Effects of temperature acclimation on body mass and energy budget in the Chinese bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis

Chinese bulbuls （Pycnonotus sinensis） are small passerine birds that inhabit areas of central, southern and eastern China. Previous observations suggest that flee-living individuals of this species may change their food intake in response to seasonal changes in ambient temperature. In the present study, we randomly assigned Chinese bulbuls to either a 30 ~C or 10 ~C group, and measured their body mass （BM）, body temperature, gross energy intake （GEl）, digestible energy intake （DEI）, and the length and mass of their digestive tracts over 28 days of acclimation at these temperatures. As predicted, birds in the 30 ℃ group had lower body mass, GEI and DEI relative to those in the 10 ℃ group. The length and mass of the digestive tract was also lower in the 30 ℃ group and trends in these parameters were positively correlated with BM, GEl and DEI. These results suggest that Chinese bulbuls reduced their absolute energy demands at relatively high temperatures by decreasing their body mass, GEI and DEI, and digestive tract size.

Tadpole types of Chinese megophryid frogs （Anura： Mego- phryidae） and implications for larval evolution

The larval body shapes and oral discs of 30 frog species from the family Megophryidae from China were examined. Using a phylogenetic framework derived from a Bayesian analysis of published mitochondrial cytochrome b and 16S rRNA gene sequences, we deduced a pattern of historical change among megophryid larval forms. These larvae were categorized into four types according to their body shapes and oral discs： （A） Leptobrachiini type, （B） Lalax type, （C） Brachytarsophrys type, and （D） Megophryini type, of which B and C are novel types. Type A is characterized by a typical oral disc with multiple rows of teeth, representing the tadpole type of the most recent common ancestor of the family Megophryidae. Type B has a typical oral disc with reduced tooth rows, an elongated labium, and integumentary glands. Type C has no labial teeth and a smaller umbelliform oral disc. Type D is characterized by a lack of labial teeth, an enlarged umbelliform oral disc, representing the tadpole of the most recent common ancestor of the subfamily Megophryinae. Our analysis supports the hypothesis that the umbelliform oral disc is apomorphic and also reveals the close association between morphology and microhabitat

Is there evidence of selection in the dopamine receptor D4 gene in Australian invasive starling populations？

Although population genetic theory is largely based on the premise that loci under study are selectively neutral, it has been acknowledged that the study of DNA sequence data under the influence of selection can be useful. In some circumstances, these loci show increased population differentiation and gene diversity. Highly polymorphic loci may be especially useful when studying populations having low levels of diversity overall, such as is often the case with threatened or newly established inva- sive populations. Using common starlings Sturnus vulgaris sampled from invasive Australian populations, we investigated se- quence data of the dopamine receptor D4 gene （DRD4）, a locus suspected to be under selection for novelty-seeking behaviour in a range of taxa including humans and passerine birds. We hypothesised that such behaviour may be advantageous when species encounter novel environments, such as during invasion. In addition to analyses to detect the presence of selection, we also esti- mated population differentiation and gene diversity using DRD4 data and compared these estimates to those from microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA sequence data, using the same individuals. We found little evidence for selection on DRD4 in starlings. However, we did find elevated levels of within-population gene diversity when compared to microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA sequence, as well as a greater degree of population differentiation. We suggest that sequence data from putatively non- neutral loci are a useful addition to studies of invasive populations, where low genetic variability is expected