Fecal DNA metabarcoding reveals the dietary composition of wintering Red-crowned Cranes(Grus japonensis)

Understanding the diet of threatened wildlife is vital for species-specific conservation and habitat management measures.The Red-crowned Crane(Grus japonensis)is a vulnerable bird distributed in Northeast Asia.Previous dietary studies of this bird focused mainly on its plant food composition based on field observations and microhistological identification.Herein,a total of 45 fecal samples were collected in November,December and January(15 fecal samples each month)from wintering cranes,and then subjected to a high throughput sequencing meta-barcoding approach to determine the primary plant(rbcL)and animal(COI)food items in their diet.A total of 230 operational taxonomic units(OTUs)of plant foods and 371 OTUs of animal foods were obtained.The main plant foods in the wintering period were Miscanthus,Zea,and Hordeum genera,which were similar to those in the breeding and the migration periods.Both agricultural and natural plants were detected,indicating a relatively broad dietary niche for this crane species.However,the main animal foods were representatives of Theridiidae,Megascolecidae,and Agelenidae,in sharp contrast to previous studies.The higher number of small terrestrial arthropods in animal foods might be due to the indirect intake of plants.The composition of both plant and animal foods in the diet showed the highest diversity in December,while it was homogeneous in January.The plant of Zea genus became the main source of nutrition in late winter,as supplementary feeding was performed in the reserve,which could help Red-crowned Cranes to get through the cold season.The results obtained in this work would contribute to the development of effective conservation strategies for the Red-crowned Crane.

Evaluation of Driver-Induced Human Errors in Smart Construction Tower Crane Operations Based on DEMATEL-ISM-MICMAC

With the advent of Industry 4.0, smart construction sites have seen significant development in China. However, accidents involving digitized tower cranes continue to be a persistent issue. Among the contributing factors, human unsafe behavior stands out as a primary cause for these incidents. This study aims to assess the human reliability of tower crane operations on smart construction sites. To proactively enhance safety measures, the research employs text mining techniques (TF-IDF-Truncated SVD-Complement NB) to identify patterns of human errors among tower crane operators. Building upon the SHEL model, the study categorizes behavioral factors affecting human reliability in the man-machine interface, leading to the establishment of the Performance Shaping Factors (PSFs) system. Furthermore, the research constructs an error impact indicator system for the intelligent construction site tower crane operator interface. Using the DEMATEL method, it analyzes the significance of various factors influencing human errors in tower crane operations. Additionally, the ISM-MICMAC method is applied to unveil the hierarchical relationships and driving-dependent connections among these influencing factors. The findings indicate that personal state, operating procedures, and physical environment directly impact human errors, while personal capability, technological environment, and one fundamental organizational management factor contribute indirectly. .

Effects of Group Size on Vigilance Behavior of Wintering Common Cranes Grus grus

From January to March 2005, the effects of group size on the vigilance behavior of wintering Common Cranes Grus grus were studied at Lashihai Lake, Yunnan Province, China. We used scan sampling to record the group sizes and the number of vigilant individuals in each group, and focal sampling to record the frequency and duration of individual vigilance behavior. Both the vigilance efforts of groups and individuals significantly decreased as group size increased, but when the group size exceeded 30 individuals, the decrease of group vigilance became not significant （P 〉 0. 05）, and the vigilance duration of adult cranes increased （P 〈 0.01 ）. The vigilance frequency of adults increased （P 〈 0.05） when the size exceeded 50 individuals. Presumably, the maximal group size allowing the lowest vigilance for juvenile cranes was larger than that for adults, and the flocks composed of 20 to 30 individuals represented the optimal group size of wintering Common Cranes by considering only the vigilance behavior. Further research should focus on the synthesized effects of various factors.

