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A chatinella mustelina is a critically endangered tree snail that subsists entirely by grazing microbes from leaf surfaces of native trees. Little is known about the fundamental aspects of these microbe assemblages: not taxonomic composition, how this varies with host plant or location, nor whether snails selectively consume microbes. To address these questions, we collected 102 snail faecal samples as a proxy for diet, and 102 matched-leaf samples from four locations. We used Illumina amplicon sequencing to determine bacterial and fungal community composition. Microbial community structure was significantly distinct between snail faeces and leaf samples, but the same microbes occurred in both. We conclude that snails are not 'picky' eaters at the microbial level, but graze the surface of whatever plant they are on. In a second experiment, the gut was dissected from non-endangered native tree snails in the same family as A chatinella to confirm that faecal samples reflect gut contents . Over 60% of fungal reads were shared between faeces, gut and leaf samples. Overall, location, sample type (faeces or leaf) and host plant identity all significantly explained the community composition and variation among samples. Understanding the microbial ecology of microbes grazed by tree snails enables effective management when conservation requires captive breeding or field relocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differing values between communities and government resource managers may lead to conflict, particularly when community members are not involved in decision making. Increasingly, co-management arrangements have become an important tool to increase local capacity for resource management, increase trust between diverse community groups, and foster effective stewardship. However, co-management depends upon collaboration between users and managers and the ability to understand relationships between a given resource and those who use it, even when these communities are often viewed as contravening conservation efforts. Invasive species, such as feral pigs (Sus scrofa), present particular management challenges because they damage island ecosystems but are also integral to community life ways and food systems. Based on interviews with local pig hunters in the Hawaiian Islands, we explored the social-cultural values and practices of local pig hunters, their reasons for hunting, and possibilities for greater collaboration in feral pig management. Results highlight the importance of hunting for both food and other forms of well-being and cultural perpetuation, along with opportunities for (1) expanding mechanisms of access to improve hunting opportunities for invasive species; (2) integrating rights and responsibilities to meet management objectives; and (3) improving communication to enhance collaborative arrangements. Considering the context of managing community use of an ecologically detrimental invasive species, this study offers insights to guide co-management partnerships with community groups that are sometimes perceived as opposed to invasive species control efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we report the complete mitochondrial genome sequence ofAchatinella mustelina, an endangered Hawaiian tree snail. The mitogenome is 16 323 bp in length and has a base composition of A (34.7%), T (42.6%), C (12.7%) and G (10.0%). Similar to other Pulmonates, it contains 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes and 22 tRNA genes. To our knowledge, this is the first mitochondrial genome sequenced within the Achatinelloidea superfamily, which contains a high number of endangered species. As such, this mitogenome will be useful in conservation genetics studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Translocations of chicks are increasingly being used in seabird restoration projects, along with social attraction of adults using acoustic and visual cues, to establish new colonies or re‐establish extirpated colonies. Many seabird species exhibit high rates of natal philopatry, where most chicks return to the nesting colonies from which they fledged. This makes them ideal candidates for translocation projects since they have a high likelihood of returning to translocation sites if they are relocated prior to imprinting on a natal site. Starting in 2017, Black‐footed Albatross (BFAL) chicks were translocated from populations in the low‐lying Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, where they face habitat loss due to sea level rise, to the higher elevation island of O‘ahu, in an attempt to establish a new colony for this species. Additionally, social attraction was utilized at the site to attract potential nesting adults and provide social stimuli for the translocated chicks. Our study examined the response of translocated BFAL chicks to visual and audio stimuli inside a mammalian predator exclusion fence at James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge on the island of O‘ahu. Decoys constructed in two different poses, representing courtship and resting postures of adult BFAL, were placed in various combinations with playback speakers around the perimeter of artificial shelters. Motion‐activated cameras were used to record and compare the number of visits by chicks to different combinations of visual and acoustic stimuli. We found the number of visits was highest at setups that included a combination of a decoy pair and a playback speaker, suggesting that a combination of visual and audio cues of adult BFAL are most attractive to the chicks. Future studies are needed to evaluate the long‐term impacts of exposure to artificial visual and audio stimuli as chicks on return rates to translocation site and social behavior as adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Invasive ungulates (hoofed mammals), including deer, feral pigs, feral goats, and feral sheep, are known to cause damage to agriculture, property, natural resources, and many other commodities. Most of the information regarding the economic impacts of wild ungulates is from North America, where some of these species are native. To evaluate invasive ungulate damage to livestock producers in the Hawaiian Islands, which have no native ungulates, a survey was distributed to livestock producers across the state., Results: Survey results described how total annual costs are distributed among damage, control, and repairs for survey respondents, who represented a significant percentage of total ranchland acreage across the islands. The estimates, excluding fixed fence installation, revealed an annual cost to livestock producers who responded to the survey of US$1.42 million, which ranged from $3.6 million to $7.5 million when extrapolated to the entire state. The large cost contributors included damage to property, pastureland repair, control costs (excluding fencing), supplemental feed, and predation of calves by wild pigs. Additionally, producers reported spending more than $2 million in upfront fence installation costs. Most of these costs were reported by respondents on the islands of Hawai'i and Moloka'i., Conclusion: Study results revealed substantial damage to state livestock producers due to wild ungulates and are useful in determining an invasive ungulate management strategy that can appropriately aid the most impacted sectors of Hawai'i. © 2024 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2024 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.)

In this study, we report the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Achatinella mustelina , an endangered Hawaiian tree snail. The mitogenome is 16 323 bp in length and has a base composition of A (34.7%), T (42.6%), C (12.7%) and G (10.0%). Similar to other Pulmonates, it contains 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes and 22 tRNA genes. To our knowledge, this is the first mitochondrial genome sequenced within the Achatinelloidea superfamily, which contains a high number of endangered species. As such, this mitogenome will be useful in conservation genetics studies., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article., (© 2016 The Author(s). Published by Taylor & Francis.)

Wild populations of endangered Hawaiian tree snails have declined precipitously over the last century due to introduced predators and other human impacts. Life history traits, such as very low fecundity (<5 offspring per year across taxa) and maturity at approximately four years of age have made recovery difficult. Conservation efforts such as in situ predator-free enclosures may increase survival to maturity by protecting offspring from predation, but no long-term data existed prior to this study demonstrating the demographic and genetic parameters necessary to maintain populations within those enclosures. We evaluated over 20 years of evidence for the dynamics of survival and extinction in captive ex situ populations of Hawaiian tree snails established from wild-collected individuals. From 1991 to 2006, small numbers of snails (<15) from fifteen species were collected from the wild to initiate captive-reared populations as a hedge against extinction. This small number of founders resulted in a severe bottleneck in each of the captive-reared populations. We identified key demographic parameters that predicted population recovery from this bottleneck. Species with captive populations that produced between two and four offspring per adult per year and had 20-50% of those offspring survive to maturity recovered to numbers above 100 individuals, and maintained viable populations following a decline that occurred between 2009 and 2014. Those populations that had less than two offspring per adult per year and less than 20% survival to maturity did not reach 100 individuals in captivity, and many of these populations died out during the recent decline. We suggest that small reductions in fitness may contribute to extirpation in taxa with inherently low fecundity, by keeping populations below a threshold number essential to long-term recovery. Future ex situ populations should be founded with no less than 15 adults, and maintained in conditions closely approximating the temperature and humidity of source locations to optimize fitness. Permanent translocations of wild populations for conservation purposes will be more likely to succeed with greater than 100 adults, and should be limited to locations with a similar climate to source locations.