Jennifer Marie Germano

• PhD in Zoology, University of Otago, New Zealand
• Science Advisor at New Zealand Department of Conservation

Despite rapid growth in the field of reintroduction biology, results from scientific research are often not applied to translocations initiated when human land-use change conflicts with the continued persistence of a species’ population at a particular site. Such mitigation-driven translocations outnumber and receive more funding than science-based...

Translocations are important tools in the field of conservation. Despite increased use over the last few decades, the appropriateness of translocations for amphibians and reptiles has been debated widely over the past 20 years. To provide a comprehensive evaluation of the suitability of amphibians and reptiles for translocation, we reviewed the res...

The intentional translocation of animals is an important tool for species conservation and ecosystem restoration, but reported success rates are low, particularly for threatened and endangered species. Publication bias further distorts success rates because the results of successful translocations may be more likely to be published than failed tran...

With the world currently facing a global amphibian extinction crisis, the development of techniques to help meet the needs of conservation managers and researchers studying the reproductive biology of amphibians is needed. Here, we developed enzyme immunoassays to measure estrone, testosterone, and progesterone hormone metabolites in the urine of L...

The conservation status of all 21 amphibian taxa that are found in the wild in Aotearoa New Zealand was reassessed using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). A list of these taxa is presented, along with a statistical summary and brief notes on the most important changes since the previous assessment. This list replaces all previou...

Leiopelma archeyi Turbott 1942 (Anura: Leiopelmatidae) is a Critically Endangered amphibian that currently occurs in three areas of the North Island, New Zealand: Coromandel Peninsula, Whareorino Forest and Pureora Forest (Easton, 2018). Male parental care of eggs (1 - 2 clutches, each with 2 - 13 eggs) laid on land (e.g. under stones or inside dea...

Context Leiopelma archeyi is a threatened New Zealand amphibian species translocated for conservation purposes. A disease outbreak triggered the translocation of 70 frogs to Pureora Forest in 2006 to establish a new wild population of L. archeyi. Ten years after, 60 more frogs were translocated to this site to enhance the genetic and demographic pr...

Translocations of kiwi (Apteryx spp.) are one of the most common and growing types of conservation translocations in New Zealand. However, their outcomes remain mostly unpublished, which does not allow for sharing of lessons learnt from past developments. We reviewed 102 kiwi translocations from the 19th century until 2018, and identified factors a...

Asynchrony of gamete release is problematic in amphibian captive breeding programs but can be overcome by short-term storage of spermatozoa. Hormonally induced sperm from the model species Anaxyrus fowleri were used to determine storage conditions for optimal fertilisation capacity. Sperm motility was measured over time, as a function of storage te...

Amidst a global amphibian decline, captive breeding has become an important component of many conservation management programs. Some species fail to readily reproduce in captivity, including leiopelmatid frogs, an archaic lineage endemic to New Zealand. Assisted reproductive technologies can improve the reproductive potential and genetic management...

The number of amphibian reintroductions and other conservation translocations has increased in recent decades. Clearer guidance to plan, implement, and obtain resources for amphibian reintroductions is needed to improve conservation outcomes. The vast diversity within Class Amphibia, which contains 8000+ species, makes generalisations difficult, bu...

Auheke: Ko tā te ture ki Aotearoa, mō ngā whakatau me ngā whakahaere o ngā momo koiora motuhake, me mahi tahi ki te iwi Māori o taua takiwāi. Me hanga te anga toi-ahurea ki ngā mātauranga Māori, ki ngā mātauranga tauiwi hoki kia tiakina tika ai ēnei momo koiora. Heoi anō, ko te katoa o ngā hua i puta i tēnei pātuitanga, tē aro atu ai. Ko tētahi tak...

Using data from six wild Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii (Cooper, 1861)) populations, we quantified seasonal differences in immune system measurements and microbial load in the respiratory tract, pertinent to this species’ susceptibility to upper respiratory tract disease. We quantified bacteria-killing activity of blood plasma and diffe...

The conservation status of all known New Zealand amphibian taxa was assessed using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). A full list is presented, along with a quantitative summary and brief notes on the most important changes. This list replaces all previous NZTCS lists for frogs.

Over the past 25 years, there have been significant successes in kiwi (Apteryx spp.) conservation, particularly in preventing the extinction of the most critically endangered kiwi species. However, the majority of kiwi (over 70%) remain in unmanaged populations and therefore, nationally, kiwi continue to decline. The knowledge and tools now exist t...