Effects of human disturbance on the Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) at stopover sites in northeastern China

There is a lack of information of whether the behavior pattern and physical condition of the Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) have been limited by conditions encountered at stopover sites in Changgou village,which is adjacent to Zhalong Nature Reserve in northeastern China,one of the most important stopover sites of this crane.The objective of our research was to investigatethe impact of human-caused disturbances on the Hooded Cranes.We investigated three behavior activities of the Hooded Cranes,i.e.,flying time,flushing distance and the duration of vigilance.The results indicate that the auditory stimuli caused by local people provoked the most pronounced disturbances to the Hooded Crane.Human-caused disturbances not only frequently interrupt the feeding process of the cranes,but also lead to an increase of 200％ in the duration of their vigilance and a significant increase in flying time from 0.4 to 0.7 h (p ＜ 0.05).In addition,high-intensity noise can cause larger flushing distances; foraging cranes will flush away by about 600 m when disturbed by the honking of vehicles.Whistles or shouts by local farmers in the field generated the largest sound intensity,about 120 dB,which caused a flushing distance of over 700 m.In order to reduce the negative effect of human-caused disturbances on these cranes,it is imperative to define a buffer zone around sensitive areas during the fall stopover period.To solve the conflict between the interest of farmers and the demand for crops on the part of the cranes requires financial compensation to the farmers for the crops consumed by the Hooded Crane in order to enhance the conservation of this vulnerable bird species.

Genetic structure of wintering Hooded Cranes (Grus monacha) based on mitochondrial DNA D-loop sequences

The Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) is a waterbird wintering in the wetlands of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China. The gradual habitat loss resulting from wetland degradation may have posed negative effects on the structure of our wintering populations. For its effective protection, it is important to conduct an intensive study on the genetic structure of this population. A total of 221 faecal samples, nine feather samples and four muscle samples of Hooded Cranes from four wintering populations, i.e., from Caizi Lake and Shengjin Lake in Anhui, Poyang Lake in Jiangxi and Chongming Dongtan in Shanghai, were collected for this study. Full-length 1103–1104 bp mtDNA D-loop sequences from 72 samples were amplified using PCR. Based on our amplified D-loop sequences and the sequences of two individual birds obtained from GenBank (AB017625 and AB023813), we analyzed the genetic structure of these four wintering Hooded Crane populations. Twenty six variable sites were found among 72 target sequences in the four wintering populations and 23 haplotypes were defined. Genetic diversity analyses showed that the haplotype diversity of Hooded Cranes was 0.823 ± 0.042 with a nucleotide diversity of 0.00157 ± 0.00021. The FST values of the four populations show that there is no significant genetic differentiation among the populations of Hooded Cranes wintering in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Tajima’s D and Fu’s tests suggest that the Hooded Crane populations may have experienced population expansion in their evolutionary history.

Status and behavior of the Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) in the Altun Mountain Reserve,Xinjiang

The Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) is an endemic species of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,with its population in Xinjiang largely found in the Kunlun and Altun mountain regions.A survey of the distribution,population dynamics,flock size and behavior was conducted in Altun Mountain National Natural Reserve from September to November 2011.We investigated the size and distribution of its population in this area with a sample spot survey and by direct counting.We found Black-necked Cranes on the wetlands of Wuzunxiaoer,Yusup Aleksei,Yaziquan,Qimantag,Tula Ranch and elsewhere,where we recorded 126 individual birds of the species in Yixiekepati (37° 15′-37°23′N,90°11′-90°20′E,elevation 3903 m),the largest population we have observed in this area.In the reserve,the population consists of about 180-200 birds.Combined with previous records,we conclude that more than 260 Black-necked Cranes live in Xinjiang.Cranes gathered conspicuously in the middle of October where the highest number of birds appeared on 29 October.All of the cranes had migrated out of this area by 6 November.Time budgets and diurnal behavior rhythms of Blacknecked Cranes were observed in the Yixiekepati wetland at daylight (from 06:00 to 18:00).Foraging was the most prevalent type of behavior during the autumn period,accounting for 58.9％ of the diurnal time budget,followed by preening (13.2％),vigilance (9.5％),walking (8.2％),flying (3.5％),resting (3.4％),chirping (2.7％) and other types of behavior (0.6％).

Effects of variation in food resources on foraging habitat use by wintering Hooded Cranes(Grus monacha)

