Nest-site fidelity and breeding dispersal by Common Tailorbirds in a tropical forest

Background:Information pertaining to nest-site fidelity and breeding dispersal over successive years can help to better our understanding of how birds respond to nest predation.Methods:By using mist nets and tracking the color banded individuals,we investigated nest-site fidelity and breeding dispersal by Common Tailorbirds(Orthotomus sutorius)throughout a year and between successive years in 2017–2018.Results:The present study showed that Common Tailorbirds could produce up to four clutches per breeding season.When multiple broods were produced within a year,breeding pairs remained together,and the nest rebuilding rate was up to 92.2%,with only four cases(7.8%)in which birds reused their old nests.The dispersal distance between the nests during multiple breeding was found to be 10.0±10.5 m,and nest-site fidelity within the same year was 90.0%.By the second year of breeding,76.2%of individuals remained in the original breeding pairs,while for those that did switch partners,the females remained in the nest from the previous year and paired with new males.The dispersal distance between years was 26.5±41.9 m,and nest-site fidelity between different years was 80.1%.There was no significant difference between within-year and between-year dispersal distances.Moreover,there was no significant difference in the dispersal distance of rebuilt nests between birds that had experienced nest predation and those that had not.Conclusions:Our findings suggest that Common Tailorbirds maintain a high degree of fidelity to mates and nestsites,and nest predation had no significant effect on territorial changes or breeding dispersal distance between each breeding attempt.

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.

Habitat-dependent breeding biology of the Blue Tit(Cyanistes caeruleus)across a continuous and heterogeneous Mediterranean woodland

Mediterranean woodland environments are characterised by high spatial and temporal heterogeneity,which means the inhabiting species face a wide variety of selective pressures.Species may respond differently to habitat heterogeneity and so distinct eco-evolutionary scenarios may be responsible for the inter-habitat variability in reproductive strategies observed in certain species.The inter-forest variability of some reproductive traits in passerines has been examined by comparing forest patches or separated fragments.However,there is still little information regarding how such highly mobile animals adjust their breeding performance across continuous and heterogeneous woodlands.Here we studied the reproductive performance of a population of Blue Tits(Cyanistes caeruleus) in an area of continuous Mediterranean woodland that included two mountain slopes and four different types of forest,ranging from deciduous oak forests to perennial non-oak forests.We studied the habitat heterogeneity and inter-forest phenotypic variation in terms of reproductive performance and adult and nestling biometry,besides also exploring the effects of ectoparasites on Blue Tit reproduction.Eggs were laid earliest in deciduous Pyrenean Oak(Quercus pyrenaica) forests,while clutch size and the number of fledglings were highest in the humid Pyrenean Oak forest,which had the greatest tree coverage and most humid climate,and lowest in the coniferous Scots Pine(Pinus sylvestris) forest.There were no inter-forest differences in hatching(percentage of nests with at least one egg hatched) and fledging(percentage of nests in which at least one nestling fledged)success.Similarly,there were no inter-forest differences in adult and nestling biometry,but adults that raised more fledglings had a lower body mass,while males whose females laid larger clutches had smaller tarsi.Most ectoparasites did not affect Blue Tit reproduction,although Culicoides had a negative impact on nestling body mass.These results suggest that Blue Tits can adjust their reproductive effort to the forest where they breed even across a very small spatial scale.Different eco-evolutionary scenarios,such as phenotypic plasticity or genetic structuring and local adaptation,might explain the phenotypic differentiation in the reproductive strategies observed over small areas in woodlands.

Research Note: Bird-Resistant Pollination Bags for Sorghum Breeding and Germplasm Maintenance

Bird damage is a problem in sorghum breeding and germplasm maintenance operations. Paper pollination bags are damaged by rain and provide only a minimal deterrent to birds. To overcome these limitations we fabricated pollination bags from spun polyethylene fiber sheeting. No seed yield difference was found between plants bagged with either spun polyethylene or paper. Seed loss by bird damage was nearly eliminated under the polyethylene bags. In areas where bird damage is problematic bird resistant pollination bags can allow for a reduction in the plot size required for breeding and germplasm maintenance operations, increase the productivity of such operations as genetic diversity per unit land area, and make direct measurement of seed yield possible in agronomic field experiments.

全国鸟类多样性观测网络(China BON-Birds)建设进展

鸟类分布于多种生境,对环境变化敏感,是开展生物多样性观测的重要指示生物类群。为实施《中国生物多样性保护战略与行动计划(2011—2030年)》和履行《生物多样性公约》,自2011年起,以环境保护部南京环境科学研究所为牵头单位,联合全国相关科研院所、高等院校、保护机构,开始探索建立全国鸟类观测网络。经过6 a多的努力,目前已建立涉及全国31个省(自治区、直辖市)的338个鸟类观测样区,包括样线1 822条、样点1 343个,其中繁殖期鸟类样点253个、越冬鸟类样点1 090个,基本建成了全国鸟类多样性观测网络。截至2016年,该观测网络共记录到鸟类22目86科943种,占中国现有记录鸟类种数的68.8%。通过观测,初步掌握了全国鸟类多样性的空间分布特征;发现部分滨海越冬水鸟栖息地因围垦开发而遭受破坏,面临着严峻威胁;一些珍稀濒危物种或拥有高种群数量(≥某物种种群数量的1%)的栖息地没有被纳入到保护范围,存在保护空缺。建议加强鸟类繁殖地、停歇地和越冬地的系统性保护。

Do migrant and resident species differ in the timing of increases in reproductive and thyroid hormone secretion and body mass? A case study in the comparison of pre-breeding physiological rhythms in the Eurasian Skylark and Asian Short-toed Lark

Background:Physiological preparation for reproduction in small passerines involves the increased secretion of reproductive hormones, elevation of the metabolic rate and energy storage, all of which are essential for reproduction. However, it is unclear whether the timing of the physiological processes involved is the same in resident and migrant species that breed in the same area. To answer this question, we compared temporal variation in the plasma concentration of luteinizing hormone(LH), testosterone(T), estradiol(E_2), triiothyronine(T_3) and body mass, between a migrant species, the Eurasian Skylark(Alauda arvensis) and a resident species, the Asian Short-toed Lark(Calandrella cheleensis), both of which breed in northeastern Inner Mongolia, China, during the 2014 and 2015 breeding seasons.Methods:Twenty adult Eurasian Skylarks and twenty Asian Short-toed Larks were captured on March 15, 2014 and 2015 and housed in out-door aviaries. Plasma LH, T(males), E_2(females), T_3 and the body mass of each bird were measured every six days from March 25 to May 6.Results:With the exception of T, which peaked earlier in the Asian Short-toed Lark in 2014, plasma concentrations of LH, T, E_2 and T_3 of both species peaked at almost the same time. However, Asian Short-toed Larks attained peak body mass earlier than Eurasian Skylarks. Plasma T_3 concentrations peaked 12 days earlier than plasma LH in both species. Generally, plasma LH, T, E_2, T_3 and body mass, peaked earlier in both species in 2014 than 2015.Conclusions:The timing of pre-reproductive changes in the endocrine system and energy metabolism can be the same in migrant and resident species; however, residents may accumulate energy reserves faster than migrants. Although migration does not affect the timing of pre-breeding reproductive and metabolic changes, migrant species may need more time to increase their body mass. T levels in resident species may be accelerated by higher spring temperatures that may also advance the pre-breeding preparation of both migrants and residents.

Flexible breeding performance under unstable climatic conditions in a tropical passerine in Southwest China

DEAR EDITOR,Parents may adjust their breeding time to optimize reproductive output and reduce reproductive costs associated with unpredictable climatic conditions,especially in the context of global warming.The breeding performance of tropical bird species in response to local climate change is relatively understudied compared with that of temperate bird species.

Patterns and drivers of avian taxonomic and phylogenetic beta diversity in China vary across geographical backgrounds and dispersal abilities

Geographical background and dispersal ability may strongly influence assemblage dissimilarity;however,these aspects have generally been overlooked in previous large-scale beta diversity studies.Here,we examined whether the patterns and drivers of taxonomic beta diversity(TBD)and phylogenetic beta diversity(PBD)of breeding birds in China vary across(1)regions on both sides of the Hu Line,which demarcates China’s topographical,climatic,economic,and social patterns,and(2)species with different dispersal ability.TBD and PBD were calculated and partitioned into turnover and nestedness components using a moving window approach.Variables representing climate,habitat heterogeneity,and habitat quality were employed to evaluate the effects of environmental filtering.Spatial distance was considered to assess the impact of dispersal limitation.Variance partitioning analysis was applied to assess the relative roles of these variables.In general,the values of TBD and PBD were high in mountainous areas and were largely determined by environmental filtering.However,different dominant environmental filters on either side of the Hu Line led to divergent beta diversity patterns.Specifically,climate-driven species turnover and habitat heterogeneity-related species nestedness dominated the regions east and west of the line,respectively.Additionally,bird species with stronger dispersal ability were more susceptible to environmental filtering,resulting in more homogeneous assemblages.Our results indicated that regions with distinctive geographical backgrounds may present different ecological factors that lead to divergent assemblage dissimilarity patterns,and dispersal ability determines the response of assemblages to these ecological factors.Identifying a single universal explanation for the observed pattern without considering these aspects may lead to simplistic or incomplete conclusions.Consequently,a comprehensive understanding of large-scale beta diversity patterns and effective planning of conservation strategies necessitate the consideration of both geographical background and species dispersal ability.

陕西秦岭西段繁殖鸟类多样性研究

陕西秦岭西段包括南坡的凤县,留坝县,勉县和略阳县以及北坡的陈仓区,渭滨区和陇县。为了了解秦岭西段南北坡繁殖鸟类的物种多样性,我们于2020-2022年的4-7月采用可变距离样线法进行了调查。共调查到鸟类182种,隶属于15目49科,其中国家级保护鸟类27种。无论是南坡还是北坡,东洋界物种和古北界物种的比例都接近于1∶1。不同生境中,落叶阔叶林带鸟类物种数最多,其次是农耕带,再次是针阔混交林带。而针叶林和草甸带物种数最低。各生境的优势种有很大差异,但是南北坡相似生境的优势种组成也趋于相似。总体上,南北坡鸟类多样性的海拔分布均呈现中峰模式。本研究为秦岭西段鸟类多样性的保护提供了基础数据。

果−菌−禽农业废弃物循环利用研究进展

以合理利用农业废弃物、保护生态环境和推进农业可持续发展为出发点,运用文献法归纳果-菌-禽废弃物循环利用模式及其效益。介绍了果-菌-禽废弃物循环模式构成,即以食用菌培养及利用为纽带,将果树种植与禽饲养相串联;阐述了果-菌-禽废弃物循环利用流程与路径,按照生产投入-循环利用-产品产出的循环过程实现了物质转换与能量流转;具体分析了利用这种方法所带来的经济效益、生态效益和社会效益,以期对农业废弃物的资源化利用与推广提供借鉴。

闽江河口湿地水鸟调节区养殖塘改造对夏、冬两季迁徙季水鸟的影响

通过对闽江河口湿地水鸟调节区养殖塘改造前及改造后的水鸟物种和种群数量的比较,分析养殖塘改造对夏、冬两季迁徙季水鸟的影响。作者通过实地调查并采用科学的数据分析,得出了养殖塘改造后水鸟群落的物种和种群数量明显增加,夏季迁徙季水鸟不同物种种群数量分布相对均衡,冬季迁徙季水鸟不同物种种群数量分布较为集中的结论,为其他地区河口湿地的改造,优化养殖塘生态环境积累基础数据。

Social Sounds Boost Bird Breeding

早在上世纪30年代,鸟类学家就提出了"Darlinghypothesis":群居于大栖息地的鸟儿产卵的时期较早,数量较多,而且产卵期也更为相近。这一假设最终得到了实验证明。那么是什么因素导致了这种有趣现象的形成呢?声音的作用可不能小看哟!

杭州城市行道树带的繁殖鸟类及其鸟巢分布

20 0 2年 3～ 7月记录杭州城区 2 4个城市行道树带中繁殖鸟类和鸟巢数量 ,估测或实测树带特征值 ,并以多元逐步回归法揭示其间关系。共记录到鸟类 13种 ,鸟巢 4 6 0个 ;白头鹎和集群繁殖的夜鹭、池鹭、牛背鹭的鸟巢数量占总巢数的 83 9%。乌鸫、夜鹭等 5种鸟倾向于在高树上筑巢 ,因此 ,整个鸟类群落的巢数随平均树高增加而增加。同样的正向联系还出现在下列变量之间 :①叶高多样性与白腰文鸟和珠颈斑鸠巢数 ;②树冠盖度与白头鹎巢数 ;③树种数与珠颈斑鸠巢数 ;④树洞数与麻雀巢数 ;⑤至大片林地的距离与白腰文鸟巢数 ;⑥至主要水源距离与夜鹭巢数 ;⑦树带宽度与珠颈斑鸠巢数。另一方面 ,多数鸟类避免在行人容易接近的树带筑巢 ,而以白头鹎和珠颈斑鸠为显著。城市行道树带鸟巢的分布存在一定程度的种间差异 ,反映了鸟类不同的适应策略。

中国森林鸟类繁殖季和越冬季分布格局及其影响因子

基于我国2 376个县域单元的森林鸟类分布数据,分析了繁殖季和越冬季森林鸟类丰富度分布格局,并采用多元统计模型分析了2个季节的鸟类空间分布与环境因子之间的关系。结果显示,在喜马拉雅山脉东南段、横断山、秦岭、岷山、邛崃山、西双版纳、桂西南山区和桂西-黔南地区、巫山以及南岭广东北部地区2个季节的鸟类丰富度均较高;在小兴安岭、长白山、太行山以及山东和江苏沿海地区繁殖季鸟类丰富度较越冬季显著增加,而在广东及云南南部区域越冬季鸟类丰富度较繁殖季显著增加。繁殖季降水量、繁殖季净初级生产力和繁殖季温度变化对2个季节鸟类丰富度分布格局均有显著影响。此外,反映季节环境特征的季节内环境因子比反映年周期环境特征的年度环境因子在解释2个季节的鸟类丰富度分布格局方面有更高的解释度。生产力假说、水分假说和环境稳定性假说对2个季节鸟类丰富度分布格局的解释能力较强。

