Rabies in Endangered Ethiopian Wolves

With rabies emerging as a particular threat to wild canids, we report on a rabies outbreak in a subpopulation of endangered Ethiopian wolves in the Bale Mountains, Ethiopia, in 2003 and 2004. Parenteral vaccination of wolves was used to manage the outbreak

Determinants of reproductive success in Ethiopian wolves

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Increased foraging success or competitor avoidance? Diel activity of sympatric large carnivores

The temporal activity of sympatric carnivores reflects trade-offs between avoidance of competitors and predators, and optimizing foraging success. Closely related species may experience greater interspecific competition for resources due to similar morphologies and ecological requirements. Although the mechanisms by which lions (Panthera leo) and leopards (Panthera pardus) partition diet and habitat have been investigated, the degree to which they avoid each other temporally with possible compromises for foraging success remains less clear. In a wildlife conservancy in Zimbabwe, we used camera trap data to investigate the factors influencing the diel activity of lions and leopards. We modeled diel activity using circular statistics and calculated coefficients of overlap using kernel density functions and non-negative trigonometric sums models. Both leopards and lions were predominately nocturnal, with highly overlapping diel activity. The diel activity of leopards also coincided with that of some prey species, especially common duikers (Sylvicapra grimmia). Therefore, we suggest that leopards may prioritize hunting success and prey acquisition over diel avoidance of dominant competitors like lions

Phylogenetic diversity of forest trees in the Usambara mountains of Tanzania: correlations with altitude

The relationship between diversity of large trees and altitude was investigated in a Tanzanian tropical rain forest. In total, 231 samples of 20 trees of ≥ 20 cm d.b.h. from the East and West Usambara mountains, covering an elevation range from 280 m to 2180 m a.s.l., were analysed. An ordination demonstrated a constant turnover of species, genera, family and orders with elevation. There were no obvious zones or discontinuities. There was no decline in plot richness with respect to altitude for species, genera or orders. Family richness was shown to increase with altitude. A measure of genetic diversity, the avalanche index, was calculated for each plot to investigate the effect of incorporating phylogenetic relatedness of individuals into the diversity measure. Distances between taxa were extracted from a recent molecular phylogeny of the angiosperms. Incorporation of phylogenetic diversity at family level enhanced the positive correlation between plot diversity and altitude

Inbreeding is reduced by female-biased dispersal and mating behavior in Ethiopian wolves

Molecular tools have enabled wildlife researchers to obtain accurate information on the kinship, mating behavior, and dispersal of individuals. We genotyped 192 Ethiopian wolves (n = 29 packs) in the Bale Mountains for 17 microsatellite loci to 1) elucidate kinship within and between packs, 2) assess parentage of pups, and 3) evaluate whether inbreeding is avoided by dispersal and/or mating behavior. Mean pairwise relatedness within packs (R = 0.39) was significantly greater than that estimated from random assignment of individuals to packs. However, breeding pairs were most often unrelated, suggesting that female-biased dispersal reduces inbreeding. We assigned maternity to 49 pups and paternity to 47 pups (n = 12 litters) using a combination of exclusion, likelihood analyses (using CERVUS software), and sibship reconstruction. Multiple paternity occurred in 33% of litters; extrapack paternity accounted for 28% of all resolved paternities, occurring in 50% of litters. We found no evidence that extrapack copulations reduce inbreeding; however, more detailed analyses may elucidate the effect of recent population declines and demographic disturbances due to recurring disease outbreaks. The adaptive advantages of female-biased dispersal and the observed mating system are discussed in relation to Ethiopian wolf sociobiology and ecology. Copyright 2007, Oxford University Press.