Contacts: Prof. D.D. Williams (Course
Coordinator) and Staff of the Toronto Zoo [T.A. – Tiffany Schriever]
Lectures:
Wednesdays 11:00 - 1:00 [in MW 110]
Tutorials:
Thursdays 4:00 - 6:00 [in AC 334 for Section
1]
(25/section) Fridays
10:00 - Noon [in AC 334 for section 2] - PLEASE STICK TO YOUR ASSIGNED SECTIONS
Office hours: Mondays
2:00 - 4:00 [in S-549]
Exclusions:
None
Prerequisites:
[BGYB50H – Ecology & BGYB51H – Evolutionary Biology]
Enrollment limit: 50
Evaluation:
Midterm test (on lecture and tutorial materials up to test date)
25%
1 major essay*
30%
Tutorial participation
10%
Final exam (on all lecture/tutorial
materials, but with
emphasis on post-midterm material)
35%
[* This is due on February 11th. The penalty for handing in late is 10% of
the maximum mark available for the assignment per day]
Course textbooks:
(1) Kleiman, DG, et al. 1996. Wild Mammals in Captivity: Principles and Techniques.
University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Ill. (suggested text only)
(2) Toronto Zoo Conservation, Education and Research Activities Report 2006-2007
(Zoo will provide copies for all students enrolled)
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Lecture Topics
with dates
(1) Wednesday January 7th
Part I: The impact of a visit to a zoo or aquarium:
AZA multi-institutional research project.
Part II: Green practices at zoos and aquariums
Lecturer: Dave Ireland, Curator of Conservation Programmes, Toronto Zoo
(2) Wednesday January 14th
Overview: history of zoos, changing role of zoos
through time, things learned from zoos that we wouldn’t have known any other
way, brief overview of Toronto Zoo Conservation, Education and Research programmes.
Lecturer: Dr. William A. Rapley, Executive Director, Conservation, Education
and Research, Toronto Zoo, & UTSC
(3) Wednesday January 21st
The role of zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens in conservation education.
Co-Lecturers: Dr. David Galbraith, Head of Science, Royal Botanical Gardens,
and Caroline Greenland, Manager of Education, Toronto Zoo
(4) Wednesday January 28th
Breeding, recovery and re-introduction: theory.
Lecturer: Prof. Lisa Manne, Biological Sciences, UTSC
(5) Wednesday February 4th
Captive breeding and recovery of two critically endangered mammals at the
Toronto Zoo.
Lecturer: Maria Franke, Curator of Mammals, Toronto Zoo
(6) Wednesday February 11th
Defining the zoo and aquarium role in wildlife population
management: landscapes, watersheds, and wild life populations.
Lecturer: Bob Johnson, Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles, Toronto Zoo
READING WEEK (February 16 – 20th)
(7) Wednesday February 25th
Midterm Test [in the lecture room and based on
all material to this date]
(8) Wednesday March 4th
Aquatic conservation in practice.
Lecturer: Cindy Lee, Curator of Fish and Marine Invertebrates, Toronto Zoo
(9) Wednesday March 11th
Examples of practical conservation; local, national
and international.
Lecturer: Tom Mason, Curator of Invertebrates and Birds, Toronto Zoo
(10) Wednesday March 18th
Part I: Assisted reproductive technologies: alternative
strategies for managing captive populations.
Lecturer: Dr. Gabriela Mastromonaco, Reproductive Biologist, Toronto Zoo
Part II: Research on reproduction in female veiled
chameleons.
Lecturer: Dr. Maya Kummrow, DVSc Candidate – University of Guelph/Toronto
Zoo
(11) Wednesday March 25th
Part I: The role of zoos and aquariums in addressing
the impact of emerging infectious wildlife diseases.
Lecturer: Dr. Graham Crawshaw, Senior Veterinarian, Toronto Zoo
Part II: Vitamin A deficiency in the endangered
Puerto Rican crested toad.
Lecturer: Dr. Charlene Berken, DVSc Candidate – University of Guelph – Toronto
Zoo
(12) Wednesday April 1st
Part I: The preservation and feeding of browse to
zoo animals.
Lecturer: Jaap Wensvoort, Nutritionist, Toronto Zoo
Part II: Overview, review and discussion
(30 minutes)
Lecturer: Dr. William A. Rapley, Executive Director, Conservation, Education
and Research, Toronto Zoo, & UTSC
Final Exam [in examination
period and based on material in the entire course].