Background:The ideal habitat use of waterbirds can be considered to be fixed,but current habitat use depends on environmental conditions,especially those of food characteristics,considered crucial to their use of habitats.Understanding how waterbirds respond to variation in food availability at degraded wetland sites and change their habitat use patterns over spatial and temporal scales should direct future conservation planning.The objectives of this study were to identify these spatial-temporal foraging habitat use patterns of Hooded Cranes(Grus monacha)and their relationship with food characteristics in the severely degraded wetlands of the Shengjin and Caizi lakes along with the Yangtze River floodplain.Methods:We investigated the changes in food characteristics,relative abundance and density of Hooded Cranes in various habitat types across three winter periods from November 2012 to April 2013.We examined the effect of these winter periods and habitat types on the pattern of use by the cranes and explored the relationship between these patterns and food characteristics using linear regression.Results:The food characteristics and habitat use clearly changed over spatial-temporal scales.In the early and mid-winter periods,the most abundant,accessible and frequented food resources were found in paddy fields,while in the late period the more abundant food were available in meadows,which then replaced the paddy fields.There were fewer effects of winter periods,habitat types and their interactions on habitat use patterns except for the effect of habitat types on the relative abundance,determined as a function of food abundance,but independent of food depth and sediment permeability.Conclusions:In response to the degradation and loss of lake wetlands,the cranes shifted their habitat use patterns by making tradeoffs between food abundance and accessibility over spatial-temporal scales that facilitated their survival in the mosaic of these lake wetlands.

Effect of water level fluctuations on temporal-spatial patterns of foraging activities by the wintering Hooded Crane(Grus monacha)

Background:The Yangtze River floodplain provides important wintering habitats for Hooded Cranes(Grus monacha) in China.Fluctuations in the water level change foraging habitat and food availability,affecting their temporal-spatial patterns of foraging activities.It is of considerable importance to investigate the effect of these fluctuations on food availability for wintering Hooded Cranes and their foraging response to these changes.Understanding their behavior patterns is beneficial in protecting the wintering crane population and restoring their wintering habitats.Methods:A field survey of the winter behavior of cranes was carried out at Shengjin Lake from November in 2013 to April in 2014.Habitat variables,as well as the spatial distribution and behavior patterns of wintering cranes at their foraging sites during five stages of water level fluctuation were collected.Based on this data we analyzed the relationship of foraging behavior relative to water level fluctuations and habitat types.Results:The foraging habitats used by Hooded Cranes varied at the different water level stages.As the water level decreased,the use of meadows and mudflats increased.When the water dropped to its lowest level,the use by the Hooded Crane in the mudflats reached a peak.There were statistically significant differences in time budget in the three types of habitats over the five stages of the water level.In the mudflats,the foraging behavior and maintenance behavior varied significantly with the water level,while the alert behavior showed little variation.Analysis of a generalized linear model showed that the five water level stages and three habitat types had a significant effect on foraging behavior,while the combined effect of these two variables was significant on the foraging time budget and the length of foraging activity of the Hooded Crane.Conclusions:With the decrease in the water level,the use of mudflats by Hooded Cranes increased correspondingly.Food availability in different habitats was affected by changes in the water level.The Hooded Crane adjusted its foraging patterns and made full use of the three available types of habitat in order to acquire enough food in response to fluctuations in the water level.

The effects of food abundance and disturbance on foraging flock patterns of the wintering Hooded Crane(Grus monacha)

Background:Food abundance and availability affect flock patterns of foraging birds.Cost and risk tradeoffs are especially critical for flocks of wintering waterbirds foraging in lake wetlands.Waterbirds losing suitable habitats face insufficient food supplies and high levels of disturbance,affecting their foraging activities.Our objective was to study the effects of food abundance and disturbances on flock size and the structure of Hooded Crane flocks wintering at Shengjin Lake and,as well,to understand the response of wintering waterbirds to habitat degradation for future management decisions and protection of the population.Methods:We investigated food abundance,disturbances and flock foraging activities of the wintering Hooded Crane in several foraging habitats of Shengjin Lake from November 2013 to April 2014.Flock size and structure were observed by scan sampling.Data on food abundance and disturbances were collected by sampling.Flock size and structure were compared among three wintering stages.The relationship between food resources,disturbances and flock size were illustrated using a generalized linear model.Results:In the early and middle wintering periods,the Hooded Crane used paddy fields as its major foraging habitat,where the number of foraging birds and flocks were the highest.During the late period,the cranes took to meadows as their major foraging habitat.The variation among foraging flock was mainly embodied in the size of the flocks,while the age composition of these flocks did not change perceptibly.Family flocks were notably different from flock groups in size and age composition.The results of a generalized linear model showed that the food abundance had a marked effect on foraging flock size and age composition,while disturbances had a significant effect only on flock size.From our analysis,it appeared that the combined effect of the two variables was significant on the size of the foraging flock,but had less impact on age composition.Conclusions:Food abundance and disturbances affected the flock size of the Hooded Crane.With abundant food and high disturbances,flock sizes increased owing to cooperation in foraging.To avoid competition and maximize foraging benefits,flock size reduces with an abundance of food but low disturbance.By trading off risks and costs,the cranes showed flexible flock distributions and a variety of foraging strategies to maximize benefits and to improve their fitness.

