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Dissertation
Understanding and combating environmental and anthropogenic pressures on vulnerable large mammal populations on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Dec 2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00001431
Abstract
Habitat loss, forest fragmentation, and growing anthropogenic pressures are recognized as driving factors in the loss of biodiversity and increased extinction rates of wildlife populations on a global scale. The Gulf of Guinea rainforests in Central West Africa are considered to be biodiversity hotspots of global importance due to high levels of species richness and endemism, this region hosts a large portion of the world's flora and fauna, and large swaths of forest areas remain largely intact. However, Central Africa continues to experience rapid human population growth, which has led to an alarming increase in biodiversity loss through infrastructure expansion, deforestation, illegal hunting and accessibility, to pristine habitats. Despite the importance of these forests, the impacts of these anthropogenic pressures on biodiversity remain poorly understood. This study aims to disentangle and more accurately understand the impacts of environmental changes and anthropogenic pressures on vulnerable large mammal populations to create a science driven science driven conservation efforts by using utilizing multidisciplinary datasets and modeling techniques. The datasets included in this study are 16S rRNA amplicon sequences from fecal material of six primates found on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, climatic, topographic and anthropogenic predictor variables compiled from remote sensing databases across Bioko Island, presence localities of primates, duikers and hunting signs from biomonitoring surveys over a 10+ year time period, carcass rates from the central wildlife market in the capitol city of Malabo, and hunter surveys spanning several villages along the southern portion of Bioko Island. The aims of this study are to; (1) identify the major factors driving GMC variation in six primate species inhabiting Bioko Island; (2) investigate the impact of micro-environmental and anthropogenic variables on the GMC variation found within the Bioko Drill; and, (3) determine the impacts of hunting pressures, market dynamics and hunter motivations have on large mammal vulnerability on Bioko.
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Details
- Title
- Understanding and combating environmental and anthropogenic pressures on vulnerable large mammal populations on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea
- Creators
- Bryan Scott Featherstone
- Contributors
- Mary Katherine Gonder (Advisor)Jacob A. Russell (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- xiv, 231 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biology; College of Arts and Sciences; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991020034313904721