Bartonella species can infect a variety ofmammalian hosts and cause a broad spectrum ofdiseases in humans, but there have been no reportsof Bartonella infection in Ochotonidae. This is thefirst study to detect Bartone...Bartonella species can infect a variety ofmammalian hosts and cause a broad spectrum ofdiseases in humans, but there have been no reportsof Bartonella infection in Ochotonidae. This is thefirst study to detect Bartonella in plateau pikas inthe Qinghai plateau, providing baseline data for therisk assessment of human Bartonella infection inthis area. We obtained 15 Bartonella strains from79 pikas in Binggou and Maixiu areas of Qinghaiwith a positive rate of 18.99%. Based on thephylogenetic analysis of the Bartonella citratesynthase （gltA） gene sequences, most strains wereclosely related to B. taylorii （3/15） and B. grahamii（12/15）. The latter is a pathogenic strain in humans.Our results suggest that a corresponding preventionand control strategy should be taken intoconsideration in the Qinghai province.展开更多
Three specimens of Ochotona forresti were collected from southeastern Tibet in 1977 and 1979. After a careful study,considered to be a new subspecies of Ochotona forresti. It is described as follows: Ochotona forresti...Three specimens of Ochotona forresti were collected from southeastern Tibet in 1977 and 1979. After a careful study,considered to be a new subspecies of Ochotona forresti. It is described as follows: Ochotona forresti duoxionglaensis subsp. nov.Holotype: 1♂,NIPB 77139,adult,collected from Duoxiongla Mountain (elevation: 4 200 m),Motuo County,southeastern Tibet,August 27,1977 by Prof. Cai Guiquan.Paratypes: 2 ♀♀,NIPB 79072,adult,and NIPB 79071,subadult,collected from Bangzong valley (elevation: 4 100 m),Milin County,southeastern,Tibet,September 14,1979 by Prof. Wu Jiayan.Type specimens are deposited in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Museum of Biological Specimens,Northwest Plateau Institute of Biology,the Chinese Academy of Sciences.Diagnosis: Similar to Ochotona forresti osgoodi with larger bullae,(LAB 11.1-11.4 mm). Differences from other subspecies are as follows: O. f. duoxionglaensis is much bigger; greater skull length 40.7-41.4 mm; skull is much higher,height of skull 36.71%-37.0% of greater skull length; Long hairs in front of ears are white. Forehead is black and brown,and sides of the faces are drabble grey. From back to buttocks are deep black,and the sides of the body are light black.Remarks: Long hairs in front of the ears are white. Hairs inside ears are grey-white,back of ears chestnut,and edge of ear black and brown. Nape dark hoary grayish,belly and groin washed with buff,but middle of belly yellow. Fore and hind feet above grey,hind feet stouter. Fore claws longer than those of hind feet,terminal pads of toes blackish and not hidden by hair,conspicuous.Skull: Relatively large,GLS 40.7-41.4 mm.; Comparatively convex in superior profile,BCH/GLS about 36.71%-37.0%; Bullae large,LAB 11.1-11.4 mm; Palatal and incisive foramina completely confluent,like a gourd or violin. There are no small vacuities at the anterior end of frontals. Nasal bone short but broad. The orbits are much bigger,and its greatest inner length is much longer than length of diastema.Occurrence and habits: Found only in Motuo and Milin,southeastern Tibet. Habitats are in alpine shrub meadows,or in edge of forests.展开更多
Understanding a species’functional traits allows for a directed and productive perspective on the role a species plays in nature,and thus its relative importance to conservation planning.The functionaltrait ecology o...Understanding a species’functional traits allows for a directed and productive perspective on the role a species plays in nature,and thus its relative importance to conservation planning.The functionaltrait ecology of the plateau pika Ochotona curzoniae is examined to better understand the resilience and sustainability of the high alpine grasslands of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP).The key functional traits of plateau pikas are their abundance and behavior of digging extensive burrow systems.Plateau pikas have been poisoned over a significant part of their original geographic distribution across the QTP,allowing comparison of ecological communities with and without pikas.Nearly all mammalian and avian carnivores,most of which are obligate predators on pikas,have been lost in regions where pikas have been poisoned.Most endemic birds on the QTP nest in pika burrows;when pikas are poisoned,burrows collapse,and these birds are greatly reduced in number.Due to the biopedturbation resulting from their burrows,regional plant species richness is higher in areas with pikas than without.The presence of pika burrows allows higher rates of infiltration during heavy monsoon rains compared to poisoned areas,possibly mitigating runoff and the potential for serious downslope erosion and flooding.Thus,the functional traits of plateau pikas enhance native biodiversity and other important ecosystem functions;these traits are irreplaceable.As plateau pikas are not natural colonizers,active reintroduction programs are needed to restore pikas to areas from which they have been poisoned to restore the important functional ecological traits of pikas.展开更多