Nest site selection of white-naped crane(Grus vipio) at Zhalong National Nature Reserve, Heilongjiang, China

White-naped crane （Grus vipio） is a globally threatened spe- cies. It is very important to analyze its nest site selection in circum- stances where there are multiple disturbances, and also helpful to accu- mulate valuable information about this threatened species and supply scientific suggestions for conservation and management. We studied nest site selection and the effects of environmental variables on nesting habits of white-naped crane at Zhalong National Nature Reserve, Qiqihar City, Heilongiiang, China, during March-May of 2002-2008. White-naped crane responded and adapted to changes in the quality of the spatial environments of landscape and microhabitat under multiple environ- mental disturbances. Nest site selection included two scales and two choices, namely the choice of nest site habitat type within the macro-habitat scale and nest site micro-habitat selection within the mi- cro-habitat scale. Nest sites were recorded only in reed marshes. The choice of nest site micro-habitat included three basic elements and six factors, namely incubation element （nest parameters factor, incubation temperature factor and incubation humidity factor）, safety element （pro- tection factor and concealment factor）, and food element （water factor）. Water, remnant reed clusters, and fire were major resource management challenges during the breeding period for the white-naped crane in this Reserve.

Population dynamics and habitat use of the Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) in the Yarlung Tsangpo River basin, Tibet, China

Background:The Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis)is an internationally threatened crane living on the plateau, mainly in winter, in the Yarlung Tsangpo River basin in Tibet,western China. In the past five years,some economic development projects have been conducted in this area,posing potential threats to the wintering populations of the cranes and their habitats. Therefore, the current population dynamics of wintering Black-necked Cranes and habitat suitability in the Yarlung Tsangpo River basin were investigated. Methods: Twenty counties were surveyed using the line transect method in December 2017 and January 2018, and we recorded the location,flock size,number of individuals,habitat types and presence of human disturbance in which they occurred.We compared the results from the middle wintering period in this survey with those from 2014. Results: The highest number of cranes recorded was 8291,and the results showed that the cranes were mainly distributed in Lhaze, Namling, Samzhubze, and Lhunzub.A total of 577 and 495 flocks were recorded in the early and middle wintering periods, respectively. In the early wintering period,there were signi ficant differences in the number of individuals across the di fferent habitats,with crop stubble land and plowed land representing more than 30% of the total habitat utilization.In the middle wintering period, there were also signi ficant differences in the number of individuals, and the utilization of crop stubble land represented over 60% of the total. Conclusions: Wintering Black-necked Cranes mainly fed on spilled grains in stubble habitat after harvest. In the middle wintering period, some of the farmlands were plowed and irrigated,which resulted in food shortages in these areas,and the cranes tended to gather in mixed flocks of large size instead of as a single family.There were still considerable regional wintering populations decreases in Quxu,Nedong,and Sakya in 2018 compared with 2014,and these decreases were mainly due to some recently emerging threats,including farmlands being converted into areas of greenhouse cultivation,highway and railway construction, river dredging,the rapid development of the manufacturing and mining industries,and the lack of protection of important wintering sites.

Temporal-spatial patterns of intestinal parasites of the Hooded Crane(Grus monacha) wintering in lakes of the middle and lower Yangtze River floodplain

