The pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) is a federally endangered species, endemic to the Mississippi River drainage, stretching from the upper Missouri River in Montana to the Mississippi River, and continuing to the Gulf of Mexico. They are largely sympatric throughout this range with a close congener, the shovelnose sturgeon (S. platorhynchus), although speciation may have occurred when they were isolated in different refugia. In this study, we examined gene expression differences among pallid and shovelnose sturgeon families in response to heat stress. Gene expression can be considered a phenotype, and therefore, variability in expression can have an adaptive role in species. Additionally, we compared our results to a previous expression study that utilized RNA-Seq. We developed viable primer pairs for five genes in order to conduct RT-qPCR assays. There were significant differences in heat stress response between pallid and shovelnose sturgeon, potentially indicative of different evolved stress response pathways. Our species results contrasted with results from the previous study, indicating that further research is needed to improve the robustness of the results. Additionally, we found that offspring of hatchery and wild pallid sturgeon demonstrate different responses to heat stress, and potentially general stress that can occur in a hatchery environment. Overall, this study lays the groundwork for future research that can incorporate a larger suite of families to improve the robustness necessary to make actionable management recommendations.

The study of animal personality, i.e. consistent individual differences in animal behaviour, is a rapidly growing research field. The construct of personality has been studied in many different scientific disciplines including ethology, behavioural ecology, psychology, animal management and physiology. Studying personality using a comparative framework is important for establishing whether phylogeny and/or ecology are a driving force in personality development. The applied use of personality assessments to aid captive animal management could also have far reaching ramifications, as recent studies have demonstrated that personality has relationships with variables such as health, welfare and breeding success. Within the animal personality literature three main methods of assessing personality have been developed: i) coding behavioural data under natural conditions, ii) coding animals’ responses during novelty tests and iii) rating animals on sets of behaviourally defined traits. In the current study personality was investigated in three primate species, Sulawesi black crested macaques (Macaca nigra), barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) and common squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus). The two macaque species are closely related, being from the same genus, but show some differences in their ecology and behaviour while S. sciureus are phylogentically distinct but exhibit some similarities to the two macaque species in certain aspects of their ecology and behaviour. The aims of the study were twofold: i) establish whether phylogeny or socioecology has an impact on the development of personality structure by comparing the study species with other primate species, and ii) evaluate the use of personality assessments as a tool for the management of the study species in captivity. Personality was assessed using the trait rating method. Questionnaires consisting of 38 personality traits, with accompanying definitions, were sent to all European institutions holding any of the study species. Keepers were required to rate animals on each trait using a 1 – 7 interval scale. Personality assessments were tested for inter-observer reliability. For each species a Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was carried out using only traits that exhibited good inter-observer reliability and scores for animals on each of the resulting components (personality dimensions) were calculated. Construct validity of the personality dimensions was assessed by evaluating the relationships between personality dimension scores and, i) behaviour under natural conditions, and ii) behaviour during a novel object test. In order to assess the management implications of personality assessments further analyses were carried out using the personality dimension data, i) a MANOVA was used to assess whether personality dimension scores were affected by Zoo, Age and Sex, ii) Generalised Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs) were used to assess which, if any, specific Zoo variables effect mean personality scores, iii) multiple regression and ANOVA analyses were carried out to establish whether personality dimension scores could predict breeding variables in M. nigra, iv) parent-offspring regressions were used to assess the heritability of personality dimensions in M. nigra, and v) correlation