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Zou Q, Li W, Zhang C, Bao J, Lyu H, Duan M. Shy and Bold Fish Have the Same Preference for Light Color Selection. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1583. [PMID: 38891630 PMCID: PMC11171122 DOI: 10.3390/ani14111583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2024] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Personality, which matters for animal welfare, demonstrates behavioral differences. Light is one of the most important factors in aquaculture. However, how fish personality affects light color selection is unclear. In this study, we tested the personality of yellow catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco juveniles and then quantified the selective behaviors of different personalities under six light colors: violet (410-420 nm), yellow (580-590 nm), green (550-560 nm), red (620-630 nm), blue (470-480 nm), and white. The results showed that juveniles preferred the yellow and green light over the other colors of light, probably due to different reasons. The average cumulative dwell time in yellow (32.81 ± 5.22%), green (21.81 ± 3.58%), and red (26.36 ± 4.89%) lights was significantly longer than the other light colors, and the average visit frequency in green light (32.00 ± 4.93%) was the most. Juveniles had the longest total moved distance in green light. Moreover, the results demonstrated that shy and bold individuals had the same preference for the green light. Bold individuals could find the preferred light colors rapidly and make quick decisions for light color selection. After identifying the preferred light colors, bold individuals reduced the frequency of exploration. This study provides a theoretical basis for the welfare of juvenile yellow catfish in aquaculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; (Q.Z.); (W.L.); (C.Z.); (J.B.); (H.L.)
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Weiwei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; (Q.Z.); (W.L.); (C.Z.); (J.B.); (H.L.)
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Chaoshuo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; (Q.Z.); (W.L.); (C.Z.); (J.B.); (H.L.)
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jianghui Bao
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; (Q.Z.); (W.L.); (C.Z.); (J.B.); (H.L.)
| | - Huafei Lyu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; (Q.Z.); (W.L.); (C.Z.); (J.B.); (H.L.)
| | - Ming Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; (Q.Z.); (W.L.); (C.Z.); (J.B.); (H.L.)
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Clark FE, Greggor AL, Montgomery SH, Plotnik JM. The endangered brain: actively preserving ex-situ animal behaviour and cognition will benefit in-situ conservation. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230707. [PMID: 37650055 PMCID: PMC10465207 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Endangered species have small, unsustainable population sizes that are geographically or genetically restricted. Ex-situ conservation programmes are therefore faced with the challenge of breeding sufficiently sized, genetically diverse populations earmarked for reintroduction that have the behavioural skills to survive and breed in the wild. Yet, maintaining historically beneficial behaviours may be insufficient, as research continues to suggest that certain cognitive-behavioural skills and flexibility are necessary to cope with human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC). This paper begins by reviewing interdisciplinary studies on the 'captivity effect' in laboratory, farmed, domesticated and feral vertebrates and finds that captivity imposes rapid yet often reversible changes to the brain, cognition and behaviour. However, research on this effect in ex-situ conservation sites is lacking. This paper reveals an apparent mismatch between ex-situ enrichment aims and the cognitive-behavioural skills possessed by animals currently coping with HIREC. After synthesizing literature across neuroscience, behavioural biology, comparative cognition and field conservation, it seems that ex-situ endangered species deemed for reintroduction may have better chances of coping with HIREC if their natural cognition and behavioural repertoires are actively preserved. Evaluating the effects of environmental challenges rather than captivity per se is recommended, in addition to using targeted cognitive enrichment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fay E. Clark
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | | | - Joshua M. Plotnik
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
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3
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Budolfson M, Fischer B, Scovronick N. Animal welfare: Methods to improve policy and practice. Science 2023; 381:32-34. [PMID: 37410843 DOI: 10.1126/science.adi0121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
New methods are emerging to quantify human and animal welfare on a common scale, creating new tools for policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Budolfson
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Justice, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- Center for Population-Level Bioethics, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
- Population Wellbeing Initiative, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Bob Fischer
- Department of Philosophy, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
- Rethink Priorities, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Noah Scovronick
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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4
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Barrett M, Fischer B, Buchmann S. Informing policy and practice on insect pollinator declines: Tensions between conservation and animal welfare. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1071251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate change, agricultural intensification, and other anthropogenic ecosystem challenges have caused declines in the diversity and abundance of insect pollinators. In response to these declines, entomologists have called for greater attention to insect pollinator conservation. Conservation primarily aims to protect groups of non-human animals—populations or species—with only secondary concern for the welfare of individual animals. While conservation and animal welfare goals are sometimes aligned, they often are not. And because animal welfare comes second, it tends to be sacrificed when in tension with conversation priorities. Consider, for example, lethal sampling to monitor many pollinator populations. Growing evidence suggests that the welfare of individual insect pollinators may be morally significant, particularly in the Hymenoptera and Diptera. Considering insect welfare in conservation practices and policies presents many challenges as, in the face of rapid, anthropogenic change, it may be impossible to avoid harming individual animals while promoting diverse populations. We suggest some practical, implementable strategies that can allow for more robust integration of animal welfare goals into insect pollinator conservation. By following these strategies, entomologists may be able to find policies and practices that promote the health of ecosystems and the individual animals within them.