鸟类鸣声行为对其物种分化和新种形成影响

鸟声和鸟类的形态特征一样 ,具有物种的特异性 ,在鸟类分类和野外识别方面是有意义的。从生物种的基本概念出发 ,新种的形成有赖于两个亲缘种群间不能相互婚配和繁殖隔离的产生。鸟类主要的有关特征是在配对形成过程中的听觉和视觉特征。如果出现鸣声特征的差异 ,而且这种差异已经超出了种间“语言通讯”的变化范围 ,那么它就有可能与群内其它异性无法配对 ,从而被排除到该种群或种的范围之外。然而鸣禽的鸣唱有时在不同种群间变化很大 ,而在同一种群内比较稳定 ,从而形成种群的方言。在方言种群之间 ,如果长期隔离 ,就会在种群之间形成障碍乃至遗传上的隔离 ,从而使种群间失去了相互配偶的机会。新的亚种或种可能由此形成。文章最后假设出了基于鸣声行为的鸟类新种形成机理图解。

上海绿地和农田生态系统陆生繁殖鸟类群落稳定性研究

超大型城市具有多样的城市化梯度,是研究人为干扰与生物多样性关系的典型“样地”。上海城市化进程形成了以绿地生态系统和农田生态系统为主的陆生鸟类群落格局,选择上海滨江、海湾和佘山3个典型森林公园以及崇明陈家镇、港西镇和庙镇3个典型农田样地,阐明人为干扰对陆生繁殖鸟类稳定性的影响。结果表明,2016—2018年上海绿地和农田陆生繁殖鸟类群落结构稳定,密度呈稳定增长趋势,上海绿地陆生繁殖鸟类种群密度显著低于农田区域。上海绿地和农田生态系统中9种鸟类集团呈现不同分布格局,繁殖鸟类群落变异性指数与人为干扰强度变化量呈显著正相关,杂食鸟类相比其他鸟类集团对人为干扰具有较高容忍度。通过改造城市公园局部生境和改变生产模式,可以有效增加鸟类多样性。

扎龙芦苇沼泽繁殖鸟类群落多样性研究

在扎龙自然保护区林甸保护站周围的芦苇沼泽中选取芦苇沼泽、明水面、自然泡三种小生境。从１９９６年５月１５日至７月１５日，对三种小生境内的繁殖鸟类种类数量进行统计。共记录繁殖鸟类３９种。三种小生境中鸟类组成上各自有典型种类。相似性系数表明，明水面和自然泡的种类组成相似性最高。三种小生境内群落多样性研究表明，自然泡多样性指数最大为１０６１７；芦苇沼泽次之为０９４０９；明水面最小为０７１７８。从密度上看，也以自然泡生境最高为２２４只／ｈｍ２；芦苇沼泽次之为９０９只／ｈｍ２，明水面最低为４４５只／ｈｍ２。

重庆库区不同海拔段繁殖鸟类群落的物种多样性

1996～1997年，对三峡工程重庆库区的鸟类群落的物种组成和种群数量进行了调查，共调查记录库区繁殖鸟类12目40科170种，数量17326只，其中留鸟有104种，占繁殖鸟总数的61．2％，夏侯鸟66种，占38．8％．用秩-多度曲线对不同海拔段的繁殖鸟类群落进行多样性分析的结果显示：1）秩-多度曲线方法的结果比Shannon-Wiener等物种多样性指数更直观，能更全面地反映多样性状况，该曲线可以对不同群落或相同群落在不同时间的物种多样性进行比较，是分析生物多样性的一种最直观的方法；2）人类干扰是影响各海拔段繁殖鸟类群落物种多样性的主要因素，人类干扰越强烈，鸟类群落物种多样性越低．

中国特种经济动物养殖产业发展综述

笔者叙述了近年来中国特种经济动物养殖产业的发展现状,对国内饲养的主要特种经济动物毛皮动物(狐、貉、貂)、茸鹿(梅花鹿、马鹿)、珍禽等领域的产业发展现状、科研创新突破、取得重大成果、国际影响及未来发展趋势进行了概述。指出了国内特种经济动物养殖在科学研究领域取得的成就、在国际上的影响力、与其他国家存在的差距以及产业未来的研究领域,旨在为中国特种经济动物养殖产业健康可持续发展指明方向。