RESEARCH PROPOSAL FOR Ph.D.

STUDY

A Research Proposal Submitted to the “Department of Science” for the

Submitted By: Ramla Shahroz

Course: PhD Science (Research)

UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH,

UK.
DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE
Title: ECOLOGICAL AND CONSERVATION STATERGIES OF
MAMMALIAN EXTINCT SPECIES USING THEIR GENETIC DATA
RECOGNITION
Introduction:

There is evidence that a number of ecological features, which varied in significance among
different mammalian clades, have a substantial correlation with the danger of extinction in mammals.
These qualities include big body size, slow life history, low population density, and narrow geographic
range. In example, large body size is a well-established predictor of extinctions linked to humans in the
past and present (Olden et al., 2007). Finding these extinction correlates has been a crucial first step in
setting conservation priorities, but understanding the interactions between various ecological factors is
essential to predicting risk for species that vary greatly in body size, geographic range, abundance, life
history, niche characteristics, and other traits. Furthermore, there is an actual need for conservation
scientists to produce data that are immediately applicable and simple to understand for conservation
practice in order to prevent the decline of animal populations and species (Schipper et al., 2008).
Biodiversity loss is accelerating as a result of human activity pressures that are outpacing conservation
efforts. Therefore, it is imperative that conservation efforts be stepped up both by significantly increasing
overall investment and making sure that investment is as targeted as feasible. In order to optimize the
impact of conservation with the limited resources available, this calls for clearly defining goals and
priorities and then uses the best data available (Butchart et al., 2010).

There are 5339 mammal species in the world today, many of which are captivating and serve as
vital symbols for conservation initiatives. Due to their diverse ecological needs and vast size, some
animals, most of which are large, have been considered as possible umbrella species for the conservation
of numerous other species. However, the world's mammal population is in perilous situation (Hoffmann et
al., 2011), about 25% of mammals face extinction, and their general health is declining. To address the fall
in mammal populations, there is currently no comprehensive, internationally accepted conservation
strategy in place. With the availability of new datasets on taxonomy, phylogeny, life-history features,
threats, distribution, and conservation status, there is now a chance to proactively plan for the conservation
of mammals in the near future.
Objectives:

 Possible protective role of biological diversity to conserve biodiversity at species levels including
genes and genetic data

 Conservation strategies based on the available evolutionary and molecular data

 To pave way for new technologies to help in paleontology and conservation

Review of Literature:

Rondinini et al. (2011) elaborated that to attain the degree of cooperation, synergy, and resource
optimization required to meet the overarching objective of global mammal conservation, a global plan is
required. An institutional subject that owns the strategy, broad conservation goals, quantitative targets
derived from them, and appropriate indicators, data on species distribution, threats, and the effectiveness
of conservation actions, and a set of methods for prioritizing conservation are important components in the
development of such a strategy. Phylogeny, extinction risk, and the species and regions that ought to be
prioritized for global conservation were all examined in earlier global mammal studies. Phylogeny,
extinction risk, and the species and regions that ought to be prioritized for global conservation were all
examined in earlier global mammal studies. A new list of globally endangered species that are
evolutionarily distinct, new high-resolution models of mammal distribution, a global connectivity analysis,
and scenarios of future mammal distribution based on land-cover change and climate change are some of
the new and important elements that are presented in this theme issue. Area prioritizing approaches take
governance, mammalian phylogeny, and the cost-benefit analysis of habitat loss mitigation strategies into
consideration. The three discussion papers provide the groundwork for the creation of a global
conservation strategy for mammals that is unified and should not be further impeded by the knowledge
gaps that persist.

Ceballos et al. (2009) explained that they look at the biodiversity of mammals, a well-known
"charismatic" category, in light of the recent discoveries of numerous new species of little-studied
organisms. Many people believe that scientists are aware of almost all kinds of mammals. We show that
this assumption is not true. Approximately 10% of the known fauna has been expanded to include 408
newly identified mammalian species since 1993. Of them, about 40% are huge and easily recognizable,
while about 60% are "cryptic" species. Many of them are limited to locations where habitat is being
destroyed quickly. Our results imply that, even in well-studied taxa, the variety of animal and plant species
worldwide is significantly undervalued. This suggests that there are more risks than previously thought to
ecosystem services and human well-being, and that there is a greater need than ever to investigate,
comprehend, and protect Earth's living resources.

Materials and Methods:

Study site:

Data on extinct species at all levels will be taken from the suitable study site according to the region and
climatic conditions, and combined data of their ecological role from a number of sources. Previous cited
data will be helpful to complete the research target.

Sampling strategies:

Sampling method will be used to collect data based on mammalian extinct species with their
possible molecular recognition. we will use potentially conserved species in most needed categories;
extinct, critically endangered shortlisted for "Possibly Extinct" and refers to possibilities that are most
likely to be extinct but may still exist; Until sufficient surveys have failed to discover the species and
untrustworthy reports have been ignored, they shouldn't be declared extinct and extant. Each species’
susceptibility to extinction, survey effort, intensity of threats, timing and certainty of records, and climatic
conditions will be undertaken in order to make this grouping. Final judgment will be made accordingly.

Statistical analysis:

Statistical model/testing will be applied according to the data collected/sampling strategies (e.g.,
linear mixed model analytical framework or Tucky’s test, etc.).

Expected Outcomes:

In response to be helpful for other discoveries of this kind in the future, we anticipate that the fundamental
knowledge gained from this study will contribute to our understanding of the mechanism linking the
extinction, conservation, and preservation of their genetic data.

References

Butchart, S. H., Walpole, M., Collen, B., Van Strien, A., Scharlemann, J. P., Almond, R. E., ... & Watson,
R. (2010). Global biodiversity: indicators of recent declines. Science, 328(5982), 1164-1168.

Ceballos, G., & Ehrlich, P. R. (2009). Discoveries of new mammal species and their implications for
conservation and ecosystem services. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(10),
3841-3846.
Hoffmann, M., Belant, J. L., Chanson, J. S., Cox, N. A., Lamoreux, J., Rodrigues, A. S. L., Schipper, J. &
Stuart, S. N. 2011 The changing fates of the world’s mammals. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 366, 2598–
2610. (doi:10.1098/ rstb.2011.0116).

Olden JD, Hogan ZS, Zanden MJV (2007) Small fish, big fish, red fish, blue fish: Size-based extinction
risk of the world’s freshwater and marine fishes. Global Ecology and Biogeography 16:694–701.

Rondinini, C., Rodrigues, A. S., & Boitani, L. (2011). The key elements of a comprehensive global
mammal conservation strategy. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological
Sciences, 366(1578), 2591-2597.

Schipper, J., Chanson, J. S., Chiozza, F., Cox, N. A., Hoffmann, M., Katariya, V., ... & Young, B. E.
(2008). The status of the world's land and marine mammals: diversity, threat, and
knowledge. Science, 322(5899), 225-230.