Reproduction is essential to the continuation and evolution of life on this planet and is therefore a centrally important process in the conservation of wildlife. However, reproductive mechanisms are well understood in only a handful of vertebrate species, mostly domestic livestock and laboratory animals. This means that attempts to develop and implement management policies for wildlife conservation, and especially for endangered species that, by definition, are difficult to study, are often based on poor data or no data at all. In Reproductive Science and Integrated Conservation leading authorities provide glimpses of reproductive diversity in fishes, amphibia, reptiles, birds and mammals. Conservation plans are founded on the assumption that reproduction will be successful, but what if it fails? This book reviews the many factors that influence reproduction, including genetics, behaviour and nutrition, and experts assess the potential conservation relevance of the recent rapid advances in reproductive technology and medicine.

This second edition emphasizes the environmental impact on reproduction, with updated chapters throughout as well as complete new chapters on species such as sharks and rays. This is a wide-ranging book that will be of relevance to anyone involved in species conservation, and provides critical perspectives on the real utility of current and emerging reproductive sciences. Understanding reproductive biology is centrally important to the way many of the world’s conservation problems should be tackled. Currently the extinction problem is huge, with up to 30% of the world’s fauna being expected to disappear in the next 50 years. Nevertheless, it has been estimated that the global population of animals in zoos encompasses 12,000 – 15,000 species, and we anticipate that every effort will be made to preserve these species for as long as possible, minimizing inbreeding effects and providing the best welfare standards available. Even if the reproductive biology community cannot solve the global biodiversity crisis for all wild species, we should do our best to maintain important captive populations. Reproductive biology in this context is much more than the development of techniques for helping with too little or too much breeding. While some of the relevant techniques are useful for individual species that society might target for a variety of reasons, whether nationalistic, cultural or practical, technical developments have to be backed up by thorough biological understanding of the background behind the problems.

Reproductive biology is more than the development of techniques for helping with too little or too much breeding. While some of the relevant techniques are useful for individual species, technical developments have to be backed up by thorough biological understanding of the background behind the problems. This book is therefore threefold; (1) it provides a snapshot of the state of the art in terms of species-specific reproductive technologies, whether for individual animals or whole taxonomic groups; (2) it sets the reproductive problems in context and emphasizes the links between animal-based problems and the wider world, e.g. reproductive fitness and (3) it looks forward and presents realistic assessments of how effective some of the more recently developed techniques in reproductive technology might be at combating extinctions. This is a wide-ranging book that will be relevant to anyone involved in reproductive biology or in species conservation and provides provide them some useful perspectives about the real utility of current and emerging technologies. It has contributions from experts in reproduction and related fields.

A volume of essays describing lab and field experiments that improve our understanding or ability to resolve issues surrounding endangered species and invasive plants and animals.

How to decelerate loss of global biodiversity is one of the greatest challenges of our generation. Reproductive technologies have enormous potential to assist the recovery of species by enhancing reproductive output, facilitating genetic management, and supporting reintroduction of threatened species. Of particular value are cryopreservation technologies coupled with the establishment of global gene banks to conserve, in perpetuity, the remaining extant genetic diversity of threatened amphibians. Reproductive Technologies and Biobanking for the Conservation of Amphibians brings together leading experts in the field to provide a comprehensive overview of current best practices, summarise technological advancements, and present a framework for facilitating the integration of reproductive technologies and biobanking into conservation breeding programs for threatened amphibians. It is an invaluable reference for the next generation of conservation practitioners: captive breeding facilities, researchers, and policy-makers involved with biodiversity conservation.

While it is barely 50 years since the first reliable reports of the recovery of living cells frozen to cryogenic temperatures, there has been tremendous growth in the use of cryobiology in medicine, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, and the conservation of endangered or economically important species. As the first major text on cryobiolog

Conservation physiology is a rapidly expanding, multidisciplinary field that utilizes physiological knowledge and tools to understand and solve conservation challenges. This novel text provides the first consolidated overview of its scope, purpose, and applications, with a focus on wildlife. It outlines the major avenues and advances by which conservation physiology is contributing to the monitoring, management, and restoration of wild animal populations. This book also defines opportunities for further growth in the field and identifies critical areas for future investigation. By using a series of global case studies, contributors illustrate how approaches from the conservation physiology toolbox can tackle a diverse range of conservation issues including the monitoring of environmental stress, predicting the impact of climate change, understanding disease dynamics, improving captive breeding, and reducing human-wildlife conflict. Moreover, by acting as practical road maps across a diversity of sub-disciplines, these case studies serve to increase the accessibility of this discipline to new researchers. The diversity of taxa, biological scales, and ecosystems highlighted illustrate the far-reaching nature of the discipline and allow readers to gain an appreciation for the purpose, value, applicability, and status of the field of conservation physiology. Conservation Physiology is an accessible supplementary textbook suitable for graduate students, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of conservation science, eco-physiology, evolutionary and comparative physiology, natural resources management, ecosystem health, veterinary medicine, animal physiology, and ecology.