Background: Parasites have adverse effects on the life and survival of many migratory waterbirds, especially birds on the endangered species list. Hooded Cranes are large migratory colonial waterbirds wintering in wetlands,which are prone to parasite infection, thus monitoring the diversity of parasites is important for sound wetland management and protection of this species.Methods: From November 2012 to April 2013, we collected 821 fresh faecal samples from the three lakes(Poyang,Caizi and Shengjin Lake) in the lower and middle Yangtze River floodplain, and detected with saturated brine floating and centrifugal sedimentation methods. Parasite eggs were quantified with a modified Mc Master's counting method.Results: In this study, 11 species of parasites were discovered, i.e., two coccidium(Eimeria gruis, E. reichenowi), five nematodes(Capillaria sp., Strongyloides sp., Ascaridia sp., Trichostrongylus sp., Ancylostomatidae), three trematodes(Echinostoma sp., Echinochasmus sp., Fasciolopsis sp.) and one cestode(Hymenolepis sp.). About 57.7% of the faecal samples showed parasitic infection. All species of parasites were found at the three sites except Hymenolepis which was not found at Poyang Lake. While most samples were affected by only one or two species of parasites, infection by Eimeria spp. was the most common(53.1%). From One-Way ANOVA analysis of the three lakes, parasite species richness index(p = 0.656), diversity index(p = 0.598) and evenness index(p = 0.612) showed no significant difference. According to the statistical analysis of our data, there were no significant difference in parasite species richness index(p = 0.678) and evenness index(p = 0.238) between wintering periods, but a strong difference in diversity index(p < 0.05).Conclusions: Our study suggests that in the wintering Hooded Crane populations, parasite diversity is more sensitive to changes in the overwintering periods than to locations. This also indicates that with the limitations of migration distance, the parasites may not form the differentiation in Hooded Crane populations of the three lakes.

Population sizes and group characteristics of Siberian Crane(Leucogeranus leucogeranus) and Hooded Crane(Grus monacha) in Poyang Lake Wetland

Both the Siberian Crane(Leucogeranus leucogeranus) and Hooded Crane(Grus monacha) have limited population sizes and are considered endangered by domestic Chinese and international agencies.To document the current size of their respective populations and characterize their groups,between October 2012 and April 2013 we undertook fieldwork at four nature reserve areas within the Poyang Lake wetlands.We divided Poyanghu National Nature Reserve(PYH) into the Wucheng(PWC) and Hengfeng areas(PHF),because each are each located in different counties.Our fieldwork showed that the Siberian Crane occurred mainly in PYH(364 in the PHF,158 in the PWC) and the Nanjishan Wetland National Nature Reserve(NJS,with 200 individuals).The Hooded Crane was mainly distributed in PYH(302 in the PHF and 154 in the PWC).Family groups accounted for more than 50% of the total number of groups among both species,with Hooded Cranes forming more family groups than Siberian Cranes.Typically,these groups were formed of two adults with one offspring(Siberian Crane),and two adults with two offspring(Hooded Crane),with the mean family group size of the Siberian Crane and Hooded Crane being respectively 2.65±0.53(n=43) and 3.09±0.86(n=47) individuals per group.The mean collective group size of the Siberian Crane and Hooded Crane included 28.09±24.94(n=23) and 28.94±27.97(n=16) individuals per group,respectively,with the proportion of juveniles among Hooded Cranes being more than double that seen among the Siberian Cranes.

Comparing the intestinal bacterial communies of sympatric wintering Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) and Domestic Goose(Anser anser domesticus)

Background:Gut microbiota play crucial roles in host health.Wild birds and domestic poultry often occupy sympatric habitats,which facilitate the mutual transmission of intestinal microbes.However,the distinct intestinal microbial communities between sympatric wild birds and poultry remain unknown.At present,the risk of interspecies transmission of pathogenic bacteria between wild and domestic host birds is also a research hotspot.Methods:This study compared the intestinal bacterial communities of the overwintering Hooded Crane(Grus monacha)and the Domestic Goose(Anser anser domesticus)at Shengjin Lake,China,using Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology(Mi-Seq platform).Results:Our results revealed that Firmicutes,Actinobacteria,Proteobacteria,Bacteroidetes and Chloroflexi were the dominant bacterial phyla in both hosts.The gut bacterial community composition differed significantly between sympatric Hooded Cranes and Domestic Geese.However,the hosts exhibited little variation in gut bacterial alphadiversity.The relative abundance of Firmicutes was significantly higher in the guts of the Hooded Cranes,while the relative abundances of Actinobacteria,Proteobacteria,Bacteroidete and Chloroflexi were significantly higher in guts of Domestic Geese.Moreover,a total of 132 potential pathogenic operational taxonomic units(OTUs)were detected in guts of Hooded Cranes and Domestic Geese,and 13 pathogenic OTUs(9.8%)were found in both host guts.Pathogenic bacterial community composition and diversity differed significantly between hosts.Conclusions:The results showed that the gut bacterial community composition differs significantly between sympatric Hooded Cranes and Domestic Geese.In addition,potential pathogens were detected in the guts of both Hooded Cranes and Domestic Geese,with 13 pathogenic OTUs overlapping between the two hosts,suggesting that more attention should be paid to wild birds and poultry that might increase the risk of disease transmission in conspecifics and other mixed species.

