A New Species of the Genus Thermophis(Serpentes: Colubridae) from Shangri-La, Northern Yunnan, China, with a Proposal for an Eclectic Rule for Species Delimitation

The hot-spring snakes,Thermophis, were previously known only from the Tibet Autonomous Region and Western Sichuan, China. During the past two years, three adult hot-spring snakes （2 females, 1 male） were sampled in Shangri-La, northern Yunnan, China, thus expanding their known distribution region towards the southeast. This site is the southeastern-most corner of the Tibetan Plateau and the southernmost tip of the Hengduan Mountains （Mts.）. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial （mt） and nuclear （n） DNA segments suggested that the three specimens belong to the genus ofThermophis. Morphologically, the new species is more similar toT. zhaoermii. However, it is distinguished fromT.zhaoermiiin the number of maxillary teeth （15）, distance between the two eyes/head width, rostral width/height, mental width/height, in one character limited to female： head width/length, and in four characters restricted to male： occurrence of the reduction from 10 to 8 （8 to 6, 6 to 4） scales in each dorsal row on the tail. There are differences in morphology, genetics （mtDNA, nDNA）, and geography between the putative new species andT.zhaoermii,the new species meets our proposed eclectic and feasible ＂four-differences＂ rule.

Vinous-throated parrotbills breed in invasive smooth cordgrass habitat:Can native birds avoid the potential ecological trap?

Native animals are facing long-term coexistence with invasive plants worldwide,the impacts of which on animal behavior remain poorly known.Potential ecological traps could threaten native birds breeding in invasive plant habitats,but behavioral strategies for birds to avoid such risks are few concerned.The invasion of Smooth Cordgrass(Spartina alterniflra) has seriously varied the vegetation landscape in the coastal wetlands of eastern China,and affected the habitat selection of native birds.Here,we investigated the nesting and breeding characteristics of a common native passerine,the Vinous-throated Parrotbill(Sinosuthora webbiana),in habitats dominated by native Common Reed(Phragmites australis) and exotic cordgrass.We found that parrotbills could complete their breeding cycle in cordgrass habitat.Most nest failure was attributed to predation in native habitat but tide inundation in cordgrass habitat.However,the nest success rate and daily survival rate(DSR) in cordgrass habitat were higher.Moreover,nest height was markedly higher in cordgrass habitat and was the most important influencing variable(positively correlated with the DSR).These results suggest that cordgrass habitat is a potential ecological trap due to the tide inundation,but some parrotbills seem to effectively avoid this risk by increasing nest height.Our study reveals that a native passerine changes its nesting behavior to accommodate invasive plant habitat and highlights that habitat changes caused by invasive plants may drive the adaptive evolution of native animal behavior.The limitation of these results must be acknowledged for the small sample size,and there is a need for a larger sample and long-term data for further verification.

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.

Comparing community birdwatching and professional bird monitoring with implications for avian diversity research: a case study of Suzhou, China

Background:In the past decades,birdwatching as a hobby developed rapidly and produced ample scientific records that have aided conservation efforts.Therefore,it is increasingly attractive to promote avian research by providing data from birdwatching.Methods:We compared records from 16 years of community birdwatching and a 1-year formalized bird monitoring in Suzhou,China to study the similarities and differences between the two monitoring methods.Results:We showed that within the 325 bird species recorded by the two methods,an annual average of 108 species were documented by community science and 223 bird species were recorded by 1-year formalized monitoring.Measured by the number of bird species recorded per survey trip,the bird monitoring activity of community birdwatchers was significantly lower.Furthermore,the monitoring intensity of community birdwatching measured as the average survey trips per site each survey year was also lower than that of formalized bird monitoring.In addition,community birdwatchers preferred urban landscapes to rural areas.Conclusions:Community birdwatching could record the majority of local birds and complements the professional surveys in avian research.Well designed and coordinated community science can be used to expand the knowledge about avian distribution and population dynamics.These findings are critical for the development of conservation science with regard to community involvement.

Bulbuls and crows provide complementary seed dispersal for China's endangered trees

Background: Different functional frugivores generally exhibit unequal contributions,both in terms of quantity(seed removal) and quality(seedling recruitment),to effective seed dispersal of plant species.However,variations in this dispersal pattern generated by frugivores across different regions are still unknown.Methods: In our study,we evaluated the contributions of two functional frugivore bird groups,the bulbuls(Pycnon?otidae) and crows(Corvidae),in both the seed removal and seedling recruitment of the endangered Chinese yew tree(Taxus chinensis) across three different geographical regions in eastern China.Results: The dominant crow species,Urocissa erythrorhyncha,was the most common disperser crow species at all sites,while the dominant bulbul species varied across the three sites.Furthermore,the two functional groups of dispersers diverged in the aspects of seed removal(quantity) and seedling recruitment pattern(quality).While bulbuls outperformed crows in seed removal(quantity),crows took more seeds to a safer site for seedlings(quality).Conclusions: Our results highlight the importance of variations in the effective seed dispersal patterns of different functional disperser groups across different regions in the conservation and management of endangered tree species.

