Philadelphia Zoo

About: Philadelphia Zoo is a archive organization based out in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Revelation & Population. The organization has 25 authors who have published 47 publications receiving 1123 citations. The organization is also known as: Philadelphia Zoological Garden.

Large trees drive forest aboveground biomass variation in moist lowland forests across the tropics

Abstract: Aim Large trees (d.b.h. 70 cm) store large amounts of biomass. Several studies suggest that large trees may be vulnerable to changing climate, poten- tially leading to declining forest biomass storage. Here we determine the importance of large trees for tropical forest biomass storage and explore which intrinsic (species trait) and extrinsic (environment) variables are associated with the density of large trees and forest biomass at continental and pan-tropical scales. Location Pan-tropical.

Soils on exposed Sunda Shelf shaped biogeographic patterns in the equatorial forests of Southeast Asia

Abstract: The marked biogeographic difference between western (Malay Peninsula and Sumatra) and eastern (Borneo) Sundaland is surprising given the long time that these areas have formed a single landmass. A dispersal barrier in the form of a dry savanna corridor during glacial maxima has been proposed to explain this disparity. However, the short duration of these dry savanna conditions make it an unlikely sole cause for the biogeographic pattern. An additional explanation might be related to the coarse sandy soils of central Sundaland. To test these two nonexclusive hypotheses, we performed a floristic cluster analysis based on 111 tree inventories from Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo. We then identified the indicator genera for clusters that crossed the central Sundaland biogeographic boundary and those that did not cross and tested whether drought and coarse-soil tolerance of the indicator genera differed between them. We found 11 terminal floristic clusters, 10 occurring in Borneo, 5 in Sumatra, and 3 in Peninsular Malaysia. Indicator taxa of clusters that occurred across Sundaland had significantly higher coarse-soil tolerance than did those from clusters that occurred east or west of central Sundaland. For drought tolerance, no such pattern was detected. These results strongly suggest that exposed sandy sea-bed soils acted as a dispersal barrier in central Sundaland. However, we could not confirm the presence of a savanna corridor. This finding makes it clear that proposed biogeographic explanations for plant and animal distributions within Sundaland, including possible migration routes for early humans, need to be reevaluated.

Immigration in wild groups of golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia).

Abstract: Seventeen territorial groups of wild golden lion tamarins were monitored for periods of 10-76 months. Immigration into established groups was rare (0.48 immigrating individuals per group per year) and occurred mostly in the context of replacement of breeding individuals. Nonreplacement immigration events usually occurred in conjunction with some other change in group composition (e.g., an emigration or another immigration). Aggression by resident tamarins toward potential immigrants appeared to be the proximate factor limiting movement into groups. Most such aggression was intrasexual, but potential female immigrants were sometimes chased by male as well as female residents. Immigration was highly male biased (85% of individuals). Factors possibly contributing to this bias were inheritance of breeding positions by adult daughters (reducing female and increasing male immigration opportunities), ability of males but not females to join groups already containing a same-sex breeding individual, and the fact that potential female immigrants appeared to face some intersexual as well as intrasexual aggression. Male and female roles in the maintenance of a monogynous mating system are considered in light of these results. Contrasts with data from intruder studies on captive golden lion tamarins [French & Inglett, Animal Behaviour 37:487-497, 1989] are discussed. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The Golden lion tamarin Leontopithecus rosalia: a conservation success story

Abstract: In 1960, the Golden lion tamarin Leontopithecus rosalia was almost extinct in the wild and the captive population, with poor reproduction and survival, was not well established. In the 1970s, after many improvements, the captive population began to grow and the Poco das Antas Biological Reserve was created to protect the species. In the 1980s, long-term research was begun on the demography and socio-ecology of the Golden lion tamarins, along with community environmental education and a reintroduction programme of captive-born animals (initially in the reserve, later in neighbouring private forests). About 30 zoos contributed the 146 captive-born reintroduced tamarins, and provided information on social behaviour, nutrition and health that was critical to developing reintroduction strategies. In 1994, threatened groups isolated in small fragments were rescued and translocated to a protected forest. Both programmes have been successful as measured by survival and reproduction after release, and both techniques have established growing populations. Although new threats (introduction of exotic primates) continue to challenge our efforts to preserve the species, there is no doubt of the success of almost 30 years of the Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Programme.

Environmental Education as a Component of Multidisciplinary Conservation Programs: Lessons from Conservation Initiatives for Critically Endangered Fruit Bats in the Western Indian Ocean

Abstract: Pteropus livingstonii, P. v oeltzkowi, and P. r odricensis are three critically endangered fruit bats from western Indian Ocean islands for which multidisciplinary conservation programs have been established that include environmental education programs (EEPs). We describe these EEPs in terms of the strategies used to achieve them and evaluate the educational and conservation outcomes and impacts of the programs. Edu- cational outputs (including posters, stickers, videos, lesson plans, and workshops), primarily linking human needs to the ecosystem services provided by bats, were delivered to schools and community groups, and local environmental educators were trained to further develop the EEPs. Outcomes included increased local aware- ness about the bats and their conservation, training of environmental educators, inclusion of bat conservation and environmental issues in the school curricula, and establishment of community-based environmental non- governmental organizations (NGOs). Extensive prior planning, presentations in local languages, distribution of outputs through existing networks of educators, training of local educators, establishment of local envi- ronmental NGOs, and local capacity-building were all associated with these EEPs achieving their goals in the under-resourced island locations where these bats are found. The EEPs were also important in the development of other components of their respective conservation programs, such as population monitoring programs. Although long-term conservation impacts, particularly tackling habitat loss, are slow to materialize and so- cial and economic issues need to be addressed, these EEPs have already had important outcomes and have established the foundation for future conservation actions.