Shifts in foraging behavior of wintering Hooded Cranes(Grus monacha) in three different habitats at Shengjin Lake, China

Background: Wetland loss and degradation result in a reduction in the availability and quality of food for wintering waterbirds. Birds normally modify their foraging behavior to adapt to variations in food availability. In this study, we compared shifts in foraging behavior of Hooded Cranes(Grus monacha) in three different habitats at Shengjin Lake, China to understand the response of these cranes to changes in habitat.Methods: We investigated the food density and foraging behavior of Hooded Cranes in Shengjin Lake National Nature Reserve from November 2014 to April 2015. We used regression equations to describe the changes in food density. A total of 397 behavioral observations were used in the analyses of their foraging efforts. We fitted a candidate set of generalized mixed linear models to analyze the relationship of foraging efforts and food density. We used a method of information theory to guide the selection of the model and Akaike's Information Criterion to calculate the value of each model. The relationship between food density, disturbances and foraging behavior was illustrated using a generalized linear model.Results: Along with the temporal variation and exploitation of food biomass, the food density varied widely among foraging sites. During the early winter period, foraging efforts were more pronounced in the paddy fields and meadows but not significantly different among the three habitats. The cranes spent more foraging effort in the paddy fields and meadows during the middle stage and in the meadows and mudflats during the late winter. The results of the generalized linear model showed that food density and disturbances had different effects on the rate of foraging success during the winter, while the effect of foraging effort was not significant. Furthermore, the rate of feeding success was markedly affected by disturbances in the paddy fields. The combined action of food density and disturbances had a significant effect on the rate of foraging success in the meadows, while the effect of foraging effort was also not significant in three habitats.Conclusions: Changes in foraging behavior were significant in three habitats, which were affected by food density and disturbances. The rate of foraging success increased in the habitat with low food density and low disturbances to increase the foraging efficiency in the lake. With abundant food and a high level of disturbance, the rate of foraging success decreased to ensure more secure access to food.

Effects of foraging site distances on the intestinal bacterial community compositions of the sympatric wintering Hooded Crane(Grus monacha)and Domestic Duck(Anas platyrhynchos domesticus)

Background:The composition of intestinal microflora in animals is affected by cross-species transmission.In a nature reserve,the foraging sites of waterbirds are relatively fixed,but frequently close to residential areas and can also be visited by domestic fowls.It is easy to result in the trans-species-flock dispersal of gut microbes between the wild birds and domestic fowls.The effects of the variable foraging site distances on the gut microbe structures of the waterbirds and the sympatric domestic fowls are currently unclear,and further research is required to evaluate the impacts of geographic location on cross-infection.Methods:Illumina high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analysis software were utilized to compare and analyze the composition of gut microbes from the fecal samples of Hooded Cranes(HC;Grus monacha)and two groups of Domestic Ducks(Anas platyrhynchos domesticus)that foraged at 1 km(ducks in near areas,D-N),and 4 km(ducks in far areas,D-F)away from the habitats of the Hooded Cranes at Shengjin Lake,China.Results:The results showed that there were significant differences in the alpha-diversity of the gut bacteria in the HC,D-N,and D-F samples under the interspecific distance factor.The dominant bacterial phyla,Cyanobacteria and Proteobacteria,showed correlations with distance for each host.The D-N group had more diverse intestinal flora than the D-F,as they were physically closer to the HC and had more indirect contact and cross-transmission of their gut microbes.More potentially pathogenic bacterial sequences,and Operational Taxonomic Units(OTUs)were found in the D-N than in HC and D-F.Conclusions:Hooded Cranes and the Domestic Duck populations at variable distances from the cranes showed significant differences in their intestinal bacteria and potentially pathogenic bacteria.The closer the foraging sites were,the easier the intestinal flora spread across species.The results provide a basis for determining the safe distance between wild birds and domestic fowls in a nature reserve.