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Tutorial Topics
with dates
(1) Polar bears and climate change
Section 1: Thursday, January 22nd from 4:00-6:00 pm in AC 334
Section 2: Friday, January 23rd from 10:00 - Noon in AC 334
(2) The global plight of amphibians – what has gone
wrong?
Section 1: Thursday, February 12th from 4:00-6:00 pm in AC 334
Section 2: Friday, February 13th from 10:00 - Noon in AC 334
(3) Conservation advocacy and marketing philosophies
in modern zoos – opposites or partnership?
Section 1: Thursday, March 12th from 4:00-6:00 pm in AC 334
Section 2: Friday, March 13th from 10:00 - Noon in AC 334
(4) Behind the scenes tour of the Toronto Zoo
Section 1: Thursday, April 2nd. Meet at the Zoo at 4:00 pm
Section 2: Friday, April 3rd. Meet at the Zoo at 10:00 am.
What is expected of you
in the tutorials
The tutorial will each run for up to 2 hours, and will have a relatively
informal format in which ideas, opinions, data, and interpretation of the
topic can be aired. They will be led by the T.A., but each student is expected
to contribute, and therefore will be expected to have (minimally) read the
suggested reference articles (one copy of each will be placed on short-term
loan in the UTSC Library), but also to have sought out additional references
on their own. Marks will be assigned for participation.
Reading sources:
(TOPIC 1) Polar
bears and climate change
• Carmichael, Lindsey et al. 2005. Genotyping of pseudohermaphrodite polar
bears in Nunavut and advances in DNA sexing techniques. Journal of Mammalogy
86(1):160-169.
• Crompton, Ashleigh E. et al. 2008. Population genetic structure in polar
bears from Hudson Bay, Canada: implications for future climate change. Biological
Conservation 141: 2528-2539.
• Cronin, M. A. et al. 2006. Microsatellite DNA and mitochrondrial DNA variation
in polar bears from the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, Alaska. Canadian Journal
of Zoology 84: 655-660.
• Maier, Caroline Alexandra. 2001. Building phylogenetic trees from
DNA sequence data: investigating polar bear and giant panda ancestry. The
American Biology Teacher. Volume 63 (9): 642-646.
• Paetkau, D. et al. 1995. Microsatellite analysis of population structure
in Canadian polar bears. Molecular Ecology 4: 347-354.
• Paetkau, D. et al. 1999. Genetic structure of the world’s polar bear populations.
Molecular Ecology 8: 1571-1584.
• Schliebe, Scott L. et al. 1999. Using genetics to verify sex of harvested
polar bears: management implications. Wildlife Society Bulletin 27(3): 592-597.
• Thiemann, Gregory W. et al. 2008. Polar bear conservation in Canada: an
ecological basis for identifying designatable units. Oryx 42(4): 504-515.
(TOPIC 2) The
global plight of amphibians – what has gone wrong?
Books:
• Young, B., S. Stuart, J. Chanson, N. A. Cox, and T. M. Boucher. 2004. Disappearing
Jewels: The Status of NewWorld Amphibians. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
© NatureServe 2004 ISBN 0-9711053-1-6
Papers:
• Adams, M.J., Schindler, D.E., and Bury, R.B., 2001, Association of amphibians
with attenuation of ultraviolet-b radiation in montane ponds: Oecologia,
v. 128, no. 4, p. 519-525.
• Burrowes, P.A., Joglar, R.J., and Green, D.E., 2004, Potential causes for
amphibian declines in Puerto Rico: Herpetologica, v. 60, no. 2, p. 141–154.
• Bury, R.B., 1999, A historical perspective and critique of the declining
amphibian crisis: Wildlife Society Bulletin, v. 27, no. 4, p. 1064–1068.
• Carey, C., W. R. Heyer, J. Wilkinson, R. A. Alford, J. W. Arntzen, T. Halliday,
L. Hungerford, K. R. Lips, E. M. Middleton, S. A. Orchard, and A. S. Rand.
2001. Amphibian declines and environmental change: an overview. Conservation
Biology 15(4): 903-913.
• Collins, J. and A. Storfer. 2003. Global amphibian declines: sorting
the hypotheses. Diversity and Distributions. 9:89-98
• Corn, P.S., 2003, Amphibian breeding and climate change – The importance
of snow in the mountains: Conservation Biology, v. 17, no. 2, p. 622–625.
