Sinlan Poo 蒲歆嵐

• PhD, National University of Singapore
• Curator of Research at Memphis Zoo

Novel conservation methods have become increasingly important in protecting our remaining biodiversity in the face of unprecedented rates of species declines. One method of maintaining genetic and species diversity is through germplasm cryopreservation. However, our knowledge of cryopreservation relies heavily on studies in domestic or aquaculture...

Conservation translocation using captive‐bred individuals has become increasingly important for species restoration. Despite advancements in technologies for captive‐breeding, such as gamete cryopreservation, it remains largely unknown if these artificially‐produced offspring can be used to establish a viable wild population. Using an amphibian spe...

Zoos and natural history museums are both collections-based institutions with important missions in biodiversity research and education. Animals in zoos are a repository and living record of the world's biodiversity, whereas natural history museums are a permanent historical record of snapshots of biodiversity in time. Surprisingly, despite signifi...

Environmentally cued hatching has been well-documented in amphibians in response to a wide range of abiotic and biotic factors. The hatching of terrestrial amphibian eggs in response to flooding may be basal within the group, but amphibian lineages in tropical Asia and sub-Saharan Africa have not received as much attention as their Neotropical coun...

Predator and prey relationships are dynamic and interrelated. Thus, any offensive behaviour will vary according to differing defensive behaviours, or vice versa, within each species in any predator–prey system. However, most studies are one-sided as they focus on just one behaviour, that of either the predator or prey. Here, we examine both predato...

Captive‐release programs are an increasingly popular conservation strategy to combat wild extinctions. However, it is critical to determine if translocating animals from captive colonies (“source populations”) leads to the establishment of new wild populations that are both stable and self‐sustaining. To fill this knowledge gap, we provide a case s...

During the last two decades, a wealth of data on biodiversity and associated environments has been mobilized in digital form. Collectively, these data provide a powerful resource that when curated and integrated with intention, can provide critical information to address emerging complex global biological, environmental, and public health challenge...

As the most threatened vertebrate class on earth, amphibians are at the forefront of the biodiversity crisis, with the recognition of global amphibian declines and extinctions dating back several decades now. The current Amphibian Conservation Action Plan is adopting two strategies to address the goal of the amelioration of the amphibian crisis: th...

The global trade in amphibians occurs at an extraordinary magnitude, involving the use of millions of animals locally and internationally every year. This activity is uniformly monitored and internationally regulated for less than 5% of described amphibian species, and the overall sustainability of present levels of trade are largely unknown. Amphi...

Oviposition site selection by parents is an important factor that affects offspring survival and parental fitness. The relative importance of sexes in oviposition site selection in anurans is rarely evaluated, especially in species with resource‐defense mating systems, where males defend territory containing eventual oviposition sites before advert...

Thanks to substantial support for biodiversity data mobilization in recent decades, billions of occurrence records are openly available, documenting life on Earth and enabling timely research, awareness raising, and policy-making. Initiatives across local to global scales have been separately funded to serve different, yet often overlapping audienc...

Updates on the captive-zoo breeding, release, and post-release monitoring of a newly established population of L. sevosus. First population that is reproducing on the wild and was founded solely by captive-zoo bred animals released at the reintroduction site.

For almost 20 years, zoological institutions, environmental non-profits, academic institutions, and government agencies have collaborated to prevent extinction of the critically endangered Dusky Gopher Frog (Lithobates sevosus). Given their Recovery Plan commitments, these partnerships have made strides toward the conservation of L. sevosus both ex...

Ecoimmunology affords us the ability to better understand immunological processes through consideration of external factors, such as the thermal microenvironment. This consideration is imperative when examining the immunological processes of ectothermic organisms like reptiles. Reptiles uniquely rely heavily on their innate immune function but rema...

To date, all captive breeding of the dusky gopher frog, Lithobates sevosus, a federally listed endangered species, has been accomplished using in vitro fertilization (IVF). Here, we describe multievent and highly fecund captive reproduction of dusky gopher frogs driven solely by natural environmental factors. Six pairs of L. sevosus were kept in a...

Amphibian populations are declining worldwide, and increased exposure to environmental stressors, including global climate change and pathogens like Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), may be contributing to this decline. Our goal was to use a novel dermal swabbing method to measure glucocorticoid (GC) hormones and investigate the relationship amo...