A growing captive population erodes the wild Red-crowned Cranes(Grus japonensis) in China

Background: The Red-crowned Crane(Grus japonensis) is an endangered bird species and while the wild population continues to decrease in China, the captive population has dramatically increased over the last two decades. We hypothesized that some of the captive Red-crowned Cranes originated from the wild and that a growing captive population is eroding the wild population in China.Methods: We surveyed the size of the population and determined the average annual growth rate, reproductive success rate and mortality rate of captive Red-crowned Cranes in 2013 in China. We assessed this erosion effect through mathematical models, in which the size of the captive Red-crowned Crane population was determined from the annual growth rate, the reproductive success rate and the rate of mortality.Results: We found there were a total of 1520 captive Red-crowned Cranes in 2013 in China, with an average annual gro-wth rate of 7.46%, a reproductive success rate of 9.17% and a mortality rate of 3.6%. We found that approximately 1027 supplementary Red-crowned Cranes per year and a total of 244, over the 14 year period from 1999 to 2013, were needed to account for the growing captive population in China.Conclusion: We conclude that the 244 birds probably came from the wild by taking eggs and capturing juveniles or adults and hence accepted the hypothesis. Perhaps more surprisingly, our annual estimate of the number of supplementary Red-crowned Cranes in captive populations is very conservative, with the erosion effect substantially underestimated, because the total number of captive Red-crowned Cranes in 2013 was underestimated, with the annual reproductive success rate in zoos overestimated. The existence of an erosion effect provides a new perspective for the interpretation of why the Red-crowned Crane population in the wild continues to decrease. In our opinion, it is important to understand the consequences of this erosion effect on the management and conservation of this endangered bird species in China.

Monitoring population dynamics of the migratory Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) at Shuangtaihekou National Nature Reserve,northeastern China,from 1991 to 2012

We studied migratory Red-crowned cranes from 1991-2012 in order to track population dynamics and trends for these cranes over time at Shuangtaihekou,northeastern China.Our results show that the earliest arrival date of the Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) was usually around 1 March in the spring and the latest departure date of the cranes around 8 November.The peak period for the number of cranes observed in the spring was 10-20 March over these 22 years.The staging period in the spring is about 25 days.Comparing the highest number of Red-crowned cranes observed in the spring,the migratory population was around 400 birds in the 1990s,then,increased to over 800 birds in 2000.For a short while,the population maintained itself around 600-800 birds.After that,the population started to decline,until during the most recent years,we observed around 400 birds at peak times of each season.Our results match a similar population change pattern observed in the wintering area for a western population,which has been declining since 2000.There is an urgent need to reinforce protection and management,as well as to maintain and improve the quality of their habitats.

Long-term monitoring data reveal effects of age,population density,and environmental aspects on hatching success of Common Cranes(Grus grus)

Facing climate and land use change,a species’ability to successfully adapt to changing environments is crucial for its survival.Extensive drainage and intensification of agriculture and forestry set wetlands and associated species at risk of population declines.The population of Common Cranes(Grus grus)has experienced considerable fluctuations over the last century.Despite increasing population numbers,hatching success seemed to have decreased over the last years.The aim of this study was to identify factors influencing hatching success and nest survival of Common Cranes based on analyses of long-term individual-based monitoring data from northeastern Germany and evaluate the species ability to adapt to changing environments.Hatching success decreased over the course of the study period from 0.75 to 0.55.Surprisingly,nest survival and hatching success did not vary across different nesting habitats,whereas factors such as female age,timing of nest initiation and breeding pair density were found to have significant effects on hatching success.Older females showed higher hatching success,even though the proportion of unhatched eggs was highest in females aged 20 years or older.Early nest initiation had a positive effect on hatching success.Water levels are more favorable early in the nesting season,whereas increasing evaporation with time causes water levels to decrease,granting easier access for predators.Independently of female age,hatching success decreased with increasing numbers of breeding pairs within a 2-km radius around a nesting site.High population densities intensify competition for resources and promote intraspecific interactions,affecting reproductive outcome negatively.This study gives first insights into mechanisms behind population regulation in Common Cranes,highlighting the importance of population dynamics and individual features.We suggest to further investigate density dependent effects including landscape and habitat features as well as reproductive success in terms of chick survival,since successfully raising juveniles is crucial for a species survival.

MICROSTRUCTURE OF FEATHER OF RED CROWNED CRANE (GRUS JAPONENSIS)

Through scanning electron microscope, various trpes of feathers in various parts of red-crown crane--a kind of rare and precious bird were observed micrographically. It was shown in the result that in different type of feather, the barbules show a great variation in their morphology and structure. This observation can be a basic reference for the taxonomy using the feather structure and the study of systematic relationship.