Community structure and species diversity dynamics of a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in China:2005 to 2020

Here,we characterize the temporal and spatial dynamics of forest community structure and species diversity in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in China.We found that community structure in this forest changed over a 15-year period.Specifically,renewal and death of common species was large,with the renewal of individuals mainly concentrated within a few populations,especially those of Aidia canthioides and Cryptocarya concinna.The numbers of individual deaths for common species were concentrated in the small and mid-diameter level.The spatial distribution of community species diversity fluctuated in each monitoring period,showing a more dispersed diversity after the 15-year study period,and the coefficient of variation on quadrats increased.In 2010,the death and renewal of the community and the spatial variation of species diversity were different compared to other survey years.Extreme weather may have affected species regeneration and community stability in our subtropical monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forests.Our findings suggest that strengthening the monitoring and management of the forest community will help better understand the long-and short-term causes of dynamic fluctuations of community structure and species diversity,and reveal the factors that drive changes in community structure.

Diet,food availability,and climatic factors drive ranging behavior in white-headed langurs in the limestone forests of Guangxi,southwest China

Changes in abiotic and biotic factors can affect the efficiency of biological systems in animals,forcing them to adjust their behaviors in response to daily and seasonal variations.From September 2016 to August 2017,we collected ranging behavior data on four groups of white-headed langurs(Trachypithecus leucocephalus)in the Guangxi Chongzuo White-Headed Langur National Nature Reserve,Guangxi,southwest China.We simultaneously analyzed how multiple ecological factors affect langur ranging behavior,which should facilitate our understanding of the potential mechanisms underlying their adaptation to limestone habitats.Results showed that langur ranging behavior was significantly affected by diet composition,food availability,and climatic factors.Specifically,moving time and daily path length increased with the increase in dietary diversity.Furthermore,moving time and daily path length were positively associated with the availability of fruit and relative humidity of the forest,and moderately associated with temperature and relative humidity of bare rock.Our study demonstrated that langurs maintain stable moving and feeding times and exhibit a short daily travel distance,likely adopting an energy-conserving behavioral strategy in response to food shortages and high temperatures in the fragmented karst forest.These results highlight the importance of food availability and temperature in shaping the ranging behavior of these karst-dwelling primates.

A review of the Cypriniform tribe Yunnanilini Prokofiev,2010 from China,with an emphasis on five genera based on morphologies and complete mitochondrial genomes of some species

The loach tribe Yunnanilini from China is reviewed here using morphological characters and complete mitochondrial genomes of select species.Molecular data suggest that the tribe Yunnanilini is not monophyletic and can be divided into three clades.Species of the Yunnanilus nigromaculatus group form an independent genus and are placed in Eonemachilus.In the phylogenetic tree,Y.jinxiensis clusters with Paranemachilus genilepis,and Y.pulcherrimus clusters with Micronemacheilus cruciatus,indicating that Y.jinxiensis and Y.pulcherrimus belong to Paranemachilus and Micronemacheilus,respectively.Based on while Y.jinxiensis and Y.pulcherrimus,are placed in Paranemachilus and Micronemacheilus,respectively.Yunnanilus niulanensis and Y.qujinensis are treated as junior synonyms of Eonemachilus caohaiensis.Eonemachilus,Micronemacheilus,and Yunnanilus are show short separation between anterior and posterior nostrils.The genera can be distinguished from each other by mouth structure,lateral line and cephalic lateral-line canals,and papillae on median part of both lips.The anterior and posterior nostrils of Heminoemacheilus and Paranemachilus are closely set.Paranemachilus and Micronemacheilus are distinguished by cheeks covered with scales and lips with papillae,respectively.Our phylogenetic tree and morphological characters support Traccatichthys as a valid genus,which can be distinguished from Micronemacheilus by anterior and posterior nostrils closely set(vs.clearly separated).Four species are placed in Traccatichthys.

Vocal repertoire of the critically endangered whiteheaded langur(Trachypithecus leucocephalus): Call types, acoustic structures, and related social-ecological contexts

DEAR EDITOR,We examined the vocal repertoire of the critically endangered white-headed langur(Trachypithecus leucocephalus)inhabiting karst limestone forests in China.We identified 17 call types across all age/sex classes based on human auditory perception,spectrogram assessment,and quantitative analysis of 25 acoustic parameters extracted from 409 high-quality calls.In total,11 types of calls produced by adults corresponded to the simple one-male multi-female social groups of white-headed langurs.

Molecular analyses display the increasing diversity of Podostemaceae in China

Podostemaceae(riverweed family),one of the largest aquatic plant families in the world,comprises about 350 species in 51 genera placed in three subfamilies,Podostemoideae,Weddellinoideae,and Tristichoideae(Koi et al.,2022).Most Podostemaceae genera(~38)are monotypic or oligotypic,with a high level of endemism(Koi et al.,2018,2022).Members of Podostemaceae adhere to rocks in fast-flowing rivers,streams,or waterfalls in the subtropics and tropics(Koi et al.,2018).As an adaptation to fastrunning currents,the morphological structure of river-weeds tends to be extremely reduced,including a loss or reduction of primary shoots or roots(Koi and Kato,2007).The vegetative mass of these plants resembles lichens or bryophytes,and are thus known commonly as“dream bryophytes”(Philbrick and Retana,1998).Podostemaceae plants flower when the water level drops during the dry season.In recent years,anthropogenic factors and climate change have severely affected river weed habitats,decreasing populations of these plants.

Resolving a nearly 90-year-old enigma:The rare Fagus chienii is conspecific with F.hayatae based on molecular and morphological evidence

Taxonomic uncertainties of rare species often hinder effective prioritization for conservation.One such taxonomic uncertainty is the 90-year-old enigma of Fagus chienii.F.chienii was previously only known from the type specimens collected in 1935 in Pingwu County of Sichuan Province,China,and has long been thought to be on the verge of extinction.However,morphological similarities to closely related Fagus species have led many to question the taxonomic status of F.chienii.To clarify this taxonomic uncertainty,we used the newly collected samples to reconstruct a molecular phylogeny of Chinese Fagus species against the phylogenetic backbone of the whole genus using seven nuclear genes.In addition,we examined nine morphological characters to determine whether F.chienii is morphologically distinct from its putatively closest relatives(F.hayatae,F.longipetiolata,and F.lucida).Both morphological and phylogenetic analyses indicated that F.chienii is conspecific with F.hayatae.We recommended that F.chienii should not be treated as a separate species in conservation management.However,conservation strategies such as in situ protection and ex situ germplasm preservation should be adopted to prevent the peculiar“F.chienii”population from extinction.

A new loach species of Troglonectes(Teleostei:Nemacheilidae)from Guangxi,China

A new species of the genus Troglonectes is described from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,China.Troglonectes hechiensis sp.nov.can be easily distinguished from its congeners based on the following characters:eyes normal;whole body covered by scales except head,throat,and abdomen;lateral line incomplete;caudal fin concave;and color pattern present on body.

Mating Ethogram of a Video-aided Study of Mating and Parturition in Captive Chinese Crocodile Lizards (Shinisaurus crocodilurus)

Mating behavior and parturition are important components in the life history of any species. The endangered Chinese crocodile lizard(Shinisaurus crocodilurus) is suffering dramatic population decreases in the wild. Successful captive breeding can provide individuals to be reintroduced into their natural habitat and help to restore the wild populations. