PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

MU researcher's study of African forest elephants helps guide research efforts in the US

Study finds that human occupation of an area may not contribute to population decline of an endangered species

2014-01-07
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Jeff Sossamon
sossamonj@missouri.edu
573-882-3346
University of Missouri-Columbia
MU researcher's study of African forest elephants helps guide research efforts in the US Study finds that human occupation of an area may not contribute to population decline of an endangered species

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Conservation of a protected or endangered species requires frequent monitoring and the dynamic techniques biologists utilize to ensure the survival of threatened animals. Often, scientists study biodiversity at all levels—from genes to entire ecosystems. Currently, researchers at the University of Missouri are employing genotyping to study movement patterns of African forest elephants in protected and unprotected regions of Gabon to better understand how human occupation of these areas might affect elephants on the African continent. Genotyping is helping conservation biologists determine the best course of action to ensure biodiversity and the preservation of various species in the U.S. and abroad.

"Many times, analyzing dangerous animals with a hands-on approach is risky, so genetic samples and traces collected through hair samples, fecal samples, and other noninvasive means offer a safer technique to examine species," said Lori Eggert, associate professor of biological sciences in the College of Arts & Science at MU. "In Africa, protected areas are often designed around sites that support endangered species such as large mammals. We were tasked with studying elephants outside a protected region in an area that includes humans, oil-drilling platforms and disturbances by machinery. We examined population structure, movement patterns, and habitat use by sex and age group. We also studied how the elephants moved between the protected regions and the unprotected regions during wet and dry seasons."

Between 2002 and 2011, the population of Central African forest elephants declined by 62 percent and their geographic range decreased by 30 percent. The largest remaining concentration of this species, approximately 53,000 individuals, is in Gabon where officials have established 13 national parks designated as habitats for elephants. Eggert and fellow researchers from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), as well as other international scientists, were tasked with determining movement between two of the parks that were separated by an unprotected area and how the elephants migrated between them. What the scientists found was that the interconnected region not designated as a national park provides year-round habitat for elephants and is important to the conservation of the species.

"We discovered that elephants tend to use the unprotected area as much as they do the protected parks," said Eggert. "A resident population exists in the unprotected area, even though drilling occurs there and humans are present. Some of the elephants seem to consider this their home range and, instead of moving back and forth between the national parks, they inhabit the unprotected area during the rainy and dry seasons. What perhaps is most important is that a relatively large number of females inhabit this area, making this region much more important than we first realized."

Eggert's fellow researchers collected samples from elephant droppings in the unprotected area and in the national parks, and sent more than 1,000 samples back to Eggert and her lab team who extracted DNA and genotyped them at the SCBI and at MU. She and her colleagues detected more than 500 elephants in the unprotected area during both the wet and dry seasons suggesting that region supported a resident population.

"Elephants are considered to be a 'keystone' species, or a species that is especially important to the health of ecosystems in Africa," Eggert said. "We're all affected by the health of the forests in Africa, Central America and here in the U.S. The fact that elephants are surviving in a place where drilling for oil is happening is exciting and gives us a glimpse at how to study species in our own country."

Eggert said the work she and her team conducted with elephants in Africa involves methods used to study species worldwide. Her lab recently worked with the Missouri Department of Conservation to analyze black bears in Missouri and Arkansas, and also has collaborated on the analysis of otters and hellbenders in Missouri rivers.



INFORMATION:

Her study, "Using genetic profiles of African forest elephants to infer population structure, movements, and habitat use in a conservation and development landscape in Gabon" was published in Conservation Biology in collaboration with Jesus Maldonado, Alfonso Alonso, Rob Fleischer and Francisco Dallmeier with the Smithsonian Institution and colleagues at the University of Groningen, the University of Oxford and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologie in Libreville, Gabon.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, January 2014

2014-01-07
Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, January 2014 To arrange for an interview with a researcher, please contact the Communications staff member identified at the end of each tip. For more information on ORNL and its research ...

Might more ravens -- aided by humans -- mean 'nevermore' for sage-grouse?

2014-01-07
Might more ravens -- aided by humans -- mean 'nevermore' for sage-grouse? BOZEMAN (January 7, 2014) – A new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society, Idaho State University and the U.S. Geological Survey suggests that habitat fragmentation and the addition of ...

On-demand vaccines possible with engineered nanoparticles

2014-01-07
On-demand vaccines possible with engineered nanoparticles Vaccines combat diseases and protect populations from outbreaks, but the life-saving technology leaves room for improvement. Vaccines usually are made en masse in centralized locations far removed from where they ...

Newly discovered 3-star system to challenge Einstein's theory of General Relativity

2014-01-07
Newly discovered 3-star system to challenge Einstein's theory of General Relativity A newly discovered system of two white dwarf stars and a superdense pulsar--all packed within a space smaller than the Earth's orbit around the sun -- is enabling astronomers to probe ...

Embargoed news from Jan. 6, 2014 Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet

2014-01-07
Embargoed news from Jan. 6, 2014 Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet Mediterranean diet without weight loss helps prevent diabetes 1. Mediterranean diet reduces diabetes incidence without calorie restriction, exercise, or weight loss Older patients at ...

New fossils shed light on the origins of lions, and tigers, and bears (oh my!)

2014-01-07
New fossils shed light on the origins of lions, and tigers, and bears (oh my!) New fossils from Belgium have shed light on the origin of some of the most well-known, and well-loved, modern mammals. Cats and dogs, as well as other carnivorous mammals ...

People lacking insurance not likely to migrate to obtain Medicaid coverage

2014-01-07
People lacking insurance not likely to migrate to obtain Medicaid coverage States choosing Medicaid expansion shouldn't expect costly influx of individuals from states not expanding coverage; other studies examine accountable care organizations and communication-and-resolution ...

1 in, 1 out: Oxford study shows how people put a limit on their social networks

2014-01-07
1 in, 1 out: Oxford study shows how people put a limit on their social networks A new study shows that people put most effort into communicating with small numbers of close friends or family, operating unconscious 1-in, 1-out policies so that communication patterns ...

Workplace wellness programs can cut chronic illness costs

2014-01-07
Workplace wellness programs can cut chronic illness costs But savings for lifestyle changes are smaller Workplace wellness programs can lower health care costs in workers with chronic diseases, but components of the programs that encourage workers to adopt healthier lifestyles ...

Biomaterials get stem cells to commit to a bony future

2014-01-07
Biomaterials get stem cells to commit to a bony future Researchers discover exactly how calcium phosphate can coax stem cells to become bone-building cells With the help of biomimetic matrices, a research team led by bioengineers at the University of California, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time

‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’

Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible

Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound

American College of Physicians awards $260,000 in grants to address equity challenges in obesity care

Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential

Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR, honored with the 2025 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration

Deporting immigrants may further shrink the health care workforce

Border region emergency medical services in migrant emergency care

Resident physician intentions regarding unionization

[Press-News.org] MU researcher's study of African forest elephants helps guide research efforts in the US
Study finds that human occupation of an area may not contribute to population decline of an endangered species