Primary themes in intergenerational justice are a healthy environment, the perpetuation of Earth’s biodiversity, and the sustainable management of the biosphere. However, the current rate of species declines globally, ecosystem collapses driven by accelerating and catastrophic global heating, and a plethora of other threats preclude the ability of habitat protection alone to prevent a cascade of amphibian and other species mass extinctions. Reproduction and advanced biotechnologies, biobanking of germplasm and somatic cells, and conservation breeding programs (RBCs) offer a transformative change in biodiversity management. This change can economically and reliably perpetuate species irrespective of environmental targets and extend to satisfy humanity’s future needs as the biosphere expands into space. Currently applied RBCs include the hormonal stimulation of reproduction, the collection and refrigerated storage of sperm and oocytes, sperm cryopreservation, in vitro fertilization, and biobanking of germplasm and somatic cells. The benefits of advanced biotechnologies in development, such as assisted evolution and cloning for species adaptation or restoration, have yet to be fully realized. We broaden our discussion to include genetic management, political and cultural engagement, and future applications, including the extension of the biosphere through humanity’s interplanetary and interstellar colonization. The development and application of RBCs raise intriguing ethical, theological, and philosophical issues. We address these themes with amphibian models to introduce the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Special Issue, The Sixth Mass Extinction and Species Sustainability through Reproduction Biotechnologies, Biobanking, and Conservation Breeding Programs.

Background: As intensive aquaculture practices have progressed, the prevalence of bacterial diseases in the Chinese soft-shell turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) has escalated, particularly infections caused by Aeromonas hydrophila, such as ulcerative dermatitis and abscess disease. Despite this, little is known about their immune defenses against this pathogen. Methods: Our study pioneers an integrated analysis of transcriptomics and proteomics to investigate the immune responses of Chinese soft-shelled turtles to A. hydrophila infection. Results: The investigation revealed significant differences in immune-related pathways between groups susceptible and resistant to A. hydrophila infection after 4 days. A total of 4667 and 3417 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 763 and 568 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), and 13 and 5 correlated differentially expressed genes and proteins (cor-DEGs-DEPs) were identified in susceptible and resistant Chinese soft-shelled turtles, respectively. In the resistant group, upregulation of immune-related genes, such as CD3ε and CD45, enhanced T-cell activation and the immune response. The proteomic analysis indicated that immune proteins, such as NF-κB1, were significantly upregulated in the resistant group. The correlation analysis between transcriptomics and proteomics demonstrated that the CD40 gene and protein, differentially expressed in the resistant group compared to the control group, were commonly upregulated within the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. Conclusions: The transcriptomic and proteomic data obtained from this study provide a scientific foundation for understanding the immune mechanisms that enable the Chinese soft-shelled turtle to resist A. hydrophila infection.

The PAE (Posture-Act-Environment) coding system is a behavior coding system that divides the study of animal behavior into postures, actions, and the corresponding environmental factors, and they are coded correspondingly. It determines the analysis dimension to standardize the study of behavior. To investigate the behavior of A. davidianus during the breeding period, as well as their related postures, actions, and required environmental conditions, this study monitored the behavior of four pairs of A. davidianus in a simulated natural breeding pool using an infrared image monitoring system and recorded the changes in water quality during this process using a water quality monitoring system. The process of reproductive behaviors was observed and recorded with the random sampling method and the focal animal sampling method to classify and code the behaviors, and the ethogram of A. davidianus during the breeding period was constructed based on the PAE coding system. The result showed that 10 postures, 33 actions, 11 environments, and 45 behavioral patterns were differentiated and defined, which were classified into 9 categories of behaviors according to the behavioral function. Among these categories, five were distinguished as behaviors unique to the reproductive period, which include sand pushing, showering, courtship, oviposition, and parental care. The remaining four categories were daily behaviors: exercise, feeding, rest, and miscellaneous behaviors. The quantitative data on water quality and habitat factors that had a significant impact on the behavior of A. davidianus, such as water temperature (WT), pH, and dissolved oxygen (DO), were included in the coding framework, which more accurately expresses the environmental conditions and thresholds required for the breeding behavior.

Intergenerational justice entitles the maximum retention of Earth’s biodiversity. The 2022 United Nations COP 15, “Ecological Civilisation: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth”, is committed to protecting 30% of Earth’s terrestrial environments and, through COP 28, to mitigate the effects of the climate catastrophe on the biosphere. We focused this review on three core themes: the need and potential of reproduction biotechnologies, biobanks, and conservation breeding programs (RBCs) to satisfy sustainability goals; the technical state and current application of RBCs; and how to achieve the future potentials of RBCs in a rapidly evolving environmental and cultural landscape. RBCs include the hormonal stimulation of reproduction, the collection and storage of sperm and oocytes, and artificial fertilisation. Emerging technologies promise the perpetuation of species solely from biobanked biomaterials stored for perpetuity. Despite significant global declines and extinctions of amphibians, and predictions of a disastrous future for most biodiversity, practical support for amphibian RBCs remains limited mainly to a few limited projects in wealthy Western countries. We discuss the potential of amphibian RBCs to perpetuate amphibian diversity and prevent extinctions within multipolar geopolitical, cultural, and economic frameworks. We argue that a democratic, globally inclusive organisation is needed to focus RBCs on regions with the highest amphibian diversity. Prioritisation should include regional and international collaborations, community engagement, and support for RBC facilities ranging from zoos and other institutions to those of private carers. We tabulate a standard terminology for field programs associated with RBCs for publication and media consistency.

Background/Objectives: The Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) is an important species in freshwater aquaculture. Genetic admixture and degradation due to rapid industry expansion threaten sustainable development. This study aims to assess the genetic diversity and structure of six P. sinensis populations for better management. Methods: We combined morphological analysis and microsatellite markers to evaluate the genetic diversity of six populations. A discriminant function based on morphology was developed, achieving 71.4% classification accuracy. Two SSR markers were identified to specifically distinguish the HS population. Results: The six populations were classified into three subgroups. Frequent gene flow was observed among the CY, W, and DT populations, with most genetic variation occurring within individuals. However, significant genetic differentiation was detected between populations. While gene flow enhanced diversity, it suppressed differentiation. Conclusions: This study provides insights into the genetic structure and diversity of six P. sinensis populations. The discriminant function and SSR markers offer a basis for germplasm conservation and management, supporting sustainable aquaculture development.

Primary themes in intergenerational justice are a healthy environment, the perpetuation of Earth’s biodiversity, and the sustainable management of the biosphere. However, the current rate of species declines globally, ecosystem collapses driven by accelerating and catastrophic global heating and a plethora of other threats, preclude the ability of habitat protection alone to prevent a cascade of amphibian and other species mass extinctions. Reproduction biotechnologies, biobanking, and conservation breeding programs (RBCs), enabling species restoration, offer a critical transformative change that can economically and reliably perpetuate species irrespective of environmental targets. These capacities extend indefinitely into the future and satisfy humanities needs as the biosphere expands into space. Currently applied RBCs include the hormonal stimulation of reproduction, the collection and refrigerated storage of sperm and oocytes, sperm cryopreservation, in vitro fertilisation, along biobanking. Advanced biotechnologies such as assisted evolution and cloning for species adaptation or restoration have yet to be fully realised. We broaden our discussion to include genetic management, broad political and cultural engagement, and future applications. The development and application of RBCs, and particularly assisted evolution and species restoration, raise intriguing ethical, theological, and philosophical issues. We address these themes with amphibian models to introduce the MDPI Special Issue, The Sixth Mass Extinction and Species Sustainability through Reproduction Biotechnologies, Biobanking, and Conservation Breeding Programs.