1
|
Salton M, Carr M, Tarjan LM, Clarke J, Kirkwood R, Slip D, Harcourt R. Protected area use by two sympatric marine predators repopulating their historical range. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2021. [DOI: 10.3354/esr01129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
As large carnivores recover from over-exploitation, managers often lack evidence-based information on species habitat requirements and the efficacy of management practices, particularly where species repopulate areas from which they have long been extirpated. We investigated the movement and habitat use by 2 semi-aquatic carnivores (Australian fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus and New Zealand fur seals A. forsteri) at the northern end of their distributions in Australia, where after a long absence both are recolonising their historic range. We also assessed male fur seal habitat use overlap with terrestrial and marine protected areas (PAs). While at the margin of the range during winter and early spring, the males remained inshore close to terrestrial sites and where interactions with humans often occur. From early spring, the males from the range margin showed uniform movement toward colonies in the core of the species’ range prior to their breeding seasons. This contrasts with males tracked from the core of the species’ range that returned periodically to colonies during the year, and highlights the importance of range-wide monitoring of a species to inform conservation planning. Habitat use by some males included over 90% of a marine PA at the margin of the species’ range. Most terrestrial haul-outs used were within terrestrial PAs, while sites not protected were on the margin of the range. Despite wide-ranging habits, their dependence on coastal sites, where human access and activities can be regulated and more readily enforced, suggests that terrestrial and marine PAs will continue to play an important role in managing the recovery of these fur seals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M Salton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales 2109, Australia
- Australian Antarctic Division, Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment, Kingston, Tasmania 7050, Australia
| | - M Carr
- Department of Primary Industries, Jervis Bay Marine Park, New South Wales 2540, Australia
- Biodiversity Conservation Trust, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales 2450, Australia
| | - LM Tarjan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
- San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, 524 Valley Way, Milpitas, California 95035, USA
| | - J Clarke
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| | - R Kirkwood
- Research Department, Phillip Island Nature Parks, Cowes, Victoria 3922, Australia
- SARDI Aquatic Sciences, West Beach, South Australia 5024, Australia
| | - D Slip
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales 2109, Australia
- Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Mosman, New South Wales 2088, Australia
| | - R Harcourt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales 2109, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ben-Ami R, Klochendler A, Seidel M, Sido T, Gurel-Gurevich O, Yassour M, Meshorer E, Benedek G, Fogel I, Oiknine-Djian E, Gertler A, Rotstein Z, Lavi B, Dor Y, Wolf DG, Salton M, Drier Y. Large-scale implementation of pooled RNA extraction and RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 detection. Clin Microbiol Infect 2020; 26:1248-1253. [PMID: 32585353 PMCID: PMC7308776 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2020.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Revised: 06/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Testing for active SARS-CoV-2 infection is a fundamental tool in the public health measures taken to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the overwhelming use of SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription (RT)-PCR tests worldwide, the availability of test kits has become a major bottleneck and the need to increase testing throughput is rising. We aim to overcome these challenges by pooling samples together, and performing RNA extraction and RT-PCR in pools. METHODS We tested the efficiency and sensitivity of pooling strategies for RNA extraction and RT-PCR detection of SARS-CoV-2. We tested 184 samples both individually and in pools to estimate the effects of pooling. We further implemented Dorfman pooling with a pool size of eight samples in large-scale clinical tests. RESULTS We demonstrated pooling strategies that increase testing throughput while maintaining high sensitivity. A comparison of 184 samples tested individually and in pools of eight samples showed that test results were not significantly affected. Implementing the eight-sample Dorfman pooling to test 26 576 samples from asymptomatic individuals, we identified 31 (0.12%) SARS-CoV-2 positive samples, achieving a 7.3-fold increase in throughput. DISCUSSION Pooling approaches for SARS-CoV-2 testing allow a drastic increase in throughput while maintaining clinical sensitivity. We report the successful large-scale pooled screening of asymptomatic populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Ben-Ami
- Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research, IMRIC, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - A Klochendler
- Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research, IMRIC, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - M Seidel
- School of Mathematical Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - T Sido
- Department of Mathematics, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - O Gurel-Gurevich
- Einstein Institute of Mathematics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - M Yassour
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, IMRIC, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel; School of Computer Science and Engineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - E Meshorer
- Department of Genetics and Edmond and Lily Centre for Brain Sciences (ELSC), The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - G Benedek
- Hadassah - Hebrew University Medical Centre, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - I Fogel
- Hadassah - Hebrew University Medical Centre, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - E Oiknine-Djian
- Hadassah - Hebrew University Medical Centre, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - A Gertler
- Hadassah - Hebrew University Medical Centre, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Z Rotstein
- Hadassah - Hebrew University Medical Centre, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - B Lavi
- Hadassah - Hebrew University Medical Centre, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Y Dor
- Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research, IMRIC, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - D G Wolf
- Hadassah - Hebrew University Medical Centre, Jerusalem, Israel; The Lautenberg Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research, IMRIC, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - M Salton
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, IMRIC, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Y Drier
- The Lautenberg Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research, IMRIC, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
| |
Collapse
|