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5
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Pathwalker: A New Individual-Based Movement Model for Conservation Science and Connectivity Modelling. ISPRS INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEO-INFORMATION 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/ijgi11060329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Understanding organism movement is at the heart of many ecological disciplines. The study of landscape connectivity—the extent to which a landscape facilitates organism movement—has grown to become a central focus of spatial ecology and conservation science. Several computational algorithms have been developed to model connectivity; however, the major models in use today are limited by their lack of flexibility and simplistic assumptions of movement behaviour. In this paper, we introduce a new spatially-explicit, individual- and process-based model called Pathwalker, which simulates organism movement and connectivity through heterogeneous landscapes as a function of landscape resistance, the energetic cost of movement, mortality risk, autocorrelation, and directional bias towards a destination, all at multiple spatial scales. We describe the model’s structure and parameters and present statistical evaluations to demonstrate the influence of these parameters on the resulting movement patterns. Written in Python 3, Pathwalker works for any version of Python 3 and is freely available to download online. Pathwalker models movement and connectivity with greater flexibility compared with the dominant connectivity algorithms currently available in conservation science, thereby, enabling more detailed predictions for conservation practice and management. Moreover, Pathwalker provides a highly capable simulation framework for exploring theoretical and methodological questions that cannot be addressed with empirical data alone.
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6
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Eisfeld-Pierantonio SM, Pierantonio N, Simmonds MP. The impact of marine debris on cetaceans with consideration of plastics generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 300:118967. [PMID: 35134431 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.118967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The accumulation of human-derived debris in the oceans is a global concern and a serious threat to marine wildlife. There is a volume of evidence that points to deleterious effects of marine debris (MD) on cetaceans in terms of both entanglement and ingestion. This review suggests that about 68% of cetacean species are affected by interacting with MD with an increase in the number of species reported to have interacted with it over the past decades. Despite the growing body of evidence, there is an ongoing debate on the actual effects of plastics on cetaceans and, in particular, with reference to the ingestion of microplastics and their potential toxicological and pathogenic effects. Current knowledge suggests that the observed differences in the rate and nature of interactions with plastics are the result of substantial differences in species-specific diving and feeding strategies. Existing projections on the production, use and disposal of plastics suggest a further increase of marine plastic pollution. In this context, the contribution of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to marine plastic pollution appears to be substantial, with potentially serious consequences for marine life including cetaceans. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity to investigate the direct links between industry, human behaviours and the effects of MD on cetaceans. This could help inform management, prevention efforts, describe knowledge gaps and guide advancements in research efforts. This review highlights the lack of assessments of population-level effects related to MD and suggests that these could be rather immediate for small populations already under pressure from other anthropogenic activities. Finally, we suggest that MD is not only a pollution, economic and social issue, but also a welfare concern for the species and populations involved.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nino Pierantonio
- Tethys Research Institute, Viale G. B. Gadio 2, 20121, Milano, Italy.
| | - Mark P Simmonds
- Bristol Veterinary School Langford House, Langford, Bristol, BS40 5DU, UK; OceanCare, PO Box 372, 8820, Wadenswill, Switzerland.
