion Panthera leo and spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta in the parks where reasonable numbers of these species exist: Queen Elizabeth Protected Area, Murchison Falls Conservation Area and Kidepo Valley National Park. We estimated a total of 408 lions and 324 hyaenas for these three conservation areas. It is unlikely that other conservation areas in Uganda host > 10 lions or > 40 hyaenas. The Queen Elizabeth Protected Area had the largest populations of lions and hyaenas: 140 and 211, respectively. It is estimated that lion numbers have declined by 30% in this protected area since the late 1990s and there are increasing concerns for the long-term viability of both species in Uganda.


Rangifer ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine Sampels ◽  
Jana Pickova ◽  
Eva Wiklund

Carcass composition in reindeer is affected by feed intake and the age and sex of the animal. Studies have also shown that age, sex, carcass trim fat content and total intramuscular fat content (IMF) influence lipid class composition. The aim of this study was to compare lipid class composition and IMF in relation to carcass weight, conformation and trim fat content, and to investigate how these parameters are affected by age, sex and different feed sources. Five groups of reindeer were studied. Two groups of calves were fed two grain-based pelleted feeds with different lipid compositions for approximately two months before slaughter. One of these groups was fed with conventional pellets, and the other with pellets enriched with linseed cake to increase the amount of n-3 fatty acids in the diet. Three groups of grazing reindeer were also included in the study, consisting of adult males, adult females or calves. Reindeer calves fed pellets had higher slaughter weights, higher trim fat content and better carcass conformation scores compared to the grazing calves. However, there was no significant difference in IMF between pellet-fed and grazing calves. Adult female reindeer had the highest and grazing calves the lowest slaughter weights, trim fat and IMF. There was no difference in lipid class composition in meat from calves fed with the two pelleted feeds, whereas grazing calves had a higher amount of phospholipids. Squalene was identified and quantified as a component of intramuscular lipids in reindeer meat. Effekt av produktionssystem, ålder och kön på slaktkroppskvalitet och några biokemiska egenskaper hos renköttAbstract in Swedish / Sammandrag: Slaktkroppssammansättningen hos renar påverkas av både foderintag, fodersammansättning och djurens ålder och kön. Tidigare har vi visat att renens kön, ålder, mängden intramuskulärt fett (IMF) och putsfett på slaktkroppen påverkar sammansättningen av lipidklasser. Syftet med denna studie var att jämföra lipidklassammansättningen och IMF i relation till slaktkroppens vikt, form och mängden putsfett och att undersöka hur dessa parametrar påverkas av renarnas kön, ålder och olika typer av foder (bete och pellets). Fem grupper renar ingick i studien (totalt 38 djur). Två grupper kalvar utfodrades med två sorters pellets med olika fettsammansättning under två månader före slakt. Den ena gruppen fick normala pellets (CPD) (Renfor Bas) medan den andra gruppen fick pellets som hade en tillsats av linfrökaka (LPD) för att öka mängden n-3 fettsyror i fodret. Dessutom ingick tre grupper betesdjur i studien: vajor, sarvar och kalvar. Utfodring med pellets gav slaktkroppar med bättre klassning, högre slaktvikter och mer putsfett jämfört med slaktkroppar från betande kalvar. Vajorna hade de högsta och betande kalvar de lägsta slaktvikterna, minst putsfett och lägst halt av IMF. Utfodringen med pellets gav ingen signifikant skillnad i IMF mellan betande och utfodrade renkalvar. Vi fann ingen skillnad i lipidklassammansättning mellan de två utfodrade kalvgrupperna, men köttet från de betande kalvarna hade en högre halt av fosfolipider. Vi kunde också identifiera och kvantifiera squalen som en komponent i intramuskulärt fett i renkött.


2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Burgoyne ◽  
Kevin Mearns

This manuscript investigates the complexities and challenges in the management of the Ololosokwan community conservation area in Northern Tanzania. The conservation area is adjacent to the Serengeti National Park, just south of the Tanzanian-Kenyan Border where nomadic Maasai Pastoralists are free to cross international borders in search of grazing for their cattle. The Ololosokwan community is faced with the difficulties of managing a number of conflicting land-uses and community aspirations while striving toward the maintenance of a successful and sustainable community conservation area in collaboration with a private tourism operation. Benefit sharing was found to be an effective way in which to heal negative stakeholder engagements of the past, and active participation in the development of community livelihoods was found to be a more meaningful pursuit in this cause than merely sharing money. Despite opportunities for stakeholders to show that they are willing to work together, existing conflict is likely to continue as stakeholders still mistrust each other and often align themselves with groups that share common interests.


