Optimal diet strategy of a large-bodied psittacine: food resource abundance and nutritional content enable facultative dietary specialization by the Military Macaw

Background:Dietary specialization should arise when there is a relatively high abundance of a particular resource,where animals may select food items to obtain an optimal diet that maximizes energy intake.Large‑bodied psittacines frequently exhibit a narrow dietary niche with specific habitat use,but few studies have determined whether psittacines select food resources,and how this influences habitat use.Methods:We established fruiting phenology transects to evaluate food resource availability for the large‑bodied Military Macaw(Ara militaris)in semi‑deciduous,deciduous,and pine‑oak forest at two sites along the coast of Jalisco,during the dry season when macaws are nesting.We also determined Military Macaw diet by observations of foraging macaws along transect routes,and conducted bromatological analysis of the nutritional content of the most consumed resource.Results:Military Macaws used six plant species as food items during the dry season,and had a narrow dietary niche(Levins’B=0.28),with 56%of foraging macaws consuming the seeds of Hura polyandra.No food resources were recorded in pine‑oak forest during the dry season,with food resources and foraging by macaws concentrated in tropical deciduous and semi‑deciduous forest,where H.polyandra was the most abundant fruiting tree species.When considering the proportional availability of food resources,we determined a broad Hurlbert dietary niche breadth of H=0.67,indicating that Military Macaws consumed food resources according to their availability.Furthermore,the seeds of H.polyandra were an important source of protein,carbohydrates,minerals and moisture,and the hard fruitcasing means that these seeds are exclusively available for macaws.Conclusions:By concentrating their diet on the most abundant resources,Military Macaws may increase foraging efficiency in the dry season.The high nutrient content also means that concentrating the diet on seeds of H.polyandra may be an optimal foraging strategy for Military Macaws to meet their energy requirements during the breeding season.

Management strategies of marine food resources under multiple stressors with particular reference of the Yellow Sea large marine ecosystem

In this study two main management strategies are discussed:one is to develop resource conservationbased capture fisheries,and the other is to develop environmentally friendly aquaculture.During the resource recovery period,the development of environmentally friendly aquaculture should be encouraged,especially in integrated multi-trophic aquaculture,which is adaptive,efficient and sustainable.For future development and better understanding the ecosystem,it is necessary to further strengthen basic research.

Habitat selection and food choice of White-naped Cranes(Grus vipio)at stopover sites based on satellite tracking and stable isotope analysis

By combining satellite tracking,land-cover extracted from Landsite 8 images,and the traditional stable isotope analysis,we studied the habitat selection and food preference of a vulnerable migratory waterbird,the Whitenaped Crane(Grus vipio),in one of its key stagging sites,the Shandian River Basin in the semi-arid northern China,to provide knowledge that is critical for its conservation in the Anthropocene.Our results showed that the White-naped Cranes used both uplands and natural wetlands in the stopover site.While the cranes used farmland and natural land cover equally as night-time roosting grounds,they spent most daytime foraging at farmlands.Despite the extensive usage of croplands as their foraging ground,the Bayesian mixing models based on stable isotopic analysis revealed that crop residues after harvesting,such as Maize(Zea mays)and Naked Oat(Avena chinensis),were only a small fraction of the White-naped Cranes’diet(~19%),and their diet composited mainly natural plants,such as Allium ledebourianum,Potentilla anserina,and P.tanacetifoli.Moreover,more than 20%of the total wetlands in the region were modelled as home range of the cranes.On contrast,less than 10%of croplands and about 1%of the unused uplands were identified as home range.In addition,the entire core habitats were located in natural wetlands.Our findings demonstrated the importance of natural wetlands for the survival of the threatened crane.However,the satellite-derived land cover data showed that croplands increased rapidly in the last decade in this area,at the expense of natural wetlands.With the sharp decrease of White-naped Crane population in China,the conservation of stopover sites becomes imperative.Based on our analysis,we recommend the following management actions:conserving adequate natural wetland area,regulating anthropogenic pressures such as the use of herbicides,expanding the duration and extent of current conservation regulations,establishing a comprehensive monitoring program,and initiating basin-scale ecological restoration,for effective conservation of this threatened species.These integrated conservation strategies for migratory waterbirds are necessary,considering the rapid land-cover changes and agricultural expansion that have been occurring in East Asian-Australasian Flyway,especially in the semi-arid temperate zone.