• Corser, J.D., 2001, Decline of disjunct green salamander populations (Aneides
aeneus) in the southern Appalachians: Biological Conservation, v. 97, no.
1, p. 119-126.
• Daszak, P., Berger, L., Cunningham, A.A., Hyatt, A.D., Green, D.E., and
Speare, R., 1999, Emerging infectious diseases and amphibian population declines:
Emerging Infectious Diseases, v. 5, no. 6, p. 735-748.
• Drost, C.A., and Fellers, G.M., 1996, Collapse of a regional frog fauna
in the Yosemite area of the California Sierra Nevada., USA: Conservation
Biology, v. 10, no. 2, p. 414-425.
• Lips, K. R., J. R. Mendelson III, A. Muñoz Alonso, L. Canseco-Marquez,
and D. G. Mulcahy. 2004. Direct evidence of declines in amphibian populations
in montane southern Mexico. Biological Conservation 119: 555-564.
• Lips, K. R., J. Reeve, and L. Witters. 2003. Ecological factors predicting
amphibian population declines in Central America. Conservation Biology 17(4):
1078-1088.
• Lips, K. R. 1999. Mass mortality of the anuran fauna at an upland site
in Panama. Conservation Biology 13(1): 117-125.
• Lips, K. R. 1998. Decline of a Tropical Amphibian Fauna. Conservation Biology
12(1): 106-117.
• Norris, S. 2007. Ghosts in our midst: coming to terms with amphibian extinctions.
BioScience 57(4): 311-316
• Smith, K.G., 2005, Effects of nonindigenous tadpoles on native tadpoles
in Florida – Evidence of competition: Biological Conservation, v. 123, no.
4, p. 433-441.
• Sparling, D.W., Fellers, G.M., and McConnell, L.L., 2001, Pesticides and
amphibian declines in California, USA: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry,
v. 20, no. 7, p. 1591-1595.
• Stallard, R.F., 2001, Possible environmental factors underlying amphibian
decline in eastern Puerto Rico – Analysis of government data archives: Conservation
Biology, v. 15, no. 4, p. 943-953.
• Wake, D.B., and V.T. Vrenenburg. 2008. Are we in the midst of the
6th mass extinction? A view from the world of amphibians. Proc. Nat. Acad.
Sci. 105 (Suppl.1): 11466-11473.
• Young, B., K. Lips, J. Reaser, R. Ibáñez, A. Salas, R. Cedeño,
L. Coloma, S. Ron, E. LaMarca, J. Meyer, A. Muñoz, F. Bolaños,
G. Chavez, D. Romo. 2001. Population declines and priorities for amphibian
conservation in Latin America. Conservation Biology 15(5): 1213-1223.
Websites:
• Amphibiaweb: http://www.amphibiaweb.org/
• Global Amphibian Assessment: http://www.globalamphibians.org
(TOPIC 3) Conservation
advocacy and marketing philosophies in modern zoos – opposites or partnership?
Books:
• Kleiman, DG, et al. 1996. Wild Mammals in Captivity: Principles and Techniques.
University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Ill.
Papers:
• Galbraith, David A. and William A. Rapley. 2005. Research at
Canadian zoos and botanical gardens. Museum and Curatorship 20: 313-331
Websites:
• World Association of Zoos and Aquariums:
http://www.waza.org/conservation/wzacs.php
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The Essay
The essay is “open-topic” within the general area of the Role of Zoos in
Conservation. This means that you may select your own topic, but you must
have your topic approved by Prof. Williams before you begin.
Your essay must be well written and organized, and proof-read for typographical
errors. Only a typed paper copy will be accepted, and the submission deadline
is 4:30 pm, on February 11th, 2009 (in Room S-544). Maximum length is 15
pages, double spaced, including tables and figures. Do not be tempted to
use an essay-writing service, as UTSC is very good at identifying these.
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Reading Material
Associated with Lectures
Lecture 5
• Biggins, D.E., Vargas, A. Godbey, J. and S.H. Anderson. 1999. Influence
of prerelease experience on reintroduced black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes).
Biological Conservation 89:121-129.
Paper discusses the importance of prerelease training. Authors monitored
postrelease behaviours of black-footed ferrets that were moved to outdoor
pens with prairie dog burrows prior to release and those that remained in
cages. Those reared in outdoor pens traveled less, likely decreasing exposure
to predators and low resource environments.