1987 ◽  
Vol 114 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hajime Watanobe ◽  
Kazuo Takebe

Abstract. The cimetidine-induced plasma Prl response was examined in rats of both sexes. First, 10 week old intact adult males and females (dioestrous) were compared. There was no significant difference in the Prl response to cimetidine between the two groups, despite the fact that in adult females the anterior pituitary Prl content was 4 times greater than in males. Second, the effect of gonadal state in adult age on the Prl response to cimetidine was examined in both sexes. In male rats, gonadectomy at the age of 6 weeks significantly reduced the plasma Prl response as well as the pituitary Prl content, both of which were sufficiently restored by testosterone replacement. However, in females, neither gonadectomy at the age of 6 weeks nor subsequent oestradiol replacement affected the Prl response to cimetidine, despite the fact that gonadectomy significantly reduced and oestradiol treatment significantly enhanced the pituitary Prl content. Third, possible permanent effects of the postnatal gonadal milieu on the cimetidine-induced Prl response and the pituitary Prl content were examined in both sexes by castration at varying postnatal ages. The ratio of plasma Prl response to pituitary Prl content was similar in all castrated males. In females, however, the ratio decreased with increasing castration age. In conclusion, the mechanism of cimetidine-induced Prl release is less sex-dependent than are the mechanisms of Prl release by other Prl secretagogues. First, this may be due to a minor role of oestrogen in females in determining the Prl response to cimetidine. Second, the postnatal ovarian secretions may exert a permanent inhibition of the development of the cimetidine-mobilized anterior pituitary Prl pool.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Michael Marshall ◽  
Colin Thomas Strine ◽  
Max Dolton Jones ◽  
Taksin Artchawakom ◽  
Ines Silva ◽  
...  

Abstract A species’ spatial ecology has direct implications for that species’ conservation. Far-ranging species may be more difficult to conserve because their movements increase their chances of encountering humans. The movements can take them out of protected areas, which is especially risky for species that are routinely persecuted. The king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), a large venomous elapid, is subject to anthropogenic pressures, such as persecution and habitat loss. Here we present results from a study using radio telemetry to quantify movements and habitat use of nine king cobras in and around a protected area in Northeast Thailand. This study is the first investigation into the movements and habitat use of king cobras outside of the Western Ghats, India. On average, the tracked king cobra’s use areas of 493.42 ± 335.60 ha (95% fixed kernel), moving 183.24 ± 82.63 m per day. King cobras did not remain in intact forested area. Five of the individuals frequently used the human-dominated agricultural areas surrounding the protected area, appearing to make regular use of irrigation canals. Two adult males showed increases in movements during the breeding season. One male’s increased breeding season range caused him to venture beyond the protected area, shifting his habitat use from intact forests to scrub in human-dominated areas. King cobras’ large home range and willingness to use anthropogenic landscapes merits special consideration from conservation planners.


2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1743) ◽  
pp. 3788-3795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noah Snyder-Mackler ◽  
Susan C. Alberts ◽  
Thore J. Bergman

By living in social groups with potential competitors, animals forgo monopolizing access to resources. Consequently, debate continues over how selection might favour sociality among competitors. For example, several models exist to account for the evolution of shared reproduction in groups. The ‘concession model’ hypothesizes that dominant reproducers benefit from the presence of subordinates, and hence tolerate some reproduction by subordinates. This mutual benefit to both dominants and subordinates may provide a foundation for the formation of social groups in which multiple members reproduce—a necessary step in the evolution of cooperation. To date, however, the concession model has received virtually no support in vertebrates. Instead, the vast majority of vertebrate data support ‘limited control models’, which posit that dominant reproducers are simply unable to prevent subordinates from reproducing. Here we present the most comprehensive evidence to date in support of the concession model in a vertebrate. We examined natural variation in the number of adult males in gelada ( Theropithecus gelada ) reproductive units to assess the extent of reproductive skew in multi-male units. Dominant (‘leader’) males in units that also had subordinate (‘follower’) males had a 30 per cent longer tenure than leaders in units that did not have followers, mainly because followers actively defended the group against potential immigrants. Follower males also obtained a small amount of reproduction in the unit, which may have functioned as a concession in return for defending the unit. These results suggest that dominants and subordinates may engage in mutually beneficial reproductive transactions, thus favouring male–male tolerance and cooperation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Yacouba Yira ◽  
Aymar Y. Bossa

Land use and land cover in the Dano catchment is characterized by a rapid conversion from seminatural vegetation (fallow) to agriculture (cropland). The study compares both the saturated (Ks) and the unsaturated (Kh) hydraulic conductivities under cropland and fallow in the catchment to gain insights into the effect of the current land use on soil water dynamics. Hydraulic conductivity was measured under forty-two (42) pairs of adjacent cropland-fallow plots using a Hood infiltrometer. Ks, Kh, bulk density, and soil texture were further compared using a paired two-tailed Student’s t-test (p=0.05). The results showed that both Ks and Kh are highly variable irrespective of the land use type (coefficient of variation > 100%). The results also showed that Ks was significantly higher (1.16-fold on average) under fallow compared to cropland. As for Kh, the results showed that, from −2 cm to zero tension heads (h), Kh under cropland and fallow is not significantly different; however, as the supplied tension decreases up to the saturation state, Kh under fallow becomes statistically higher compared to cropland. No significant difference was found between soil textures and bulk density under cropland and fallow meaning that the observed differences of Ks and Kh under cropland and fallow were caused by land use and not preexisting difference in texture. These results suggest an increasing risk of erosion, soil fertility reduction, and flood in the catchment because of agricultural land expansion.


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