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.

ANALYSIS OF HABITAT PATTERN CHANGE OF RED-CROWNED CRANES IN THE LIAO HE DELTA USING SPATIAL DIVERSITY INDEX

Habitat pattern change of red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) in t he Liaohe Delta between 1988 and 1998 was analyzed with the help of Spatial Dive rsity Index based on remote sensing data and field investigation. The result sho wed that the influence from human activities on the wetland habitat of red-crow ned cranes was prominent with the development of oil and agricultural exploitati on, and the habitat pattern of red-crowned cranes had been obviously changed by the human disturbance during the ten years. The areas with high Spatial Diversi ty values (SD≥0.65) and that with mid-high values (0.5≤SD< 0.65), which const ituted the main part of suitable habitat of red-crowned cranes,had reduced to 9142ha and 5576ha respectively, with the shrinking of natural land cover, such a s reed and Suaeda community. The habitat pattern became more fragmented, which w as caused by roads and wells during oil exploration. It was indicated that the s uitability and quality of habitat for red-crowned cranes in the Liaohe Delta we re degraded in the last decade. The results also showed that diversity index cou ld reflect the habitat suitability of red-crowned cranes quantitatively and des cribe the spatial pattern of the habitat explicitly. This study will provide a s cientific basis for habitat protection of red-crowned cranes and other rare spe cies in wetlands.

Habitat suitability change of red-crowned crane in Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve

Habitat loss and fragmentation are mainly associated with population decrease of endangered species and biodiversity loss. The habitat suitability maps of red-crowned crane （Grusjaponensis） in 1992, 1999 and 2006 were produced by using Ecological Niche Suitability Model （ENSM） in Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve （118°33′-119°20′E longitude, 37°35′-38°12′N latitude）, Shandong Province, China. Based on the habitat suitability maps, the causation and change law of habitat loss and fragmentation of red-crowned crane were analyzed by selecting a series of landscape pattern indices. Results showed that due to scarcities of fresh water sources, habitat suitability of red-crowned crane in 1999 was inferior to that in 1992 and 2006 no matter whether human disturbances existed or not. Besides, human disturbance activities, especially road disturbances, increased rapidly during the period of 1992-2006. This worsened the habitat loss and frag- mentation of red-crowned crane, and led to degrading habitat suitability of red-crowned crane in 2006, compared with that in 1992. In conclusion, fresh water sources and human disturbance activities are the two main factors that drive the habitat suitability change of red-crowned crane.

ANALYSIS OF THE ENVIRONMENT FEATURE OF BREEDING AREA AND ENDANGERED FACTORS OF RED-CROWNED CRANE IN CHINA

Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis), a kind of endangered large-scale wader, is one of valuable and rare birds in the world. It has been indexed in China Red Data Book of Endangered Animals (Aves), China Data Book of Major Protection Wild Animals, World Red Data Book of Birds, State Trade Protocol of Endangered Wild Plants and Animals Species. The paper studies the amount, distribution, habit, growth and habitat of Red-crowned Crane in China in detail, systematically analyses the ecological environment feature of Red-crowned Crane breeding area, including the vegetation feature, the vertical distribution law of absolute humidity and temperature, some carnivorous food and herbivorous food for Red-crowned Crane. At present, the ecological environment of breeding area has been destroyed seriously by human activity. The area of marshland is reduced rapidly. A large area of reeds has been disappeared. The survival of Red-crowned Crane is threatened greatly. So it′s necessary to maintain the biodiversity of breeding area in order to protect Red-crowned Crane. .

Winter habitat selection of red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis)

This paper studied the winter habitat selection of red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) in Yancheng National Natural Reserve, Jiangsu Province. There were six types of habitat used by red-crowned cranes, i.e. salt-works, aquiculture ponds, reed lands, grassy tidal lands, salting wormwood lands and wheat fields. The wheat field was a new type of habitat used by red-crowned cranes. More than 70 percent of red-crowned cranes chose grassy tidal lands, salting wormwood lands, and reed lands as their most important habitats. In recent years, the distribution of red-crowned cranes moved southward gradually. Red-crowned cranes prefer artificial or semiartificial wetlands rather than original wetlands, successive distribution was broken into fragments.

