Breeding Habitat Selection of Reeves’s Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) in Dongzhai National Nature Reserve, Henan Province, China

Reeves＇s Pheasant （Syrmaticus reevesii） is a threatened pheasant species endemic to China. The habitat use of territorial male birds was surveyed by the help of live decoys in a core area of Dongzhai NationaI Nature Reserve. The breeding habitat selection of this pheasant was examined at two scales （115 m and 250 m scale, i.e. 4.15 hm^2 and 19.63 hm^2, respectively）, including the characteristics at distance scale. Investigation was based on line transect, RS and GIS in Dongzhai National Natural Reserve from 2001 to 2003. Moreover, a range of habitat variables were compared between used and control points at each scale, and stepwise logistic regression was applied to select the key scale and the key habitat factors in relation to breeding habitat selection of this bird. Our results stated that the territorial males at Baiyun occurred mostly in mixed forests, followed by fir forests, pine forests, shrubs, and broadleaf forests. The area of conifer forests was the key factor influencing habitat selection of this bird in breeding period at the scales of 115 m and 250 m, and the proximity of farmland was important for habitat selection in breeding seasons. Furthermore, Reeves＇s Pheasants attached great importance to the scale of 115 m. When considering a range of habitat variables at all scales within a multivariate regression, the leading factors having effect on habitat selection in the breeding period were areas of conifer forests at 115 m scale and the distance to farmland. In addition, these above results suggested that strengthening the management of suitable habitat, and optimizing the habitat configuration are important in promoting conservation of this bird. However, it also highlighted the importance of initiating future researches on the conifer forests and their impact on the population of Reeves＇s Pheasants, which would be beneficial to promote the habitat conservation of this pheasant more effectively.

Genetic Diversity of European and Chinese Oilseed Brassica rapa Cultivars from Different Breeding Periods

The Brassica oilseed crops went through two major breeding bottlenecks during the introgression of genes for zero erucic acid and low glucosinolate content, respectively, which may lead to reduced genetic biodiversity of the crop. This study investigates the impact of these bottlenecks on the genetic diversity within and across European and Chinese winter B. rapa cultivars. We compared eight cultivars from Europe and China, representing three different seed qualities from three different breeding periods： （1） high erucic acid, high glucosinolates （＋＋）; （2） zero erucic acid, high glucosinolates（0＋）; （3） zero erucic acid, low glucosonolates （00, canola quality）. Diversity was estimated on 32 plants per cultivar, with 16 simple sequence repeat （SSR） markers covering each of the B. rapa linkage groups. The analysis of molecular variance （AMOVA） showed that genetic variations within cultivars, across cultivars and across regions （Europe and China） were significant, with about 60% of the total variation within cultivars. There was a slight, but non-significant loss in genetic diversity within cultivars when comparing the three breeding periods as indicated by effective number of alleles （2.39, 2.23, and 1.99 for breeding periods 1, 2, and 3, respectively）, Shannon information index （0.93, 0.90, 0.75）, and expected heterozygosity （0.51, 0.49, 0.42）. By cluster analysis （UPGMA dendrogram） and principal coordinate analysis, Chinese and European cultivars were clearly divided into two distinct groups. In conclusion, quality improvement did not significantly reduce the genetic diversity of European and Chinese B. rapa cultivars.