Litter buffet:On the use of trash bins by birds in six boreal urban settlements

Unintentional food resources in urban areas(street litter,food leftovers,overflowing trash bins)are dietary components of some urban-exploiter bird species.In this study,we report on 13 bird species in six southern Finnish cities using urban trash bins and describe differences in their activity when provided with food resources(i.e.,bait)in different bin types.We used generalized linear models(GLM)and classification and regression trees(CART)to test for associations between environmental variables and bird activity at the binscapes.Bird activity at the binscapes significantly differed among all cities and among types of bins and was significantly higher after placing bait in all cases.Bins with the largest opening had more activity as opposed to those with smaller openings or lids.Corvids and gulls had the highest activity,with corvids usually being present before the bait was placed and gulls increasing their activity thereafter.These differences show that trash bin foraging is highly malleable and thus susceptible to management preventing its occurrence.Suitable waste management measures could aid in reducing the number of species close to bins and their surroundings,benefiting both bird and human health.

Scale Breeding and Reproduction Technique of Ficus tikoua Bur.Container Seedlings

Based on the principle of asexual reproduction,a kind of scale breeding and reproduction technique of Ficus tikoua Bur.container seedlings was explored by using the characteristics of strong adaptability to the environment and fast growth and reproduction.Using non-woven bag as a breeding container for seedlings,the scale breeding and reproduction technique of F.tikoua container seedlings was summarized through the important links of seedling bed construction,seedling collection,soil configuration,container selection,cutting cultivation,field management,and disease and pest control.This technique can achieve differential,massive and sustainable efficient breeding and reproduction of F.tikoua seedlings in a short time.

Proposal for Offshore Wind Farm with Triangle-Coupled Movable Parallelogram Buoyancy Structure for the High Seas

We are responsible for providing energy and food resources for our next generation.After more than 20 years of research,the author has confirmed that the VAWT with flip-up mechanism can maintain rotation without the brake,even in strong winds.Experiments have shown that the triangularly coupled movable parallelogram buoyancy structure makes it easy to maintain the verticality of the wind turbine tower even under large waves.Furthermore,as a result of studying the connection between the HAWT(horizontal axis wind turbine)and the movable parallelogram buoyancy structure of the triangular connection,the feasibility was confirmed.The only way for all people in the world to secure energy and food fairly is to look for the remaining areas such as the high seas.The author would like to propose the use of the high seas to combat global hunger,which is likely to be a global problem in the future.

Research progress in the phytochemistry and biology of Ilex pharmaceutical resources

Ilex is a botanical source for various health-promoting and pharmaceutically active compounds that have been used in traditional Chinese medicine and food for thousands of years.Increasing interest in Ilex pharmaceutical and food resources has led to additional discoveries of terpenoids,saponins,polyphenols(especially flavonoids),glycosides,and many other compounds in various Ilex species,and to investigation of their chemotaxonomy,molecular phylogeny and pharmacol-ogy.In continuation of our studies on Ilex pharmacology and phylogeny,we review the phytochemistry,chemotaxonomy,molecular biology and phylogeny of Ilex species and their relevance to health-promotion and therapeutic efficacy.The similarity and dissimilarity between Ilex paraguariensis,the source plant of mate tea,and the source plants of large-leaved K udingcha(e.g.,Ilex kudingcha and Ilex latifolia)are discussed.It is essential to utilize emerging technologies in non-Camellia tea studies to promote the sustainable utilization of Ilex resources and the identification and development of novel compounds with potential health and clinical utility.Systems biology and "-omics"technologies will play an increasingly important role in pharmaceutical and food research on the bioactive compounds of Ilex species.