THE GROUND CENSUSES ON RED-CROWNED CRANE IN KHANKA LAKES DISTRICT OF CHINA

Coordination of the aerial servey, the author carried ground census on the population size of Red-crowned crane(Grus japonensis) in Khanka Lakes District from 1984 to 1986. According to the census in spring of 1984, the total number of Red-crowned crane is 72 individuals and 20 nests. So that this ground census has recorded 59 individuals more than the aerial survey of 13 individuals, and the percentage of nesting individuals in this flock is 55.6%, which is obviously higher than 36.9% of the average ratio in China. After this, in fall of 1984 and in spring of 1985 and 1986, we repeated the same censuses three times in the same districts, the results indicated that the flock of the crane in Khanka Lakes District is stable basically, but some individuals interchange with opposite flock of USSR because of gcgraphical adjoin.So, we believe this flock in China and that flock in USSR belong to the same population and suggest two countries should act in concert to studing on this population in future. Meanwhile, the aerial servey cooperate with ground census, it is the best way for reducing missing crane and achieving to high precision of census. From this, total number of Red-crowned crane in China is 542 individuals (483+59 ind ividuals).

Sex Identification of Red-crowned Crane by the Polymerase Chain Reaction

Sex determining gene primers of Oriental White Stork were used to amplify sex-linked gene of the Red-crowned Crane′s W chromosome-specific by PCR for sex identification. The sexes of 7 couples of grown Red-crowned Cranes and 15 youngs were identified. Through DNA sequence analysis, the identity is 94.77% between Red-crowned Crane and Oriental White Stork. The results of this study suggest that the application of the polymerase chain reaction technique is practicable for determining sex in the Red-crowned Crane.

Impact of marsh changes on breeding cranes in Sanjiang Plain,northeastern China

In order to measure the impact of changes in the marsh on breeding Red-crowned Cranes (Grus japonensis) and White-naped Cranes (G.vipio) in the Sanjiang Plain,we conducted a complete crane súrvey in each of the summers of 2007 and 2008,and obtained information on the changes in its marsh through interpretation of satellite images in 1986,1995,2000 and 2005.A comparison between the 1984 and 2008 census shows that:1) the number of Red-crowned Cranes remained stable at about 300 birds,while the number of White-naped Cranes increased markedly; 2) the estimates of nests of Red-crowned cranes are close to the numbers of 1984,while approximately 90％ of the nests of these two crane species were distributed over five national nature reserves (NNRs); 3) the two crane species became more concentrated in three regions,i.e.,the Fuyuan Delta,the middle reaches of the Naoli and Qixing rivers,and the Xingkai Lake wetlands,rather as formerly in six regions.The area of the marsh decreased by 45％ within the 20-year period from 1986 to 2005.The major loss of the marsh area was in the form of a conversion to paddy fields and dry land,which can be primarily attributed to direct human activity under various economic and policy drivers.The disappearance of cranes in the Dulu and Abuqin rivers was induced by large-scale agricultural development.The fragmentation into and isolation of small areas of the marsh became increasingly more serious,which resulted in unsuitable condtions for crane breeding in small patches of the marsh.The number of cranes declined from 1984-1995 but had recovered remarkably by 2008,which may be due to theestablishment of a system of nature reserves,in place since 2000.The land ownership of the reserve plays a key role in maintaining the integrity of the wetland ecosystem,especially in Sanjiang,Honghe,Naolihe and Qixinghe NNRs,which together accommodated approximately 80％ of the population of cranes.However,we did not discover any nests at all in the provincial and municipal reserves,which may be attributed to high human disturbances in these areas.In the end,we propose some recommendations on reserve management.

Multi-scale analysis to uncover habitat use of red-crowned cranes： Implications for conservation

A multi-scale approach is essential to assess the factors that limit avian habitat use. Numerous studies have examined habitat use by the red-crowned crane, but integrated multi-scale habitat use information is lacking. We evaluated the effects of several habitat variables quantified across many spatial scales on crane use and abundance in two periods （2000 and 2009） at Yancheng National Nature Reserve, China. The natural wetlands decreased in area by 30,601 ha （-6.9%） from 2000 to 2009, pre- dominantly as a result of conversion to aquaculture ponds and farmland, and the remaining was under degradation due to expan- sion of the exotic smooth cordgrass. The cranes are focusing in on either larger patches or those that are in close proximity to each other in both years, but occupied patches had smaller size, less proximity and more regular boundaries in 2009. At landscape scales, the area percentage of common seepweed, reed ponds and paddy fields had a greater positive impact on crane presence than the area percentage of aquaculture ponds. The cranes were more abundant in patches that had a greater percent area of common seepweed and reed ponds, while the percent area of paddy fields was inversely related to crane abundance in 2009 due to changing agricultural practices. In 2009, cranes tended to use less fragmented plots in natural wetlands and more fragmented plots in anthropogenic paddy fields, which were largely associated with the huge loss and degradation of natural habitats between the two years. Management should focus on restoration of large patches of natural wetlands, and formation of a relatively stable area of large paddy field and reed pond to mitigate the loss of natural wetlands [Current Zoology 59 （5）： 604-617, 2013].

