Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Natural History

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Exploring Studbooks for Wildlife Management and Conservation

Part of the book series: Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation ((TOBC,volume 17))

  • 653 Accesses

Abstract

Natural history data are important for husbandry and population management of wild species in captivity, although these data are often incomplete or missing on wild species. However, some of these data can be extracted from studbooks. They are referred to as natural history elements in this book to distinguish them from data obtained from the wild. Histograms and descriptive statistics such as Tukey five number summary are used to describe characteristics of (reproductive) lifespan, litter/clutch size and inter–birth interval in the population. Results from these statistics are placed in the context of husbandry and population management. Techniques to detect outliers (possible artefacts) in longevity, first age at reproduction and maximum lifespan are presented. The non–parametric Wilcoxon two–sample test is applied to test for differences in (reproductive) lifespan between sexes and different periods of time. The problem of assessing litter size in species that use dens, and a possible solution, is discussed in this chapter. Circular statistics are applied in seasonality analyses of births and deaths. Effects of latitude (northern and southern hemispheres) on birth season are discussed. Additional topics such as the use of seasonality analysis in detecting premature births and sex–bias are explored.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The following sex–group categories are included: male, female, unknown sex, hermaphrodite and abnormal sex.

  2. 2.

    A major characteristic of the normal distribution is that the curve is symmetrical around the (arithmetic) mean. Therefore mean, median and mode are all located at the same point.

  3. 3.

    These percentiles mean that 95 % or 99 % of data ordered by age were included.

  4. 4.

    The maximum observed ages in truncated data sets can differ from percentiles due to rounding of number of records that are excluded, and the method that is used in calculating the percentiles.

  5. 5.

    Although International studbooks for Przewalski’s horses (Equus przewalskii) and European bison or wisent (Bison bonasus) were initiated at the beginning of the 20th century, captive propagation programmes in zoological gardens started on a larger scale in the 1960s. Regional breeding programmes such as the North American SSPs© and European EEPs, which were initiated in the mid 1980s, now include compilation of husbandry manuals.

  6. 6.

    Premature births are recorded as births in studbooks.

  7. 7.

    The statistical terminology is to reject and to not reject the null hypothesis.

  8. 8.

    Studies on wildlife populations usually consider clutch size rather than hatchlings.

  9. 9.

    366 days if leap years are taken into account.

  10. 10.

    The breeding season of species with delayed implantation is actually divided in a mating, an “implantation” and a birth season, sometimes separated by months.

  11. 11.

    This depends on leap years.

References

  • Agostinelli C, Lund U (2013) R package circular: circular statistics (version 0.4-7). https://r-forge.r-project.org/projects/circular/

  • Barlow J, Boveng P (1991) Modeling age-specific mortality for marine mammal populations. Mar Mamm Sci 7(1):50–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benirschke K (1984) The frozen zoo concept. Zoo Biol 3(4):325–328

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blomqvist L (2004) International pedigree book for snow leopards (Uncia uncia) dataset. Technical report, Helsinki Zoo, Helsinki. Updated to 31 Dec 2003

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradley AJ (2003) Stress, hormones and mortality in small carnivorous marsupials. In: Jones ME, Dickman CR, Archer M (eds) Predators with pouches: the biology of carnivorous marsupials. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwoord, Victoria, pp 254–267

    Google Scholar 

  • Brouwer K, Schifter H, Jones ML (1994) Longevity and breeding records of ibises and spoonbills Threskiornithidae in captivity. Int Zoo Yearb 33:94–102

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caughley G (1966) Mortality patterns in mammals. Ecology 47(6):906–918

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caughley G (1977) Analyses of vertebrate populations. The Blackburn Press, Caldwell

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke AG (2009) The Frozen Ark Project: the role of zoos and aquariums in preserving the genetic material of threatened animals. Int Zoo Yearb 43:222–230

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cockburn A, Legge S, Double MC (2002) Sex ratios in birds and mammals: can the hypotheses be disentangled? In: Hardy ICW (ed) Sex ratios: concepts and research methods. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 266–286