The genus Ochotona(pikas)is a clade of cold-tolerant lagomorphs that includes many high-elevation species.Pikas offer a unique opportunity to study adaptations and potential limitations of an ecologically important ma...The genus Ochotona(pikas)is a clade of cold-tolerant lagomorphs that includes many high-elevation species.Pikas offer a unique opportunity to study adaptations and potential limitations of an ecologically important mammal to high-elevation hypoxia.We analyzed the evolution of 3 mitochondrial genes encoding the catalytic core of cytochrome c oxidase(COX)in 10 pika species occupying elevations from sea level to 5000 m.COX is an enzyme highly reliant on oxygen and essential for cell function.One amino acid property,the equilibrium constant(ionization of COOH),was found to be under selection in the overall protein complex.We observed a strong relationship between the net value change in this property and the elevation each species occupies,with higher-elevation species having potentially more efficient proteins.We also found evidence of selection in low-elevation species for potentially less efficient COX,perhaps trading efficiency for heat production in the absence of hypoxia.Our results suggest that different pika species may have evolved elevation-specific COX proteins,specialization that may indicate limitations in their ability to shift their elevational ranges in response to future climate change.展开更多
Restriction site mapping of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with 16 restriction endonucleases was used to examine the phylogenetic relationships of Ochotona cansus, O. huangensis, O. thibetana, O. curzoniae and O. erythroti...Restriction site mapping of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with 16 restriction endonucleases was used to examine the phylogenetic relationships of Ochotona cansus, O. huangensis, O. thibetana, O. curzoniae and O. erythrotis. A 1-kb length variation between 0. erythrotis of subgenus Pika and other four species of subgenus Ochotona was observed, which may be a useful genetic marker for identifying the two subgenera. The phylogenetic tree constructed using PAUP based on 61 phylogenetically informative sites suggests that O. aythrotis diverged first, followed by O. cansus, while O. atrzoniae and O. huangensis are sister taxa related to O. thibetana. The results indicate that both O. cansus and O. huangensis should be treated as independent species. If the base substitution rate of pikas mtDNA was 2% per million years, then the divergence time of the two subgenera, Pika and Ochotona, is about 8.8 Ma ago of late Miocence, middle Bao-dian of Chinese mammalian age, and the divergence of the four species in subgenus Ochotona would have occurred about 2.5-4.2 Ma ago, Yushean of Chinese mammalian age. This calculation appears to be substantiated by the fossil record.展开更多
文摘Bartonella species can infect a variety ofmammalian hosts and cause a broad spectrum ofdiseases in humans, but there have been no reportsof Bartonella infection in Ochotonidae. This is thefirst study to detect Bartonella in plateau pikas inthe Qinghai plateau, providing baseline data for therisk assessment of human Bartonella infection inthis area. We obtained 15 Bartonella strains from79 pikas in Binggou and Maixiu areas of Qinghaiwith a positive rate of 18.99%. Based on thephylogenetic analysis of the Bartonella citratesynthase （gltA） gene sequences, most strains wereclosely related to B. taylorii （3/15） and B. grahamii（12/15）. The latter is a pathogenic strain in humans.Our results suggest that a corresponding preventionand control strategy should be taken intoconsideration in the Qinghai province.
文摘Three specimens of Ochotona forresti were collected from southeastern Tibet in 1977 and 1979. After a careful study,considered to be a new subspecies of Ochotona forresti. It is described as follows: Ochotona forresti duoxionglaensis subsp. nov.Holotype: 1♂,NIPB 77139,adult,collected from Duoxiongla Mountain (elevation: 4 200 m),Motuo County,southeastern Tibet,August 27,1977 by Prof. Cai Guiquan.Paratypes: 2 ♀♀,NIPB 79072,adult,and NIPB 79071,subadult,collected from Bangzong valley (elevation: 4 100 m),Milin County,southeastern,Tibet,September 14,1979 by Prof. Wu Jiayan.Type specimens are deposited in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Museum of Biological Specimens,Northwest Plateau Institute of Biology,the Chinese Academy of Sciences.Diagnosis: Similar to Ochotona forresti osgoodi with larger bullae,(LAB 11.1-11.4 mm). Differences from other subspecies are as follows: O. f. duoxionglaensis is much bigger; greater skull length 40.7-41.4 mm; skull is much higher,height of skull 36.71%-37.0% of greater skull length; Long hairs in front of ears are white. Forehead is black and brown,and sides of the faces are drabble grey. From back to buttocks are deep black,and the sides of the body are light black.Remarks: Long hairs in front of the ears are white. Hairs inside ears are grey-white,back of ears chestnut,and edge of ear black and brown. Nape dark hoary grayish,belly and groin washed with buff,but middle of belly yellow. Fore and hind feet above grey,hind feet stouter. Fore claws longer than those of hind feet,terminal pads of toes blackish and not hidden by hair,conspicuous.Skull: Relatively large,GLS 40.7-41.4 mm.; Comparatively convex in superior profile,BCH/GLS about 36.71%-37.0%; Bullae large,LAB 11.1-11.4 mm; Palatal and incisive foramina completely confluent,like a gourd or violin. There are no small vacuities at the anterior end of frontals. Nasal bone short but broad. The orbits are much bigger,and its greatest inner length is much longer than length of diastema.Occurrence and habits: Found only in Motuo and Milin,southeastern Tibet. Habitats are in alpine shrub meadows,or in edge of forests.
