狭域还是广域：杂色山雀和大山雀行为特征比较

Narrow or Wide Distribution? A Comparison of Behavioral Traits between the Varied Tit(Sittiparus varius) and Great Tit(Parus cinereus)

动物行为是个体与社群适应内外环境变化(刺激)所作出的动态反应。动物的行为特征对其适合度以及进化有着重要意义,但关于鸟类行为特征对扩散以及分布的研究还较少,本文以杂色山雀(Sittiparus varius)和大山雀(Parus cinereus)这两种生活史策略相似、分布范围差异显著的雀形目鸟类为例,采用经典新环境测试法对两物种探索性、活跃性、冒险性三种行为进行比较。Mann-Whitney U-test结果显示,大山雀的探索性(Z=﹣2.582,P<0.01)、活跃性(Z=﹣5.148,P<0.001)、冒险性(Z=﹣2.046,P<0.05)得分均显著高于杂色山雀,证明广域分布的大山雀探索性、活跃性及冒险性明显强于狭域分布的杂色山雀。我们由此猜想鸟类行为特征可能会与种群的分布范围相关;通过对鸟类行为特征的探究或许可以间接预测种群未来的发展方向,为种群的保护提供指导。

Animal behavior is the response of individuals and communities to internal and external environmental changes (stimulus).Behavioral traits are important for animal fitness and evolution.There are few studies on the dispersal and distribution of birds' behavioral traits.We investigated the Varied Tit (Sittiparus varius) and the Great Tit (Parus cinereus),two passerine birds with similar life history but different distribution ranges.A novel-environment test was used to compare three behavioral traits:exploratory,active and risk-taking behavior.The results showed that the exploratory (Mann-Whitney U-test:Z =﹣2.582,P < 0.01,Fig.1),active (Mann-Whitney U-test:Z =﹣5.148,P < 0.001,Fig.2) and risk-taking (Mann-Whitney U-test:Z =﹣2.046,P < 0.05,Fig.3) scores of the Great Tit were all significantly higher than those of the Varied Tit.Therefore,we suggest that bird behaviors may be related to the distribution range of the population.We suspect that the more widely distributed individuals are likely to be more exploratory,active and adventurous,as these behavioral traits will enable them to obtain more information about the resource availability and habitat quality in the challenging and dynamic environments.The study of species' behavior may predict the future development of the population and provide a reliable basis for conservation of populations.