Oviposition sites selected by parents is an important factor that affects offspring survival and parental fitness. A good nest site offers offspring protection from competition, predation, and harsh environmental conditions. In amphibians, though oviposition sites are generally determined by females, the distinction between male and female choice c...

A decline in sperm quality with age is a common prediction of senescence-based hypotheses and empirical studies. While widely studied across taxa, there is little known on the effect of ageing on sperm quality in amphibians, especially in captive populations used for controlled propagation and reintroduction efforts. Here, we investigated variation...

Small, isolated populations often experience increased inbreeding and decreased heterozygosity, which increases the potential risk of inbreeding depression. The relationship between inbreeding and sperm health is well‐documented in a variety of taxa, but has yet to be explored in amphibians. The dusky gopher frog, Lithobates sevosus, is a criticall...

With increasing rates of global biodiversity decline, strategies such as reintroduction or supplementation, have become increasingly important in conserving our remaining biodiversity. To sustain reintroduction programs, insurance colonies are established and bred in captivity. Captive-bred offspring are then released to augment wild populations or...

Global amphibian declines have fueled an increased interest in amphibian assisted reproductive technologies. Within the genus Rhaebo, half of the species are experiencing decreasing population trends; however, insufficient information is available on many of these species’ reproductive biology. Using the smooth-sided toad, Rhaebo guttatus, we prese...

Hibernation is an integral part of the life history of species living in seasonal environments. However, our knowledge about the link between hibernation and reproductive success in amphibians remains limited, which poses an obstacle for critical conservation efforts. To fill this gap, we quantified the effects of captive hibernation on sperm quali...

Background Lowland areas in tropical East and Southeast Asia have a long history of conversion from forestland to agricultural land, with many remaining forests being chronically degraded by wood cutting, livestock grazing, and burning. Wetland-breeding amphibians that have evolved in lowland forests in the region have adjusted to changes in habita...

Amphibian data from Hong Kong Raw data from Hong Kong on body condition of Duttaphrynus melanostictus, larval growth and survival of Microhyla fissipes, and embryonic survival of Polypedates melanostictus.

Amphibian data from Thailand Raw data from Thailand on body condition of Duttaphrynus melanostictus, larval growth and survival of Microhyla heymonsi, and embryonic survival of Polypedates leucomystax.

Predation is one of the main drivers of behavioral adaptation in prey. In species with parental care, predation can affect survival of both adults and the offspring under their care. This effect can be further modulated by or combined with other factors that contribute to mating and reproductive success of adults, such as the quality of their breed...

Hatching, the life history switch point between embryonic and larval or subadult stages, has traditionally been regarded as a fixed event in an organism's development. This notion has been challenged by reports of environmentally cued hatching in recent years, which show embryos improve fitness by hatching in response to mortality risks. Here, we p...

Background/Question/Methods The relationship between predator and prey is one that is constantly evolving. Dynamics of this interaction are fundamental to our understanding of behavior in both species. However, majority of studies only focus on examining behavior from the predator’s or prey’s perspective. A particular type of predator-prey intera...

Most animals encourage independence in their offspring at the earliest possible date. Invariably, the goal is to minimize energy output and maximize offspring survival. Parental investment tends to evolve only when offspring’s survival is jeopardized by environmental threats that attentive parenting can mitigate, such as hungry predators, scarce or...

The arboreal frog, Chiromantis hansenae (Family: Rhacophoridae), is one of only a handful of South‐East Asian amphibian species reported with parental care. We present the first systematic observational and experimental study confirming offspring benefits as a result of this care, which has a number of unusual life‐history characteristics. Eggs are...

The flora and fauna of Southeast Asia are exceptionally diverse. The region includes several terrestrial biodiversity hotspots and is the principal global hotspot for marine diversity, but it also faces the most intense challenges of the current global biodiversity crisis. Providing reviews, syntheses and results of the latest research into Southea...

Chinese—English bilinguals residing in the US were interviewed about their experience of using emotional expressions. They judged L1-Mandarin expressions as feeling stronger than L2-English expressions. Respondents nonetheless preferred to express their emotions in English, citing more relaxed social constraints in English-speaking environments. El...