Large ungulates in tropical forests are among the most threatened taxa of mammals. Excessive hunting, degradation of and encroachments on their natural habitats by humans have contributed to drastic reductions in wild ungulate populations in recent decades. As such, reliable assessments of ungulate-habitat relationships and the spatial dynamics of their populations are urgently needed to provide a scientific basis for conservation efforts. However, such rigorous assessments are methodologically complex and logistically difficult, and consequently many commonly used ungulate population survey methods do not address key problems. As a result of such deficiencies, key parameters related to population distribution, abundance, habitat ecology and management of tropical forest ungulates remain poorly understood. This book addresses this critical knowledge gap by examining how population abundance patterns in five threatened species of large ungulates vary across space in the tropical forests of the Nagarahole-Bandipur reserves in southwestern India. It also explains the development and application of an innovative methodology – spatially explicit line transect sampling – based on an advanced hierarchical modelling under the Bayesian inferential framework, which overcomes common methodological deficiencies in current ungulate surveys. The methods and results presented provide valuable reference material for researchers and professionals involved in studying and managing wild ungulate populations around the globe.
Applied Hierarchical Modeling in Ecology: Analysis of Distribution, Abundance and Species Richness in R and BUGS, Volume Two: Dynamic and Advanced Models provides a synthesis of the state-of-the-art in hierarchical models for plant and animal distribution, also focusing on the complex and more advanced models currently available. The book explains all procedures in the context of hierarchical models that represent a unified approach to ecological research, thus taking the reader from design, through data collection, and into analyses using a very powerful way of synthesizing data. - Makes ecological modeling accessible to people who are struggling to use complex or advanced modeling programs - Synthesizes current ecological models and explains how they are inter-connected - Contains numerous examples throughout the book, walking the reading through scenarios with both real and simulated data - Provides an ideal resource for ecologists working in R software and in BUGS software for more flexible Bayesian analyses
This book reviews and synthesizes studies on local and regional occupancy and abundance of Neotropical mammals from central Mexico to South America. The book focuses primarily on addressing issues of a wide array of mammalian species from a population level in different habitats and ecosystems across the Neotropical region. Occupancy and abundance analyzed through hierarchical approaches with a variety of statistical tools are the central ecological parameters treated in the chapters of this volume. This book will be an updated reference for researchers, professionals, students, wildlife managers, and people interested in mammal ecology and conservation in tropical and subtropical regions.
Large terrestrial mammalian herbivores play critical roles in ecosystems by acting as regulators of energy and nutrient cycles, modulators of plant community composition and grassland-woodland transitions, agents of seed dispersal, and as prey for large carnivores. Though large herbivores represent a prominent component of mammalian assemblages throughout South and Southeast Asia, little is known about their roles in ecosystems in the region. This volume presents, for the first time, a collection of studies on the ecology of the rich and diverse large herbivore assemblages of South and Southeast Asia. Prepared by experts on herbivores of the region, it covers a comprehensive range of topics, including their evolutionary history, behavioural, nutritional, and population ecology, patterns of diversity across environmental gradients, roles as seed dispersers and regulators of plant growth, community compositions, and their conservation in the face of hunting and global change.
The Pasoh Forest Reserve (pasoh FR) has been a leading center for international field research in the Asian tropical forest since the 1970s, when a joint research project was carried out by Japanese, British and Malaysian research teams with the cooperation of the University of Malaya (UM) and the Forest Research Institute (FRI, now the Forest Research Institute Malaysia, FRIM) under the International Biological Program (IBP). The main objective of the project was to provide basic information on the primary productivity ofthe tropical rain forest, which was thought to be the most productive of the world's ecosystems. After the IBP project, a collaborative program between the University of Malaya and the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, for post-graduate training was carried out at Pasoh. Reproductive biology of so me dipterocarp trees featured in many of the findings arrived at through the program, contributing greatly to progress in the population genetics of rain forest trees. Since those research pro grams, apart of the Pasoh forest and its field research station have been managed by FRIM. In 1984, FRIM started a long-term ecological research program in Pasoh FR with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and Harvard University, establishing a 50-ha plot and enumerating and mapping all trees 1 cm or more in diameter at breast height. A recensus has been conducted every 5 years.
A beautifully illustrated reference work on the biology, ecology, conservation status and management of all thirteen species of wild cattle and buffalo. This book will be a valuable resource for students, researchers, and professionals in animal behaviour, behavioural ecology, evolutionary biology and conservation biology.
Spatial Capture-Recapture provides a comprehensive how-to manual with detailed examples of spatial capture-recapture models based on current technology and knowledge. Spatial Capture-Recapture provides you with an extensive step-by-step analysis of many data sets using different software implementations. The authors' approach is practical – it embraces Bayesian and classical inference strategies to give the reader different options to get the job done. In addition, Spatial Capture-Recapture provides data sets, sample code and computing scripts in an R package. - Comprehensive reference on revolutionary new methods in ecology makes this the first and only book on the topic - Every methodological element has a detailed worked example with a code template, allowing you to learn by example - Includes an R package that contains all computer code and data sets on companion website
In this Research Topic, we plan to assess the interface of conservation and science, looking at the various aspects of tiger conservation by assessing what advances have been made in each relevant field, where are the limitations, and what does the data show us about successes and failures in conserving tigers, their prey and their habitat. Through a series of multiple-authored papers, we plan to explore the realms of tiger and prey monitoring, law enforcement, habitat restoration efforts, human-tiger conflicts, landscape connectivity and ultimately how tiger conservation strategies have evolved and emerged leading up to the present. Coming at this critical time – with 2022 being the Year of the Tiger and the end of a 12-year pledge by Tiger Range Countries to double tiger numbers - this Research Topic will provide a landmark publication reflecting back on the past 12 (and more) years of tiger conservation and research, and laying the foundation for the coming twelve years. While the focus is on tigers, the studies will have wide application to efforts to conserve other large-bodied carnivores. In 2010, the lunar year of the tiger, a “Tiger Summit” was held in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, where 13 Tiger Range Countries pledged to double tiger numbers by the next lunar year of the tiger in 2022. The science of tiger conservation has developed in multiple ways over the past twelve years. As we approach this benchmark, when tiger range countries will be reporting on their past efforts and planning for the next twelve years, it is important to assess what has been accomplished, and what yet needs to be done; where there have been successes, and what has not worked. This is why it is particularly important to employ a science-based approach to conservation, something that is not universally adopted by tiger conservation advocates, but which we, as editors of this collection consider central to successful tiger conservation. This Research Topic will lay the foundation for effective science-based conservation of tigers for the next twelve years. In 2021 a collection of representatives from the international tiger conservation community developed a “joint NGO vision” of priorities in tiger conservation for the coming twelve years. In this Research Topic we plan to focus on the critical issues for global tiger conservation as identified by this international group. This topic will discuss these issues and highlight how they have been addressed in diverse tiger landscapes, including both successes and failures. Our goal is to provide a foundation and structure for site-based tiger conservation actions within, and beyond, the next 12-year lunar cycle. This Research Topic was conceptualized and launched by Dale Miquelle, Thomas Gray, Luke Hunter, Abishek Harihar, John Goodrich and Matthew Linkie, in collaboration with Frontiers, to focus on: • The Convergence of Site-based tiger conservation strategies • Opportunities for restoration of tigers across their historical range • Recovery of tigers in Thailand’s tiger conservation landscapes (what works). • An integrated law enforcement approach for protecting tigers and their prey in Sumatra. • Cost of ranger protection for tiger protected area. • Evaluating a site-based enforcement strategy, Malaysia. • Beyond density: better indicators for tiger monitoring. • Prey Recovery is the foundation of tiger restoration. • Resolving human-tiger conflicts. • Community-based tiger conservation: Can it work? • Ensuring connectivity of tiger conservation landscapes. • Emerging infectious disease threats. • Tiger conservation and global/regional initiatives.
Most large herbivores require some type of management within their habitats. Some populations of large herbivores are at the brink of extinction, some are under discussion for reintroduction, whilst others already occur in dense populations causing conflicts with other land use. Large herbivores are the major drivers for forming the shape and function of terrestrial ecosystems. This 2006 book addresses the scientifically based action plans to manage both the large herbivore populations and their habitats worldwide. It covers the processes by which large herbivores not only affect their environment (e.g. grazing) but are affected by it (e.g. nutrient cycling) and the management strategies required. Also discussed are new modeling techniques, which help assess integration processes in a landscape context, as well as assessing the consequences of new developments in the processes of conservation. This book will be essential reading for all involved in the management of both large herbivores and natural resources.
A riveting collection of photographs that captures wild animals in their native habitats. In Candid Creatures, the first major book to reveal the secret lives of animals through motion-sensitive game cameras, biologist Roland Kays has assembled over 600 remarkable photographs. Drawing from archives of millions of color and night-vision photographs collected by hundreds of researchers, Kays has selected images that show the unique perspectives of wildlife from throughout the world. Using these photos, he tells the stories of scientific discoveries that camera traps have enabled, such as living proof of species thought to have been extinct and details of predator-prey interactions. Each image captures a moment frozen in the camera’s flash as animals move through their wild habitats. Kays also discusses how scientists use camera traps to address conservation issues, creating solutions that allow humans and wild animals to coexist. More than just a collection of amazing animal pictures, the book’s text, maps, and illustrations work together to describe the latest findings in the fast-moving field of wildlife research. Candid Creatures is a testament to how the explosion of game cameras around the world has revolutionized the study of animal ecology. The powerful combination of pictures and stories of discovery will fascinate anyone interested in science, nature, wildlife biology, or photography.