• Bryant, A.A., Schwantje, H.M. and N.I. de With. 2002. Disease and unsuccessful
reintroduction of Vancouver Island marmots (Marmota vancouverensis). P 101-107
in K.B. Armitage and V.U. Runianstev (ed): Holarctic Marmots as a Factor
of Biodiversity. ABF Publishing House, Moscow.
Authors conducted an experimental translocation of 6 animals from 3 different
colonies from logged habitats to sub-alpine meadow. Two dispersed from site,
one later found predated, one never found. The other 4 died during hibernation,
likely due to bacterial infection. Authors recommend not reintroducing animals
in such small numbers and stress the importance of examining introduced habitats
for pathogens. Some animals did bond to release site and entered hibernation,
so authors felt that there is potential to have a successful reintroduction
in the future.
• Gedir, J.V., Everest, T. and A. Moehrenschlager. 2004. Evaluating the potential
for species reintroductions in Canada. In T.D. Hooper (ed.) Proceedings of
the Species at Risk 2004 Pathways to Recovery Conference. March 2-6, 2004,
Victoria B.C. Species at Rick 2004 Pathways to Recovery Conference Organizing
Committee, Victoria, B.C.
Paper is an overview of ecological and socio-political variables that impact
potential for future reintroductions in Canada. Authors discuss ideal candidates
for reintroductions in Canada when these factors, as well as biological factors
are taken into consideration. They feel that the Queen Charlotte Island ermine,
American badger, pallid bat, barn owl, white-headed woodpecker and the stinkpot
demonstrate greatest potential.
• Kleiman, D.G. 1989. Reintroduction of captive mammals for conservation.
BioScience 39.3:152-161.
Paper discusses what is necessary to have a successful reintroduction programme,
as well as when reintroduction is not appropriate.
• Matthews, F., Moro, D., Strachn,R., Gelling, M., and N. Buller. 2006. Health
surveillance in wildlife reintroductions. Biological conservation 131:228-347.
Paper discusses the paucity of data on health-screening of reintroduced and
translocated animals, even baseline data. The authors report two case studies
of heath surveillance, the water voles in the UK, and marsupial dibblers
in Australian. The authors stress the importance of such surveys to predict
survival and avoid disease transfer, and provide recommendation for monitoring
schemes.
• Watters, J.V., and C.L. Meehan. 2007. Different strokes: Can managing behavioral
types increase post-release success? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 102:364-379.
Authors discuss the need to maintain behavioural differences at the population
level, so that groups can be more able to respond to an unpredictable environment.
They recommend investigating the processes that lead to the expression of
different behavioural types within species before releasing so as not to
create a uniform behaviour within the reintroduced populations.
• Wisely, S.M., Santymire, R.M., Livieri, T.M., Marinari, P.E., Kreeger,
J.S., Wildt, D.E., and J. Howard. 2005. Environment influences morphology
and development for in situ and ex situ populations of the black-footed ferret
(Mustela nigripes). Animal Conservation 8:321-328.
Authors investigated causes of morphological changes that occur in captive
populations of black-footed ferrets. Found that successive generations born
in the wild revert to pre-captive size, indicating that the morphological
changes are not a result of genetics but of the captive environment. Authors
stress the complexity of captive breeding, especially when attempting to
maintain the natural makeup of the species. Authors recommend increasing
enclosure size of ferrets in captivity to attempt to ameliorate these changes
in future captive generations.
Lecture 9
• Bowles, M.L. and C.J. Whelan. 1994. Restoration of endangered species:
conceptual issues, planning and implementation. Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge, UK. 394 pp.
• Caughley, G. and A. Gunn. 1996. Conservation biology in theory and practice.
Blackwell Science, Cambridge, Massachusetts. 459 pp.
• Gibbon, E.F. Jr, B.S. Durrant and J. Demarest. 1995. Conservation of endangered
species in captivity: an interdisciplinary approarch. State University of
New York Press, Albany, New York. 809 pp.
• Olney, P. J. S., G. M. Mace and A. T. C. Feistner. 1994. Creative conservation:
interactive management of wild and captive animals. Chapman & Hall,
London, UK, 517 pp.
• Primack, R.B. 1998. Essentials of conservation biology. 2nd edition. Sinauer
Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts. 660 pp.
