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Challenges faced by spotted seals born in captivity and released into the wild

Authors :
Hongfei Zhuang
Jiashen Tian
Zhaohui Zhang
Zongling Wang
Linlin Zhao
Zhichuang Lu
Source :
Global Ecology and Conservation, Vol 54, Iss , Pp e03167- (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
Elsevier, 2024.

Abstract

The artificial reproduction of endangered marine species populations is becoming increasingly crucial. Determining the potential for reintegration into their natural ecological niche remains a persistent obstacle in conservation biology. Spotted seals (Phoca largha) are a flagship species in the Chinese marine ecosystem. Efforts have been made to artificially breed them to prevent local extinction. Our study monitored 18 captive-born (nine) and rehabilitated (nine) individuals released into the Bohai Sea between 2010 and 2020. We examined the ecological niche-seeking behavior of captive-born seals (CS) using rehabilitated wild seals (RS) as benchmarks. It encompassed three oceanic gradients, habitat patterns, and potential threats. The findings demonstrated that CS did not return to the appropriate latitudes, horizontals, and sea surface salinity gradients in the ocean. Despite a larger potential habitat area for CS, it exhibited high temporal variability (with an average monthly fluctuation of 53 %) and demonstrated limited spatial overlap with the RS habitat (27 % overlap in July), and four indices, including the Splitting and Global Moran's Indices indicated a higher level of habitat fragmentation. Additionally, the number of shipping hotspots and collision risk within the CS habitats were twice those of the RS. These findings suggest that the released CS did not fully integrate into its native ecological niche. Our objective is to offer a pragmatic approach and framework for monitoring and assessing marine species released into the ocean.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
23519894
Volume :
54
Issue :
e03167-
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Global Ecology and Conservation
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.b74ff61e2a4248359c3e1fb2b9db881f
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03167