Variation in winter daily range area of red deer(Cervus elaphus xanthopygus) based on DNA extracted from fecal samples

With environmental change and increased human activity,wild red deer(Cervus elaphus xanthopygus)populations and habitat area continue to decrease.Red deer is a main prey species of Amur tiger(Panthera tigris altaica).Factors affecting red deer winter home range in the Wanda montains of northeast China are not well understood.In this study,we aimed to better document red deer daily ranges to support conservation of red deer.A second objective was to develop a practical research method combining macro-and micro-technology for home range research on a variety of rare or endangered wild species.We collected 105 fresh fecal samples of red deer in three different periods during winter from December 2012 to March 2013 in the Wandashan region,Heilongjiang Province,China.Individual and sex identities were analyzed based on fecal DNA using microsatellite DNA.We used samples from deer farms for correction and validation of our identifications from field samples.We used a combination of molecular scatology,3S techniques(GPS),and direct observation to estimate winter daily range areas.Based on eleven microsatellite loci,we identified 18 individuals,10 females and 8 males,with a correction factor of 1.00 and sex ratio of 1:0.8.The mean(±SE)number of alleles was 5.1±0.41,and mean polymorphism information content was 0.63±0.03.Expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.46 to 0.81,with a mean of 0.69±0.03,and mean observed heterozygosity was 0.73±0.07.Sizes of mean daily ranges were 26.1±1.1 ha in December,89.3±1.6 ha in January,and 67.5±1.9 ha in March,indicating the following trend for daily range area:middle winter>late winter>early winter.Mean daily range area was insignificantly larger for males than for females.Estimated winter daily ranges were similar to those reported for Europe.Our combination of macro-and micro-technology proved useful for estimating winter home range areas of red deer.

Universal numerical calculation method for the Berry curvature and Chern numbers of typical topological photonic crystals

Chern number is one of the most important criteria by which the existence of a topological photonic state among various photonic crystals can be judged;however,few reports have presented a universal numerical calculation method to directly calculate the Chern numbers of different topological photonic crystals and have denoted the influence of different structural parameters.Herein,we demonstrate a direct and universal method based on the finite element method to calculate the Chern number of the typical topological photonic crystals by dividing the Brillouin zone into small zones,establishing new properties to obtain the discrete Chern number,and simultaneously drawing the Berry curvature of the first Brillouin zone.We also explore the manner in which the topological properties are influenced by the different structure types,air duty ratios,and rotating operations of the unit cells;meanwhile,we obtain large Chern numbers from–2 to 4.Furthermore,we can tune the topological phase change via different rotation operations of triangular dielectric pillars.This study provides a highly efficient and simple method for calculating the Chern numbers and plays a major role in the prediction of novel topological photonic states.