Common marmosets, one of the smallest anthropoid primates, have a relatively high reproductive rate, capable of producing twins or triplets twice per year. Growth and development of infants is relatively rapid, and lactation is relatively short at less than 3 months. Although mean values for the proximate composition (dry matter, protein, fat and sugar) of captive common marmoset milks fall wit...

Supportive breeding is a strategy consisting in maintaining a pool of locally-adapted wild genitors in captivity whose offspring are released in the wild at an early developmental stage. In this study, we tested the utility of this strategy in preventing phenotypic and genetic divergences between captive-bred and wild animals that could be detrimental for wild populations. Combining microsatell...

A three population system with a top predator population, i.e. the herbivores, and two prey populations, grass and trees, is considered to model the interaction of herbivores with natural resources. We apply the model for four natural mountain parks in Northern Italy, three located in the Eastern Alps, two of which in the Dolomites and one in the Julian Alps, and one in the Maritime Alps, North...

Many declining populations are supplemented with captive-born individuals that are released directly into the wild. Because captive-born individuals can have lower fitness in the wild than their wild-born counterparts, a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the reduced fitness of these individuals is required for appropriate conservation and management decisions. Inbree...

Evolutionary processes have shaped the vertebrate immune system over time, but proximal mechanisms control the onset, duration, and intensity of immune responses. Based on testing of the hygiene hypothesis, it is now well known that microbial exposure is important for proper development and regulation of the immune system. However, few studies have examined the differences between wild animals ...

Wild mammalian herbivores and cattle are fundamental drivers of African savanna ecosystems and have strong impacts on woody vegetation. However, few experimental studies have investigated the separate and combined influences of different large herbivores on spatial vegetation patterning. In East Africa, temporary cattle corrals (bomas) develop after abandonment into productive, treeless ‘glades...

Faecal nitrogen (FN) concentration is used as a marker for habitat quality and digestive efficiency in free-ranging herbivores. In herbivores, FN can be separated into undigested plant N (analysed as the N concentration of the neutral detergent residue) and metabolic faecal N (MFN). It has been suggested that by differential analysis of the faecal fibre-bound N, the MFN fraction can be further ...

Captive breeding is used to supplement populations of many species that are declining in the wild. The suitability of and long-term species survival from such programs remain largely untested, however. We measured lifetime reproductive success of the first two generations of steelhead trout that were reared in captivity and bred in the wild after they were released. By reconstructing a three-ge...

Experiments conducted on captive animals allow scientists to control many variables; however, these settings are highly unnatural. Previous research has documented a large difference in microbial communities between wild animals and captive-bred individuals. However, wild-caught animals brought into captivity might retain their natural microbiota and thus provide a better study system in which ...

Most research on life span and aging has been based on captive populations of short-lived animals; however, we know very little about the expression of these traits in wild populations of such organisms. Because life span and aging are major components of fitness, the extent to which the results of many evolutionary studies in the laboratory can be generalized to natural settings depends on the...