Potential natural exposure of endangered red-crowned crane(Grus japonensis) to mycotoxins aflatoxin B_1, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, T-2 toxin, and ochratoxin A

A survey was conducted to determine whether mycotoxins were present in the foods consumed by red-crowned cranes（Grus japonensis） in the Yancheng Biosphere Reserve, China. Collected in the reserve＇s core, buffer, and experimental zones during overwintering periods of 2013 to 2015, a total of 113 food samples were analyzed for aflatoxin B1, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, T-2 toxin, and ochratoxin A using high performance liquid chromatography（HPLC）. The contamination incidences vary among different zones and the mycotoxins levels of different food samples also presented disparity. Average mycotoxin concentration from rice grain was greater than that from other food types. Among mycotoxin-positive samples, 59.3% were simultaneously contaminated with more than one toxin. This study demonstrated for the first time that red-crowned cranes were exposed to mycotoxins in the Yancheng Biosphere Reserve and suggested that artificial wetlands could not be considered good habitats for the birds in this reserve, especially rice fields.

扎龙湿地野生与散养白枕鹤繁殖前期觅食生境选择对比分析

为了探讨野生与散养白枕鹤(Grusvipio)觅食生境选择的异同,2004年春季,通过定点观察法、样方法、因子测定法对扎龙湿地二者繁殖前期的觅食生境选择作了对比研究。结果表明,繁殖前期,野生白枕鹤繁殖对觅食生境选择具有严格要求,倾向于选择人为活动较少(1.67km)、靠近明水面(21.0m)、剩余苇丛隐蔽度较高的苔草沼泽生境中觅食;散养白枕鹤对生境类型的要求不高,倾向于选择距人为活动区域较近(0.32km)的生境觅食。

扎龙保护区散养与野生丹顶鹤孵化期觅食生境选择比较

2002—2005年3—5月份,在扎龙国家级自然保护区通过定点观察法、样方法、因子测定法等对散养与野生丹顶鹤孵化期的觅食生境选择进行了对比研究,结果表明:孵化期散养与野生丹顶鹤觅食生境类型一致,均选择芦苇沼泽;因子分析表明:觅食微生境选择存在一定的差异,均具有特异性和非随机性,影响散养丹顶鹤取食的前3个因子分别是食物因子、警戒因子和食物保障因子为主,而野生丹顶鹤的前3个因子分别是食物因子、食物保障因子和警戒因子为主。得出结论:孵化期,在扎龙保护区繁殖的散养丹顶鹤繁殖对的觅食生境选择策略与野生丹顶鹤繁殖对还有一定程度的差异。

散养与野生丹顶鹤孵卵期行为比较

2007年4月在扎龙国家级自然保护区,采用瞬时扫描取样法对散养和野生丹顶鹤(Grus japonensis)的孵卵期行为进行了观察、比较。结果表明,散养丹顶鹤与野生丹顶鹤的孵卵期行为模式基本相同。在总体行为发生频次上,散养丹顶鹤的繁殖行为明显高于野生丹顶鹤,游走行为则低于野生丹顶鹤。行为日节律的比较表明,一天中散养丹顶鹤的繁殖行为波动小于野生丹顶鹤。由于人为干扰,散养丹顶鹤的繁殖行为显著高于野生丹顶鹤的繁殖行为(P<0.05)。在个体间差异比较中,散养丹顶鹤与野生丹顶鹤在觅食表达上均存在显著差异(P<0.05),而散养丹顶鹤的警戒行为表达也存在显著差异(P<0.05)。

取食玉米行为对散放丹顶鹤繁殖期能量摄入及卵壳特征的影响

食物可获得性不仅与环境变化密切相关,也会对动物的生存或繁殖产生重要影响。2016年春季,扎龙湿地一块农田内一对散放繁殖丹顶鹤在取食已经播种的玉米种子。为了调查和分析这一行为发生对其生存和繁殖产生的影响,本文结合观察法、实地测量和DV录像方式估算其取食效率,对其取食玉米的能量与同期笼养繁殖鹤对摄入总能量进行比较,并对其首次产卵、再次产卵与笼养鹤卵的卵壳厚度、密度和钙元素含量进行对比。结果发现,这对散放繁殖丹顶鹤取食玉米种子效率高达91.22%,取食玉米的能量占同期笼养丹顶鹤摄入总能量的67.74%,其首次产卵卵壳厚度、密度及钙元素含量仅占其再次产卵和笼养鹤卵的75%和70%、73.33%和88.00%及74.62%和76.41%。本文认为,取食农田玉米种子是这对散放繁殖丹顶鹤的觅食对策,虽然成功生存,但是其首次繁殖失败与此有关。

《楝亭集》未收录的曹寅诗三首

清人邓汉仪《诗观二集》中辑录了曹寅诗三首,出于其未刊诗稿《野鹤堂草》,因诗稿迷失,《楝亭集》未收。

Nest-site selection pattern of Grus japonensis in Zhalong Nature Reserve of northeast China

Nest-site selection patterns of Red-crowned cranes（Grus japonensis） and the effects of environmental variables were studied during the years of 2002-2008 in Zhalong Nature Reserve,Qiqihar city,northeast China.The nest-site selection pattern of Red-crowned cranes included two orders and three choices：the choice of nest-site habitat type within the macro-habitat order,nest zone selection and nest-site micro-habitat selection within the micro-habitat order.Various habitats（such as Carex swamps and reed fire districts） can be selected as the nest sites for Red-crowned cranes,of which reed swamps（93.15%） are given a preference.Factor Analysis reveals that the micro-habitat selection are affected by four main factors：fire,security（concealment /disturbance）,incubation（conditions,nest-material）,and food.Further analysis reveals that Red-crowned cranes have certain adaptability to the changes of nesting habitat quality in the Zhalong wetlands.In conclusion,fire,reeds,and water were the most important variables for nest-site habitat selection of Red-crowned Cranes in Zhalong Nature Reserve.

Using MaxEnt Model to Guide Marsh Conservation in the Nenjiang River Basin, Northeast China

Incorporating private and working lands into protected area networks could mitigate the isolation state of protected areas(PAs) and improve the efficiency of conservation.But how to select patches of land for conservation is still a troublesome issue.In this study, the MaxEnt model and irreplaceability index were applied to guide marsh conservation in the Nenjiang River Basin, Northeast China.According to the high accuracy of the MaxEnt model predictions(i.e., the average AUC value = 0.933), the Wuyuer River and Zhalong marshes in the downstream reaches of Wuyuer River are the optimal habitat for the Red-crowned crane and migratory waterfowls.There are 22 marsh patches selected by the patch irreplaceability index for conservation, of which 12 patches had been included in the current network of protected areas.The other 10 patches of marsh(amounting to 1096 km^2) far from human disturbances with high NDVI(up to 0.8) and close distance to water(less than 100 m), which are excluded from the existing network of PAs, should be implemented conservation easement programs to improve the protection efficiency of conservation.Specifically, the marshes at Taha, Tangchi, and Lamadian should be given priority for conservation and restoration to reintroduce migratory waterfowls, as this would lessen the current isolation state of the Zhalong National Nature Reserve.

扎龙保护区半散养丹顶鹤子代野化的研究

针对迁徙丹顶鹤野生种群数量逐年下降的现状,扎龙保护区利用迁地保护(鹤类驯养繁育中心)在人工辅助繁育丹顶鹤的野化放飞方面做了有益探索,截至2014年底,已累计野化放飞丹顶鹤近200只.半散养丹顶鹤群体较早地占领繁殖地和觅食区,可能会对较晚到达扎龙湿地的野生丹顶鹤种群的栖息和繁殖带来冲击.放飞时间及放飞地点等方面是直接影响丹顶鹤种群放飞野化成功与否的关键.野化放飞位置从单一地点转向多处适宜位置能够避免对野生种群的冲击.放飞时间从每年4月提前至前一年10月,能够增强丹顶鹤野化营巢、自繁及育雏的能力.

吐鲁番巴达木墓地鸭形木明器分类位置、用材类型及其环境指示意义

吐鲁番古高昌城北巴达木墓地鸭形木明器厘定为赤嘴潜鸭(Netta rufina)和疣鼻天鹅(Cygnus olor),其用材为柳木(Salix sp.).同类型的木明器在古高昌和唐西州墓葬中也有发现.湿地动植物组合显示,艾丁湖流域在存在5~7世纪较大面积的淡水或微咸水湿地.鸭形木明器在古高昌不同时期墓葬的广泛分布说明野鸭和天鹅可能是高昌居民尤其是上层贵族狩猎和豢养的希贵之物,古代高昌在发展过程中可能借鉴了中原和中亚的文化元素.

从彝语■55看彝族鸿雁鹤鹰系鸟崇拜文化

彝族的鸟文化丰富多彩,人、鸟共生是彝族独特的文化现象之一。从彝语■;来看,彝族先民对鸿雁鹤鹰系鸟崇拜文化随社会的发展而嬗变,它们体现在彝族族源、语言起源、氏族图腾、民间宗教祭祀活动或贯穿于彝族民间习俗文化、象征等级次位、彝族古代行政区域及彝语地名等,与彝族文化生活习俗密切相关,并构成了彝族完整的、系统的、独特的鸿雁鹤鹰系鸟崇拜文化现象。