Sheep grazing causes shift in sex ratio and cohort structure of Brandt’s vole:Implication of their adaptation to food shortage

Livestock grazing has been demonstrated to affect the population abundance of small rodents in grasslands,but the causative mechanism of grazing on demographic parameters,particularly the age structure and sex ratio,is rarely investigated.In this study,we examined the effects of sheep grazing on the cohort structure and sex ratio of Brandt’s vole(Lasiopodomys brandtii)in Inner Mongolia of China by using large manipulative experimental enclosures during 2010-2013.Our results indicated that sheep grazing significantly decreased the proportion of the spring-born cohort,but increased the proportion of the summer-born cohort.Grazing increased the proportion of males in both spring and summer cohorts.In addition,we found a negative relation between population density and the proportion of the overwinter cohort.Our results suggest that a shift in the cohort structure and the sex ratio may be an important strategy for small rodents to adapt to changes in food resources resulting from livestock grazing.

Human activities and elevational constraints restrict ranging patterns of snub-nosed monkeys in a mountainous refuge

Both natural conditions and anthropogenic factors affect the survivability,distribution,and population density of wildlife.To understand the extent and how these factors drive species distributions,a detailed description of animal movement patterns in natural habitats is needed.In this study,we used satellite telemetry to monitor elevational ranges favored by endangered golden snub-nosed monkeys(Rhinopithecus roxellana),in the Qinling Mountains,central China.We investigated the abundance and distribution of food resources through sampling vegetation quadrats at different elevations and sampled anthropogenic activities using field surveys.Our results indicated that although there was no significant variation in food resources between low-(<1500 m)and middle-elevations(1500–2200 m),monkeys were found most often in areas above 1500 m,where there was less anthropogenic development(e.g.houses and roads);however,monkeys rarely ranged above 2200 m and had limited food availability at this altitude.There was limited human disturbance at this elevation.We suggest that both human activity and ecological constraints(i.e.food resources)have considerable effects on elevational use of R.roxellana in the Qinling Mountains.This study highlights the critical roles these factors can play in shaping the vertical distribution of high-altitude primates.This research provides useful insights for habitat-based conservation plans in which human disturbance management and habitat restoration should be prioritized.

Assessing the bird guild patterns in heterogeneous land use types around Jammu,Jammu and Kashmir,India

Land-use sprawl in the Himalayas has caused the conversion of natural habitat into human-modified habitats,thus degrading ecosystem health.Adaptation of birds to changing physical environment can be well understood by analyzing their habitat preferences,and foraging dynamics explored to a limited extent in the Himalayan region,as yet.To achieve a comprehensive understanding of avian guild structure,we used multivariate statistical techniques to classify bird species according to their similarities in foraging patterns and habitat preferences.Observations based on habitat and diet affinities accounted for rich avian diversity with a total of 208 bird species(about 15%of country’s avifauna)recorded from six different sites during 1 year survey.Unweighted pair-group average cluster analysis performed on the families revealed ten feeding and fifteen habitat guilds among 63 bird families observed.Subtropical forests harbored more species followed by urban forests and agricultural landscapes.Insectivorous and omnivorous outnumbered other feeding guilds in the study area.Bird assemblages were richer in protected areas and semidisturbed landscapes and did not show significant variation between the seasons.Results of the study revealed that different functional groups of birds behaved differently,primarily induced by choice of food.The site heterogeneity favored avifaunal persistence by providing favorable foraging,roosting,and nesting opportunities to birds.Composition of avian guilds indicated level of intactness and ecological integrity of ecosystems studied.This outcome thus sets the background for long-term analysis of bird-habitat relationship and their foraging dynamics.The study has the relevance for decision-makers to integrate avian guild structure as an essential ingredient in formulating conservation strategies.