and General Linear Model (GLM) analyses were used to assess whether personality dimension scores effected behavioural measures of enrichment use in aM. nigra group. Twenty four traits in M. nigra (N= 64), 25 traits in M. sylvanus (N= 62) and 18 traits in S. sciureus (N= 69)were rated reliably by human observers. When reliable traits were entered into a PCA for each species, results revealed three personality dimensions for M. nigra, Sociability, Dominance, and Emotionality; four personality dimensions for M. sylvanus, Sociability, Dominance, Emotionality and Human-Animal Sociability (HA-Sociability); and three personality dimensions for S. sciureus, Sociability, Dominance, and Cautiousness. Construct validity of each species personality ratings, in terms of relationships with observable behaviour, was demonstrated for each species. Validity was affected by contextual variables such as Zoo, Age and Sex, which, as personality can vary with the variables (see below) was to be expected. MANOVA results showed that the variable ‘Zoo’ had significant effects on personality dimension scores in all three species. Further investigation using GLMMs revealed that i) in M. nigra mean Sociability scores were higher in groups with a lower mean age, ii) in S. sciureus mean Sociability scores were higher in groups where keepers had a high mean experience (months) working with the animals, and iii) again in S. sciureus mean Cautiousness scores were higher in groups with a small total group size. Multiple regression showed that personality dimension scores could not predict breeding success variables in either male or female M. nigra individuals. Of the three variables that could affect the breeding success of a male/female partnership, Male, Female and Zoo, only Male identity significantly affected breeding success but this could not be assessed against personality.Of the three M. nigra personality dimensions only one, Sociability, appears to have a heritable component. There were no significant correlations between personality dimension scores of individual M. nigra and measures of enrichment use across a range of enrichment devices. Repeated measures GLM revealed that while the individuals did spend significantly different amounts of time interacting with each of the enrichment devices this did not vary as a function of either repetition number or personality. When comparing the three study species with other primate species, the Sociability and Dominance dimensions were comparable with previous research on non-human primates (NHP), except that aggressive-type traits found in other studies were not present in the Dominance dimension in M. nigra and M. sylvanus. This may be attributed to data suggesting they have more tolerant social systems compared to other primate species. The Emotionality dimension was similar across the two macaque species and was comparable to analogous dimensions in other NHP species. The Cautiousness dimension in S. sciureus was found to be similar to dimensions such as fearfulness and bold/shy in other NHP species. The HA-Sociability dimension found in M. sylvanus could not be compared with other primate studies as, to date, there has been limited investigation of human-directed personality dimensions in captive primates. Quantitative analyses using partial Mantel tests were conducted to evaluate if either phylogenetic similarity or similarity in socioecological variables significantly correlated with similarities in personality structure for 11 primate species (including the three study species). The results of this analysis were inconclusive as neither phylogenetic similarity nor socioecological similarity had a significant correlation with personality similarity. However the effect of socioecology was approaching significance, indicating that, selection pressures related to socioecology may play an important role in shaping personality structure but further data collection on a wider range of species is needed to explore these relationships further. In terms of the management of the study species in the current study, it was demonstrated that the captive environment, particularly the social environment and human-animal relationships (HARs), has a significant impact on personality and so personality could prove to be a valuable management tool. Breeding success of M. nigra could not be predicted by personality and this could be an indicator that M. nigra actually adapt to life in captivity relatively well compared to some other species.

This study has examined the present condition of 16 high school newspapers known as the Downriver high school press by comparing it to the findings of the Commission Of Inquiry Into High School Journalism, as well as comparing the recommendations made by the Commission to the present status of the high school press in the Downriver Detroit, Michigan area. The Commission’s findings were published in a book titled Captive voices.