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7
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Coghlan S, Cardilini APA. A critical review of the compassionate conservation debate. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2022; 36:e13760. [PMID: 34057240 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Compassionate conservation holds that compassion should transform conservation. It has prompted heated debate and has been criticized strongly. We reviewed the debate to characterize compassionate conservation and to philosophically analyze critiques that are recurring and that warrant further critical attention. The necessary elements of compassionate conservation relate to the moral value of sentient animals and conservation and to science and conservation practice. Although compassionate conservation has several nontraditional necessary conditions, it also importantly allows a degree of pluralism in values and scientific judgment regarding animals and conservation practice. We identified 52 specific criticisms from 11 articles that directly critique compassionate conservation. We closely examined 33 of these because they recurred regularly or included substantial questions that required further response. Critics criticized compassionate conservation's ethical foundations, scientific credentials, clarity of application, understanding of compassion, its alleged threat to conservation and biodiversity. Some criticisms, we found, are question begging, confused, or overlook conceptual complexity. These criticisms raise questions for critics and proponents, regarding, for example, equal versus differential intrinsic moral value of different sentient animals (including humans), problems of natural and human-caused suffering of wild animals and predation, and the acceptability of specific conservation practices within compassionate conservation. By addressing recurring and faulty critiques of compassionate conservation and identifying issues for compassionate conservation to address, this review provides a clearer basis for crucial ongoing interdisciplinary dialogue about ethics, values, and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Coghlan
- Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Ethics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Adam P A Cardilini
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
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Marchini S, Ferraz KMPMB, Foster V, Reginato T, Kotz A, Barros Y, Zimmermann A, Macdonald DW. Planning for Human-Wildlife Coexistence: Conceptual Framework, Workshop Process, and a Model for Transdisciplinary Collaboration. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2021.752953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Coexistence, as a concept and as a management goal and practice, has attracted increasing attention from researchers, managers and decision-makers dedicated to understanding and improving human-wildlife interactions. Although it still lacks a universally agreed definition, coexistence has increasingly been associated with a broad spectrum of human-wildlife interactions, including positive interactions, transcending a conservation focus on endangered wildlife, and involving explicitly considerations of power, equity and justice. In a growingly complex and interconnected human-dominated world, the key to turning human-wildlife interactions into large-scale coexistence is thorough planning. We present an approach for evidence-based, structured, and participatory decision-making in planning for human-wildlife coexistence. More specifically, we propose (i) a conceptual framework for describing the situation and setting the goals, (ii) a process for examining the causes of the situation and creating a theory of change, and (iii) a model for transdisciplinary research and collaboration integrating researchers, decision-makers and residents along with the interests of wildlife. To illustrate the approach, we report on the workshop considering the Jaguars of Iguaçu, a conservation project whose strategy includes the improvement of the relationship between ranchers and jaguars outside Iguaçu National Park, Brazil.
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Cetacean Acoustic Welfare in Wild and Managed-Care Settings: Gaps and Opportunities. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11113312. [PMID: 34828040 PMCID: PMC8614506 DOI: 10.3390/ani11113312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Whales and dolphins in managed-care and wild settings are exposed to human-made, anthropogenic sounds of varying degrees. These sounds can lead to potential negative welfare outcomes if not managed correctly in zoos or in the open ocean. Current wild regulations are based on generally broad taxa-based hearing thresholds, but there is movement to take other contextual factors into account, partially informed by researchers familiar with work in zoological settings. In this spirit, we present more nuanced future directions for the evaluation of acoustic welfare in both wild and managed-care settings, with suggestions for how research in both domains can inform each other as a means to address the paucity of research available on this topic, especially in managed-care environments. Abstract Cetaceans are potentially at risk of poor welfare due to the animals’ natural reliance on sound and the persistent nature of anthropogenic noise, especially in the wild. Industrial, commercial, and recreational human activity has expanded across the seas, resulting in a propagation of sound with varying frequency characteristics. In many countries, current regulations are based on the potential to induce hearing loss; however, a more nuanced approach is needed when shaping regulations, due to other non-hearing loss effects including activation of the stress response, acoustic masking, frequency shifts, alterations in behavior, and decreased foraging. Cetaceans in managed-care settings share the same acoustic characteristics as their wild counterparts, but face different environmental parameters. There have been steps to integrate work on welfare in the wild and in managed-care contexts, and the domain of acoustics offers the opportunity to inform and connect information from both managed-care settings and the wild. Studies of subjects in managed-care give controls not available to wild studies, yet because of the conservation implications, wild studies on welfare impacts of the acoustic environment on cetaceans have largely been the focus, rather than those in captive settings. A deep integration of wild and managed-care-based acoustic welfare research can complement discovery in both domains, as captive studies can provide greater experimental control, while the more comprehensive domain of wild noise studies can help determine the gaps in managed-care based acoustic welfare science. We advocate for a new paradigm in anthropogenic noise research, recognizing the value that both wild and managed-care research plays in illustrating how noise pollution affects welfare including physiology, behavior, and cognition.
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Herse MR, Tylianakis JM, Scott NJ, Brown D, Cranwell I, Henry J, Pauling C, McIntosh AR, Gormley AM, Lyver PO. Effects of customary egg harvest regimes on hatching success of a culturally important waterfowl species. PEOPLE AND NATURE 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mark R. Herse
- School of Biological Sciences University of Canterbury Christchurch New Zealand
| | - Jason M. Tylianakis
- School of Biological Sciences University of Canterbury Christchurch New Zealand
| | - Nigel J. Scott
- Te Ao TūroaTe Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu Christchurch New Zealand
- Ngāi TūāhuririTe Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga Tuahiwi New Zealand
| | - Donald Brown
- Ngāi Te RuahikikiTe Taumutu Rūnanga Leeston New Zealand
| | - Iaean Cranwell
- Kāti IrakehuWairewa Rūnanga Little River New Zealand
- Kāti KurīWairewa Rūnanga Little River New Zealand
- Kāti MakōWairewa Rūnanga Little River New Zealand
| | - John Henry
- Kāti Huirapa o Arowhenua Temuku New Zealand
| | - Craig Pauling
- Ngāi TūāhuririTe Ngāi Tūāhuriri Rūnanga Tuahiwi New Zealand
- Ngāi Te RuahikikiTe Taumutu Rūnanga Leeston New Zealand
- Ngāi Te RakiwhakaputaTe Taumutu Rūnanga Leeston New Zealand
| | - Angus R. McIntosh
- School of Biological Sciences University of Canterbury Christchurch New Zealand
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11
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D’Cruze N, Green J, Elwin A, Schmidt-Burbach J. Trading Tactics: Time to Rethink the Global Trade in Wildlife. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:E2456. [PMID: 33371486 PMCID: PMC7767496 DOI: 10.3390/ani10122456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The Covid-19 outbreak has brought about fresh and intensified scrutiny of the wildlife trade, which substantively involves commerce in exotic pets. In response, major policy decisions involving trade bans have ensued, with calls for similar such action to be applied across the trade chain. Yet, these measures have been criticised, largely based on concerns that they risk exacerbating poverty, undermining human rights, damaging conservation incentives, and otherwise harming sustainable development and conservation efforts. Instead, many critics propose improved regulation of the status quo, with the intention of nurturing a legal, sustainable, safe, humane, and equitable wildlife trade. Herein, we provide a countering view that outlines how the risks presented by the wildlife trade are becoming increasingly recognised as being both manifold and severe; and raise concerns that the goal of a well-regulated wildlife trade is becoming increasingly exposed as a mirage. We conclude that while pursuing the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (with their focus on poverty alleviation, food security, public health, and conservation) is enduringly vital, a flourishing wildlife trade is not. Given that the exploitation of wildlife, including for the pet trade, has been identified as one of the dominant drivers of biodiversity loss, emergence of zoonotic infectious disease, animal suffering, and financial instability, perpetuating the concept of utilising a regulated wildlife trade as the default approach to protect people and planet is in urgent need of re-evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil D’Cruze
- World Animal Protection, 222 Gray’s Inn Rd., London WC1X 8HB, UK; (J.G.); (A.E.); (J.S.-B.)
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12
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Ghasemi B. Trophy hunting and conservation: Do the major ethical theories converge in opposition to trophy hunting? PEOPLE AND NATURE 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Ghasemi
- Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Lab & Applied Biodiversity Science Program Department of Rangeland, Wildlife & Fisheries Management Texas A&M University College Station TX USA
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