摘要
这一研究阐述了反复的人为干预对一个濒临灭绝的物种——南海象——存活率的影响,以及对野生动物研究的蕴涵。南海象幼崽在其出生后的前6周里不断的受到人为干预。这种人为研究可能已经改变了正在调查的一些参数,这样的可能性是我们这里所阐述的一个主要的和相关的研究领域。结果显示,那些反复受到干预,遭受入侵性研究方法的幼崽,从短期(24天的哺乳期)或长期(出生后的第一年或者更长)的生存率上来看没有受到明显的影响,受到干预一年后也很健康。我们没能发现受到人为干预强度最大和最小的海象的之间的存活率存在任何显著的差异,这支持了这一结论。
This study addresses the consequences of repeated human handling on the survival of an endangered phocid,the southern elephant seal and the implications for wildlife research. Southern elephant seal pups were repeatedly handled during the first six weeks of their lives.The possibility that such anthropogenic research may have altered the very parameters that were being investigated is a topical and relevant study area that we address here.Our results show that there were no measurable effects on pups that were repeatedly handled and subjected to invasive research methods with respect to survivorship in the short term (the 24-day nursing period) nor in the long term (the first year of life and beyond) and hence fitness one year after handling.In support of this conclusion we were unable to detect any significant differences in the survival rates of the most intensively handled seals and the least intensively handled seals.