基金the following sources over the years:National Science Foundation(INT-8920440,INT-9016551,INT-9249613,Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems Pro-gram-0815441Pre-doctoral Fellowship Program)+11 种基金National Geographic SocietyNational Academy of Sci-ences(Henry Fund)Earthwatch-the Center for Field StudiesKadoorie Charitable Foundation(Hong Kong)Biodiversity Working Group-China Council for Interna-tional Cooperation in Environment and DevelopmentUnited Board for Christian Higher EducationKeidanren Nature Conservation Fund,JapanPhoenix Zoo Conservation and Science Grants ProgramCleveland Metroparks Zoo Asia Seed FundProject 111-PRC Min-istry of EducationNational Security Education Program-David L.Boren FellowshipArizona State University(School of Life Sciences,Center for Asian Studies,College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,Graduate Col-lege).Sharon Hall kindly supplied information on the unique soil properties found on the QTP.We are grate-ful to Aryn Musgrave for drafting the range map of the plateau pika.We thank Harriet Smith for her insightful comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript.
文摘Understanding a species’functional traits allows for a directed and productive perspective on the role a species plays in nature,and thus its relative importance to conservation planning.The functionaltrait ecology of the plateau pika Ochotona curzoniae is examined to better understand the resilience and sustainability of the high alpine grasslands of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP).The key functional traits of plateau pikas are their abundance and behavior of digging extensive burrow systems.Plateau pikas have been poisoned over a significant part of their original geographic distribution across the QTP,allowing comparison of ecological communities with and without pikas.Nearly all mammalian and avian carnivores,most of which are obligate predators on pikas,have been lost in regions where pikas have been poisoned.Most endemic birds on the QTP nest in pika burrows;when pikas are poisoned,burrows collapse,and these birds are greatly reduced in number.Due to the biopedturbation resulting from their burrows,regional plant species richness is higher in areas with pikas than without.The presence of pika burrows allows higher rates of infiltration during heavy monsoon rains compared to poisoned areas,possibly mitigating runoff and the potential for serious downslope erosion and flooding.Thus,the functional traits of plateau pikas enhance native biodiversity and other important ecosystem functions;these traits are irreplaceable.As plateau pikas are not natural colonizers,active reintroduction programs are needed to restore pikas to areas from which they have been poisoned to restore the important functional ecological traits of pikas.
文摘The genus Ochotona(pikas)is a clade of cold-tolerant lagomorphs that includes many high-elevation species.Pikas offer a unique opportunity to study adaptations and potential limitations of an ecologically important mammal to high-elevation hypoxia.We analyzed the evolution of 3 mitochondrial genes encoding the catalytic core of cytochrome c oxidase(COX)in 10 pika species occupying elevations from sea level to 5000 m.COX is an enzyme highly reliant on oxygen and essential for cell function.One amino acid property,the equilibrium constant(ionization of COOH),was found to be under selection in the overall protein complex.We observed a strong relationship between the net value change in this property and the elevation each species occupies,with higher-elevation species having potentially more efficient proteins.We also found evidence of selection in low-elevation species for potentially less efficient COX,perhaps trading efficiency for heat production in the absence of hypoxia.Our results suggest that different pika species may have evolved elevation-specific COX proteins,specialization that may indicate limitations in their ability to shift their elevational ranges in response to future climate change.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,the Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for Taxonomy and Fauna,and Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Evolution,the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
文摘Restriction site mapping of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with 16 restriction endonucleases was used to examine the phylogenetic relationships of Ochotona cansus, O. huangensis, O. thibetana, O. curzoniae and O. erythrotis. A 1-kb length variation between 0. erythrotis of subgenus Pika and other four species of subgenus Ochotona was observed, which may be a useful genetic marker for identifying the two subgenera. The phylogenetic tree constructed using PAUP based on 61 phylogenetically informative sites suggests that O. aythrotis diverged first, followed by O. cansus, while O. atrzoniae and O. huangensis are sister taxa related to O. thibetana. The results indicate that both O. cansus and O. huangensis should be treated as independent species. If the base substitution rate of pikas mtDNA was 2% per million years, then the divergence time of the two subgenera, Pika and Ochotona, is about 8.8 Ma ago of late Miocence, middle Bao-dian of Chinese mammalian age, and the divergence of the four species in subgenus Ochotona would have occurred about 2.5-4.2 Ma ago, Yushean of Chinese mammalian age. This calculation appears to be substantiated by the fossil record.
