Elevational patterns of bird species richness on the eastern slope of Mt.Gongga,Sichuan Province,China

Background:In biological systems,biological diversity often displays a rapid turn-over across elevations.This defining feature has made mountains classic systems for studying the spatial variation in diversity.Because patterns of elevational diversity can vary among lineages and mountain systems it remains difficult to extrapolate findings from one montane region to another,or among lineages.In this study,we assessed patterns and drivers of avian diversity along an elevational gradient on the eastern slope of Mt.Gongga,the highest peak in the Hengduan Mountain Range in central China,and a mountain where comprehensive studies of avian diversity are still lacking.Methods:We surveyed bird species in eight 400-m elevational bands from 1200 to 4400 m a.s.l.between 2012 and 2017.To test the relationship between bird species richness and environmental factors,we examined the relative importance of seven ecological variables on breeding season distribution patterns:land area(LA),mean daily temperature(MDT),seasonal temperature range(STR),the mid-domain effect(MDE),seasonal precipitation(SP),invertebrate biomass(IB) and enhanced vegetation index(EVI).Climate data were obtained from five local meteorological stations and three temperature/relative humidity smart sensors in 2016.Results:A total of 219 bird species were recorded in the field,of which 204 were recorded during the breeding season(April–August).Species richness curves(calculated separately for total species,large-ranged species,and smallranged species) were all hump-shaped.Large-ranged species contributed more to the total species richness pattern than small-ranged species.EVI and IB were positively correlated with total species richness and small-ranged species richness.LA and MDT were positively correlated with small-ranged species richness,while STR and SP were negatively correlated with small-ranged species richness.MDE was positively correlated with large-ranged species richness.When we considered the combination of candidate factors using multiple regression models and model-averaging,total species richness and large-ranged species richness were correlated with STR(negative) and MDE(positive),while small-ranged species richness was correlated with STR(negative) and IB(positive).Conclusions:Although no single key factor or suite of factors could explain patterns of diversity,we found that MDE,IB and STR play important but varying roles in shaping the elevational richness patterns of different bird species categories.Model-averaging indicates that small-ranged species appear to be mostly influenced by IB,as opposed to large-ranged species,which exhibit patterns more consistent with the MDE model.Our data also indicate that the species richness varied between seasons,offering a promising direction for future work.

Comparative analysis of the intestinal tract microbiota and feeding habits of five sympatric flycatchers

Gut microbiota and host interactions co-evolve and develop into stably adapted microbial communities and play vital roles in maintaining the health of organisms.Diet is supposed to be an important driver of differences in gut microbiota,but previous studies would commonly use literature depictions,which are essential but inaccurate,to explain the effects of diet on the gut microbiota of wild birds.In this study,we collected intestinal samples from five sympatric flycatchers to compare the gut microbial differences using bacterial 16S rRNA genes from Illumina MiSeq platform.Over 1,642,482 quality-filtered sequences from 1816S rRNA libraries were obtained and distinct compositions and diversities of gut microbiota were found in five flycatchers.Their gut microbiota is mainly from the four bacterial phyla of Proteobacteria,Firmicutes,Actinomycetes,and Bacteroidetes,but at the genus level showed a significant difference.Functional predictions revealed that the metabolic capacity of the gut microbiota of five flycatchers is greatly distinguished at KEGG level 3.And multiple food fragments showed a significant correlation with gut microbiota.Besides,the significant differences in the specific composition of the diets of the five insectivorous flycatchers indicated the differentiation of dietary niches.The study of the gut microbiota and feeding habits of sympatric flycatchers would increase the understanding of the gut microbial diversity of wild birds,and also improve our cognition of the co-evolution and co-adaptation within the host gut microbiota relations.

Ecological traits affect the seasonal migration patterns of breeding birds along a subtropical altitudinal gradient

Altitudinal bird migration involves seasonal shifts up and down the altitude gradient annually.Asia as the place with the largest number of altitudinal migrants,has quite few related studies,especially for montane and temperate avifaunas.To explore the potential drivers of seasonal altitudinal migration for birds in the middle of Hengduan Mountains,we conducted a three-year investigation on breeding and non-breeding season bird communities at eight elevational bands(1200–4200 m)in the Gongga Mountains.We examined the altitudinal migration patterns and relationships between seasonal distribution shifts and species'traits of 50 species with sufficient data recorded in both seasons.We found that a large proportion of breeding birds underwent altitudinal migration and showed three migration patterns(downslope shift,upslope shift,no shift).Seasonal distribution shifts were mainly correlated with certain ecological traits.Species breeding at high and mid-elevations,nesting in scrub and being omnivorous are more likely to show downslope movements during the non-breeding season.In addition,territorially weaker species exhibited more diverse migration patterns.Notably,we found the hand-wing index(HWI)was actually more convincing than body mass in explaining altitudinal migration.These results consolidate the studies of seasonal altitudinal migration in montane birds.Our study could be used to bridge existing knowledge gaps that currently impeding effective conservation for montane avifaunas in the Hengduan Mountains.

Ecological significance and risks of mineral licks to mammals in a nature reserve on the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Mineral licks are important components of terrestrial ecosystems that have special value to the maintenance of fluid balance of mammals,by providing them with essential mineral nutrients such as sodium,calcium,and magnesium.In the Anzihe Nature Reserve,southwest China,seven species of ungulates and one species of primates were frequently observed visiting the mineral licks in high densities.As a consequence,mineral licks have attracted illegal hunters and facilitated the spread of parasites and diseases,leading to a depletion of local populations.Therefore,we suggest that regions with abundant mineral licks should be designated as key protected areas in the Anzihe Nature Reserve and relevant zones for animal health surveillance.

都江堰地区繁殖期鸟类多样性

都江堰地区位于生物多样性热点地区,具有丰富的鸟类多样性,但迄今仍缺乏全面的鸟类物种名录。本研究于2016年5月至2019年8月,在都江堰地区采用固定样线法开展了鸟类多样性调查,结合历史文献共记录该地区鸟类17目61科311种。其中留鸟184种(59.2%),夏候鸟68种(21.9%),冬候鸟35种(11.3%),旅鸟24种(7.7%);繁殖鸟类252种(81.0%);雀形目鸟类212种(68.2%);国家I级重点保护鸟类9种(2.9%),国家II级重点保护鸟类50种(16.1%),中国特有鸟类15种(4.8%)。研究发现,常绿-落叶阔叶混交林及灌丛中的鸟类物种最多,而常绿针叶林和竹林中的鸟类物种最少。都江堰地区鸟类群落丰富度的峰值出现在1,580-1,890 m海拔段,在1,890-2,200 m海拔段最低,呈现出单峰分布格局。作为生物多样性热点地区和旅游热点地区,都江堰今后应避免发展大规模单一的人工经济林,以更好地维系该地区丰富的鸟类多样性,并加强对该地区生物多样性的监测、研究和保护。