TY - JOUR
AU - Allen, David H.
AB - We performed a series of population and pedigree analyses to examine the viability of a small Red‐cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) population located at the Savannah River Site, in Barnwell and Aiken counties of South Carolina. The population’s existence and future survival are precarious. As few as four individuals, including just one breeding pair, comprised this population in 1985. Now, primarily because of experimental transformation of birds from other areas, the population has increased to 25. As of 1990, genealogy pedigree analysis showed that the respective contribution of 14 founders to the extant population has not been equal. Founder gender equivalents are low (5.4) but could reach 9.2 if poorly‐represented founders were to produce offspring. The fraction of founder gene diversity retained in the current population is 0.91. Successful recovery strategies would ensure 95% probability of population survival while maintaining 90% heterozygosity for 200 years. Viability analyses indicated that, depending on relative effects of inbreeding depression and stochastic environmental events, the Savannah River Site population has a 68–100% chance of extinction during this period. Annual translocation into the population of at least three females and two males for a 10‐year period will achieve a 96% probability of survival for 200 years. Even with translocation of numerous males and females per year (up to 50 of each), the 90% heterozygosity goal may not be achieved. We discuss recommendations for choosing individuals for translocation logistical constraints on achieving recovery objectives, and limitations of our modeling approach.
TI - Population Viability Analysis for a Small Population of Red‐Cockaded Woodpeckers and an Evaluation of Enhancement Strategies
JF - Conservation Biology
DO - 10.1046/j.1523-1739.1993.07020289.x
DA - 1993-06-01
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/wiley/population-viability-analysis-for-a-small-population-of-red-cockaded-g00RncpDLT
SP - 289
EP - 301
VL - 7
IS - 2
DP - DeepDyve
ER -