Animals are expected to engage in behavioral decision-making that minimizes their risk of predation; these decisions can cause non-lethal predator effects to behavior and spatial use. Our goal was to determine whether non-lethal effects of a common predator, coyotes (Canis latrans), could affect the behavior of a declining reptile, the Mojave Deser...

As mitigation- and conservation-driven translocations of declining species escalate, establishing best practices for conservation practitioners is critical. A variety of factors, such as individual behaviour, may influence post-release behaviour and survival. Here, we explored the role of individual personality in predicting post-translocation surv...

The study of amphibian spatial behaviour provides key information for species conservation. Most commonly used techniques to track amphibians are either unsuitable for small species or fail to give sufficiently fine-resolution data of habitat use. We report on the use of non-toxic fluorescent powders to track the fine-scale movement of a threatened...

Camouflage via animal coloration and patterning is a broadly important antipredator strategy. Behavioral decision making is an influential facet of many camouflage strategies; fitness benefits often are not realized unless an organism selects suitable backgrounds. Controlled experimental studies of behavioral strategies in selection of backgrounds...

Abstract Upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) caused by Mycoplasma agassizii is considered a threat to desert tortoise populations that should be mitigated as part of the recovery of the species. Clinical signs can be intermittent and include serous or mucoid nasal discharge and respiratory difficulty when nares are occluded. This nasal congestio...

How to conserve our planet’s rapidly disappearing biodiversity is one of the greatest challenges of our generation. Among terrestrial vertebrate taxa, amphibians are most at risk with 41% of all known species experiencing population declines and one-third threatened with extinction. Although many institutions have responded by establishing captive...

The importance of developing assisted reproductive technologies (ART) for captive assurance colonies of threatened amphibians is increasing as ex situ management of amphibians has been challenged with low reproductive outputs for some species. One hurdle to developing ART in amphibians is the short-term storage of gametes for in vitro fertilization...

The importance of developing assisted reproductive technologies (ART) for captive assurance colonies of threatened amphibians is increasing as ex situ management of amphibians has been challenged due to low reproductive output. One hurdle to developing ART in amphibians is the short-term storage of gametes for in vitro fertilization. We aimed to te...

The Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) occupies a variety of habitats, within which soil burrows and caves are used as shelter. In particular, caliche caves, which are found in higher densities within desert wash systems, are an easily mapped, long-lasting habitat feature that provide refuge from predators and thermal extremes. Tortoises t...

Urinary hormone analysis has proved accurate for identifying sex and breeding periods in dimorphic amphibians with known reproductive cycles. We examined whether these techniques could provide this much needed information for a monomorphic anuran with an unconfirmed mating season in the wild. We analysed urinary estrone conjugate, testosterone, and...

Species-specific differences in breeding strategies and physiology have limited the application of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) for critically endangered amphibians in captive assurance colonies. In 2006, the Memphis Zoo (MZ) initiated a program to develop ART for the critically endangered Mississippi gopher frog after natural breeding...

Dusky gopher frogs once existed throughout the states of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. Presently, the USA Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that there are less than 100 frogs left in the wild, with almost all of these residing in a single pond in Mississippi, making the dusky gopher frog America's most endangered frog species. Their habitat...

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are essential for endangered amphibian colonies that are failing to reproduce in captivity. Our lab is developing ART protocols in Bufo fowleri that can be applied to endangered Bufonids. B. fowleri spermic urine retains motility when kept at 4°C but the fertilizing capacity of this sperm has never been test...

New Zealand's endemic leiopelmatid frogs are all threatened with extinction. There is no obvious physical or behavioural difference between males and females of three of the four species and this lack of a sex identification technique is hindering conservation management. Twenty-one morphological features were measured for 67 live Leiopelma pakeka...

Otago Skinks (Oligosoma otagense) are some of New Zealand's largest and most rare lizards. The movements and home ranges of these skinks were investigated using radio-telemetry at the Redbank Reserve near Macraes Flat, Central Otago, New Zealand. Thirteen Otago Skinks were tracked from December 2003 through April 2004 for 26–111 days. There was no...

Using timed transect surveys and plot litter samples during day and night, we examined individual abundance and species diversity in eight representative Grenadian herpetofaunal communities during June 2002. Sites varied in elevation, habitat quality, and degree of human disturbance. We recorded 1130 individuals of four species of frogs, six specie...