Seed handling by primary frugivores differentially influence post-dispersal seed removal of Chinese yew by ground-dwelling animals

Seed handling by primary frugivores can influence secondary dispersal and/or predation of post-dispersal seeds by attracting different guilds of ground-dwelling animals.Many studies have focused on seeds embedded in fe­ces of mammals or birds;however,less is known about how ground-dwelling animals treat seeds regurgitated by birds(without pulp and not embedded in feces).To compare the effect of differential seed handling by pri­mary dispersers on secondary seed removal of Chinese yew(Taxus chinensis var.mairei),we conducted a series of exclosure experiments to determine the relative impact of animals on the removal of defecated seeds(handled by masked palm civet),regurgitated seeds(handled by birds)and intact fruits.All types of yew seeds were con­sistently removed at a higher rate by rodents than by ants.Regurgitated seeds had the highest removal percent­age and were only removed by rodents.These seeds were probably eaten in situ without being secondarily dis­persed.Defecated seeds were removed by both rodents and ants;only ants might act as secondary dispersers of defecated seeds,whereas rodents ate most of them.We inferred that seeds regurgitated by birds were subject­ed to the highest rates of predation,whereas those dispersed in the feces of masked palm civets probably had a higher likelihood of secondary dispersal.Seeds from feces attracted ants,which were likely to transport seeds and potentially provided a means by which the seeds could escape predation by rodents.Our study highlighted that primary dispersal by birds might not always facilitate secondary dispersal and establishment of plant popu­lations.

Importance of bird traits for seed dispersal patterns of co-fruiting trees in a patchy forest

Habitat fragmentation is globally one of the most important drivers of change in biodiversity.Seed dispersal by birds is crucial for tree regeneration in remnant patchy forests,yet how bird traits affect seed dispersal pattern is still poorly understood.We studied the extent to which bird traits affect seed-removal networks and whether these traits affect seed deposition and seedling recruitment for 3 co-fruiting tree species(Taxus chinensis,Cin­namomum bodinieri and Machilus thunbergii)in a patchy forest.A total of 17,18 and 10 bird species were re­corded foraging for seeds of T.chinensis,M.thunbergii and C.bodinieri,respectively.Frequency of bird visi­tation increased with tail length,wing length and body length.Furthermore,bird body length,bill length,body weight and wing length were important in the strength of the seed removal network.During foraging,6 bird species exhibited different patterns of microhabitat utilization and their perching frequency increased with bird weight and tarsus length.As a consequence,frequency of habitat use,bird length and tarsus length were im­portant in determining the number of deposited seeds.For seedling recruitment,seedling number increased with bird tarsus length and weight,but decreased with wing length.Overall,our results showed that various bird traits not only affected seed removal,but also influenced the subsequent processes of seed deposition and seed­ling distribution in a patchy forest.These results thus highlight the importance of large-bodied birds for plant recruitment and point out the need to prioritize the protection and conservation of these birds in remnant patchy forests.

Effect of frugivorous birds on the establishment of a naturally regenerating population of Chinese yew in ex situ conservation

The Chinese yew Taxus chinensis is catalogued as an endangered species in China because of the small size andsenescent status of most populations. Its lack of natural regeneration is the most important reason for its endangeredstatus. We investigated the regeneration of an ex-situ conservation population, which was introduced intothe Nanjing Botanical Garden Memorial Sun Yat-Sen in the 1950s, and evaluated the role of frugivorous birds on theestablishment of this regenerating population. Two hundred and thirteen individual yew seedlings and saplingswere found on the hillside in 2006, and the nearest seedling was found more than 10 m away from mother trees. Thespatial pattern of all seedlings and saplings occurred as a clumped distribution, which is typical for vertebratedispersedplants. Six bird species were seen ingesting whole “fruits” at yew trees in the present study and 745 visitsby avian frugivores were recorded. Red-billed blue magpie (Urocissa erythrorhyncha), Chinese bulbul (Pycnonotussinensis) and azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyana) were the most frequent visitors over the two years of thestudy. Comparing the flights of departure and perching habitats of the three main bird species, we inferred that U.erythrorhyncha would be the most important disperser. This regeneration population has had good developmentover the past 20 or more years;frugivorous birds have removed seeds to the hillside every year until now, and seedgermination and seedling growth continue to develop well under natural conditions. We suggest that the conservationsystem of the Chinese yew should be composed of yews, avian dispersers and habitats for seed germinationand seedling growth.

Song variation of a native songbird in a modified habitat by invasive plant

Habitat structure has been considered as an important factor affecting the acoustic evolution of birds,and bird songs are increasingly affected by artificial environmental variation.Invasive plants sometimes can dramatically alter native habitats,but the song variation of native songbirds migrating into invaded habitats has received little attention.The invasion of smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora in the coastal wetlands of eastern China has drastically altered the vegetation structure and some small passerines have begun to use invaded habitats to breed.In this study,we compared the song type prevalence and the song characteristics of male plain prinia Prinia inornata to identify differences in vocal behavior between native and invaded habitats.We also tested for differences in vocal behavior in relation to singing perch and wind speed variation between different habitats.The results indicated that males of plain prinia in invaded habitats sang shorter songs than those in native habitats and had a lower song diversity.The homogeneous vegetation structure and higher wind speed in invaded habitats likely leads to males changing the traditional perched singing style.The song variation may be related to the founder effect,the alteration of vegetation structure and microclimate in invaded habitats.This finding highlights the need for better understanding the behavioral evolution of native species in the process of adapting to the invaded habitat.In the future,experimental manipulation is needed to ascertain how the invasive plant drove these vocal behavior changes of native songbirds.