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This PhD thesis aims to improve the ex situ conservation of threatened and endangered species by investigating the effects of captivity and improving the methodology of current conservation techniques. The use of reintroduction as a tool for the purpose of conserving species is becoming increasingly popular. Since many wild populations are declining, captive-bred stock are frequently used to restore or supplement wild populations. Evidence suggests that captive-bred animals are less successful than their wild counterparts, but this has not been recently reviewed and there is limited research into investigating what aspects of captivity may be affecting success. Here, I conduct a review of carnivore reintroductions for projects carried out post 1990, which shows that captive-born animals are less likely to survive a release into the wild than their translocated wild-caught counterparts. A case study species, the endangered red panda (Ailurus fulgens), is used to investigate how a species involved in captive breeding for conservation responds to life in captivity. Results from analyses of lifetime reproductive success (and related variables) showed that both adaptation to captivity and inbreeding depression are occurring in the global captive red panda population. An investigation into behavioural adaptation to captivity was less revealing, although only generations three to seven from the wild were observed. The effects of captive environment and husbandry regime were also investigated and revealed that the size of the useable area and amount of human contact were among the factors influencing the behaviours of red pandas. How these findings contribute to a greater understanding of effects of captivity is discussed. The use of selection criteria based on temperament was also investigated in order to improve the likelihood of survivorship upon release into the wild. This method needs to be tested in practice, but based on the selection criteria used, there was evidence that unsuitability for release was positively predicted by generation time in captivity. Implications for the future use of captive red pandas in efforts to conserve the species in the wild are discussed, as well as how these findings can be utilised for other species involved in conservation efforts.

Captive carnivores pose a challenge for conservationists and institutions alike, presenting many problems that range from diseases to poor welfare and unsuccessful breeding. Available databases of captive populations are rich sources of information that can help determine which factors can affect breeding success and the real potential of these populations in conservation programmes. Some species, such as tigers Panthera tigris, seem to preserve in captivity the same reproductive parameters seen in wild animals, making captive individuals extremely useful in the research of reproductive biology, that can be applied in evolutionary and physiological studies of the order Carnivora. Specific reproductive characteristics, mainly connected with the altriciality of the young, can make some species more prone to lose young in captivity than others, and these factors must be taken into consideration when developing ex situ conservation programmes. Infant mortality in captivity seems to be primarily caused by inadequate maternal behaviour, which can be connected to biological factors as well as to individual characteristics such as origin and rearing methods. Maternal infanticide, either passive or active, is also affected by biological and ecological characteristics of the species, and there may be an effect of the origin of the females, i.e. if they were wildcaught or captive-born. Housing conditions and individual history affect infant mortality, with females that suffered transfer between institutions exhibiting lower breeding success. Also, institutions with thriving research programmes presented higher infant mortality overall, independently of their latitude or management system, which can indicate an effect of human interference. Further research, both in the wild and in captivity, is needed to fully understand the factors affecting breeding success of captive carnivores.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2006. Graduate Programme in Biology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 332-335). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:NR29507

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Rhode Island, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-129).

Pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) is a native North American fish that was listed as a federally endangered species in 1990 due to failure in spawning and recruitment, perhaps as a result of human modifications to their habitat. The upper Missouri River basin pallid sturgeon have been shown to be genetically distinct from other pallid sturgeon. Since there has been no natural recruitment in the upper Missouri River for several decades, perpetuation of this genetically distinct unit is reliant on propagation using remaining wild fish as broodstock. The expense associated with acquiring unique individuals from the remaining wild broodstock is causing wild collection to become a less viable option each year. It has been proposed that rearing progeny of wild broodstock fish in a hatchery setting as captive broodstock may be feasible alternative to wild collections. The genetic risks associated with the creation of a captive broodstock need to be investigated and a captive management plan needs to be developed prior to the implementation of a captive broodstock program. The relatedness values and the effective population size for the wild caught founders were determined by genotyping wild upper Missouri River pallid sturgeon at 16 previously developed microsatellite loci. The founding wild broodstock were shown to encompass an ample amount of genetic variation and a sufficiently large effective population size. The broodstock currently housed as Gavin's Point National Fish Hatchery can be exclusively used for the propagation of pallid sturgeon to be stocked in the upper Missouri River with the caveat that descendents from each wild fish will be spawned in the future and that the reproductive variance of the broodstock be controlled to maximize Ne and thus reduce inbreeding.

The thesis is focused on the characteristics and form of captive insurance. It discusses the advantages, and the use of captive insurance companies. Emphasis is also different types of insurance and legal and tax treatment. The work also includes a view of the captive insurance in the Czech Republic and the future development, including issues and trends that are associated with it.