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dijkstra C, Daan S, Buker JB (1990) Adaptive seasonal variation in the sex ratio of kestrel broods. Funct Ecol 4:143–147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Estes RD (2012) The behavior guide to African mammals: including hoofed mammals, carnivores, primates, 20th edn. University of California Press, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • Faust LJ, Bergstrom YM, Thompson SD, Bier L (2012) PopLink version 2.4. Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Faust LJ, Thompson SD, Earnhardt JM, Brown E, Ryan S, Sherman M, Yurenka M (2003) Using stage-based system dynamics modeling for demographic management of captive populations. Zoo Biol 22:45–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flesness NR, Mace GM (1988) Population databases and zoological conservation. Int Zoo Yearb 27:42–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flesness NR, Lukens DR Jr, Porter SB, Wilson CR, Grahn LV (1995) ISIS and studbooks: very high correlation for the North American zoo population – a reply to Earnhardt, Thompson and Willis. Zoo Biol 14(6):509–517

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurlbert SH (1984) Pseudoreplication and the design of ecological field experiments. Ecol Monogr 54(2):187–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones ML (1993) Longevity of ungulates in captivity. Int Zoo Yearb 32:159–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kingdon J (2015) The Kingdon field guide to African mammals, 2nd edn. Bloomsbury Publishing, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Komdeur J (2012) Sex allocation. In: Royle NJ, Smiseth PT, Kölliker M (eds) The evolution of parental care. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 171–188

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Komsta L (2011) Outliers: tests for outliers. http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=outliers. R package version 0.14

  • Lacy RC, Ballou JD, Princée F, Starfield A, Thompson EA (1995) Pedigree analysis for population management. In: Ballou JD, Gilpin M, Foose TJ (eds) Population management for survival and recovery: analytical methods and strategies in small population conservation. Methods and cases in conservation science series. Columbia University Press, New York, pp 57–75

    Google Scholar 

  • Lacy RC, Borbat M, Pollak JP (2009) VORTEX: a stochastic simulation of the extinction process, version 9.96. Technical report, Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield

    Google Scholar 

  • Lombardi CM, Hurlbert SH (1996) Sunfish cognition and pseudoreplication. Anim Behav 52:419–422

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNutt JW, Silk JB (2008) Pup production, sex ratios, and survivorship in African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 62:1061–1067

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morbey YE, Brassil CE, Hendry AP (2005) Rapid senescence in Pacific salmon. Am Nat 166(5):556–568

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mysterud A, Røed KH, Holland Ø, Yoccoz NC, Nieminen M (2009) Age-related gestation length adjustment in a large iteroparous mammal at northern latitude. J Anim Ecol 78(5):1002–1006

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pewsey A, Neuhäuser M, Ruxton GD (2013) Circular statistics in R. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Princée FPG (2014) Population Management Library (PML) software and manual version 1.0. East Rudham. http://www.princee.com

  • R Core Team (2015) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna. https://www.R-project.org/

    Google Scholar 

  • Scobie P, Bingaman Lackey L (1997–2012) Single Population Animal Record Keeping System (SPARKS) versions 1.42–1.66. International Species Information System, Eagan

    Google Scholar 

  • Sokal RR, Rohlf FJ (2012) Biometry, 4th edn. W.H. Freeman and company, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Temte JL (1993) Latitudinal variation in the birth timing of captive California sea lions and other captive North Pacific pinnipeds. Fish Bull 91(4):710–717

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson SD, Earnhardt JM, Turner-Erfort G (1997) Guidelines for data entry and maintenance of North American regional studbooks. Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Tukey JW (1977) Exploratory data analysis. Behavioural science: quantitative methods Addison-Wesley, Reading

    Google Scholar 

  • Valenzuela N (2004) Evolution and maintenance of temperature-dependent sex determination. In: Valenzuela N, Lance V (eds) Temperature sex determination in vertebrates. Smithsonian Books, Washington DC, pp 131–147

    Google Scholar 

  • Valenzuela N (2008) Sexual development and the evolution of sex determination. Sex Dev 2(2):64–72

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Warner D, Shine R (2008) The adaptive significance of temperature–dependent sex determination in a reptile. Nature 451:566–569

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weladji RB, Holand O (2003) Sex ratio in reindeer Rangifer tarandus: a test of the extrinsic modification hypothesis. Wildl Biol 9(1):29–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiese RJ, Willis K (2004) Calculation of longevity and life expectancy in captive elephants. Zoo Biol 23:365–373

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zar JH (1984) Biological statistics, 2nd edn. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Population Management and Wildlife Conservation, East Rudham, Norfolk, UK

    F. P. G. Princée

Authors
  1. F. P. G. Princée
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Princée, F.P.G. (2016). Natural History. In: Exploring Studbooks for Wildlife Management and Conservation. Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation, vol 17. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50032-4_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation