The rise and fall of the Aldabran giant tortoise population

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Volumn 266, Issue 1424, 1999, Pages 1091-1100

  Bourn, David ^a   Gibson, Charlie ^b   Augeri, Dave ^a   Wilson, Cathleen J ^a   Church, Julia ^a   Hay, Simon I ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD   (United Kingdom)

^b Standingford House   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Aldabra; Giant tortoise Geochelone gigantea Schweigger; Indian Ocean; Monitoring; Population census; Seychelles

Indexed keywords

RAIN;

AMPHIBIAN; EXPLOITATION; POPULATION ECOLOGY;

ARTICLE; INDIAN OCEAN; MORTALITY; NATURAL POPULATION; NONHUMAN; POPULATION DENSITY; POPULATION RESEARCH; PRIORITY JOURNAL; TURTLE;

ALDABRA; SEYCHELLES;

ALDABRACHELYS ELEPHANTINA; AMPHIBIA; ANIMALIA; GEOCHELONE; TESTUDINES; TESTUDINIDAE;

EID: 0033532734     PISSN: 09628452     EISSN: 14712970     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.1999.0748     Document Type: Article

References (50)

1. Abbott, W. L. 1893 Notes on the natural history of Aldabra, Assumption and Glorioso Islands, Indian Ocean. Proc. US Natl Mus. 16, 759-764.
2. Amin, M., Willets, D. & Skerrett, A. (eds) 1995 Aldabra: world heritage site. Nairobi: Camerapix Publishers International for Seychelles Islands Foundation.
3. Beamish, T. 1970 Aldabra alone. London: George Allen & Unwin.
4. Bourn, D. 1977 Reproductive study of giant tortoises on Aldabra. J. Zool. Lond. 182, 27-38.
5. Bourn, D. & Coe, M. 1978 The size, structure and distribution of the giant tortoise population on Aldabra. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 282, 139-175.
6. Bourn, D. & Coe, M. J. 1979 Features of tortoise mortality and decomposition on Aldabra. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 286, 188-193.
7. Burke, M. G. 1988a Status, impact and conservation implications of feral goats on Aldabra atoll. Bull. Biol. Soc. Wash. 8, 129-138.
8. Burke, M. G. 1988b The feral goats of Aldabra; ecology and population dynamics. Natl Geogr. Res. 4, 272-279.
9. Caughley 1976 The elephant problem -an alternative hypothesis. E. Afr. Wildl. J. 14, 265-283.
10. Coblentz, B. E., Van Vuren, D. & Main, M. B. 1990 Control of feral goats on Aldabra atoll. Atoll Res. Bull 337, 1-10.
11. Coe, M. J., Bourn, D. & Swingland, I. R. 1979 The biomass, production and carrying capacity of giant tortoises on Aldabra. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 286, 163-176.
12. Desmond, A. & Moore, J. 1992 Darwin. London: Penguin.
13. Dupont, P. R. 1929 Colony of Seychelles; visit to the outlying islands by the Governor. Victoria, Mahé: Government Printing Office.
14. Eltringham, S. K. 1979 The ecology and conservation of large African mammals. London: Macmillan.
15. ERGO 1997 Aldabra revisited: final report on the 1997 Aldabran giant tortoise population and vegetation study. Report by the Seychelles Islands Foundation, Victoria, Mahé. Environmental Research Group Oxford Limited. (Held at the Zoology Library of the University of Oxford.)
16. Fryer, J. C. F. 1911 The structure and formation of Aldabra and neighbouring islands with notes on their flora and fauna. Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. Zool. 2 14, 397-442.
17. Gaymer, R. 1968 The Indian Ocean giant tortoise Testudo gigantea on Aldabra. J. Zool. Lond. 154, 341-363.
18. Gaymer, R. 1973 A marking method for giant tortoises and field trials on Aldabra. J. Zool. Lond. 169, 393-401.
19. GEF 1992 Seychelles biodiversity conservation and marine pollution abatement project document. Washington: Global Environment Facility, The World Bank.
20. Gibson, C. W. D. & Hamilton, J. 1983 Feeding ecology and seasonal movements of giant tortoises on Aldabra atoll. Oecologia 56, 84-92.
21. Gibson, C. W. D. & Hamilton, J. 1984 Population processes in a large herbivorous reptile: the giant tortoise of Aldabra atoll. Oecologia 61, 230-240.
22. Gibson, C. W. D. & Phillipson, J. 1983a The vegetation of Aldabra atoll: preliminary analysis and explanation of the vegetation map. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 302, 201-235.
23. Gibson, C. W. D. & Phillipson, J. 1983b The primary production of Aldabra atoll, with reference to habitats used by giant tortoises. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 302, 167-199.
24. Grubb, P. 1971 The growth, ecology and population structures of giant tortoises on Aldabra. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 260, 327-372.
25. Gunther, A. C. L. G. 1877 The gigantic land tortoises (living and dead) in the collection of the British Museum. London: Taylor & Francis.
26. Hambler, C. 1984 Goat threat. New Sci. 104, 46.
27. Hamilton, J. & Coe, M. J. 1982 Feeding, digestion and assimilation of a population of giant tortoises on Aldabra atoll. J. Arid Env. 5, 127-144.
28. Hnatiuk, R. J., Woodell, S. R. J. & Bourn, D. M. 1976 Giant tortoise and vegetation interactions on Aldabra atoll. II. Coastal. Biol. Conserv. 9, 305-316.
29. Laws, R. M., Parker, I. S. C. & Johnstone, R. C. B. 1975 Elephants and their habitats: the ecology of elephants in North Bunyoro, Uganda. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
30. MacFarland, C. G., Villa, J. & Toro, B. 1974a The Galápagos giant tortoises (Geochelone elephantopus). I. Status of the surviving populations. Biol. Conserv. 6, 118-133.
31. MacFarland, C. G., Villa, J. & Toro, B. 1974b The Galápagos giant tortoises (Geochelone elephantopus). II. Conservation methods. Biol. Conserv. 6, 198-212.
32. Merton, L. F. H., Bourn, D. M. & Hnatiuk, R. J. 1976 Giant tortoise and vegetation interactions on Aldabra atoll. I. Inland. Biol. Conserv. 9, 293-304.
33. Newing, T. J., Daly, K. H. & Hambler, K. 1984 Feral goats on Aldabra. Final report, Southampton University to Aldabra 1982. University of Southampton.
34. Nicoll, M. J. 1908 Three voyages of a naturalist. London: Witherby and Co.
35. Phillipson, J. 1975 Rainfall, primary productivity and 'carrying capacity' of Tsavo National Park (East), Kenya. E. Afr. Wildl. J. 13, 171-201.
36. Rainbolt, R. E. 1995 Final report on the Aldabra feral goat control project. Seychelles Islands Foundation.
37. Riseley-Griffith, T. 1892 Report on Aldabra to R. Risely-Griffith, Esq. Administrator of Seychelles Islands. Port Victoria, Seychelles, July 19, 1891. Colonial report no. 40, Mauritius (Seychelles and Rodriguez).
38. Roberts, B. O. 1905 Letter to d'Emmerez, dated 6 September 1905. Seychelles Archives, Port Victoria, Mahé.
39. Rothschild, W. 1915 On the gigantic land-tortoises of the Seychelles and Aldabra Madagascar group, with some notes on certain forms of the Mascarene group. Novit. Zool. 22, 418-442.
40. Scoones, T., Hambler, C., Woodroffe, R., Linfield, M. & Spillett, D. 1989 Aldabra '88. Final report of the Oxford University expedition to Aldabra 25 June 2 October 1988. Zoology Department, University of Oxford.
41. Seaton, A. J., Beaver, K. & Afif, M. (eds) 1991 A focus on Aldabra. Conserving the Environment, vol. 3. Victoria, Seychelles: Ministry of Education, Government of Seychelles.
42. Stoddart, D. R. 1968a The Aldabra affair. Biol. Conserv. 1, 63-69.
43. Stoddart, D. R. 1968b The conservation of Aldabra. Geog. J. 134, 471-485; discussion 485-486.
44. Stoddart, D. R. 1971 Settlement, development and conservation of Aldabra. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 260, 611-628.
45. Stoddart, D. R. & Peake, J. F. 1979 Historical records of Indian Ocean giant tortoise populations. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 286, 147-161.
46. Stolzenburg, W. 1996 Collision at the Galápagos: slow road to evolution meets the fast track of extinction. Nat. Conserv. Mag. 46. (http: www.tnc.org/news/magazine/nor_dec/galap.htm.)
47. Swingland, I. R. & Coe, M. J. 1978 The natural regulation of giant tortoise populations on Aldabra atoll: reproduction. J. Zool. Lond. 186, 285-309.
48. Swingland, I. R. & Coe, M. J. 1979 The natural regulation of giant tortoise populations on Aldabra atoll: recruitment. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B 286, 177-188.
49. Voeltzkow, A. 1895 Einleitung: Madagaskar, Juan de Nova, Aldabra. Abh. senckenb. naturf. Ges. 21, 1-76.
50. Wharton, W. J. H. 1879 Letter on Aldabra. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 3, 165-166.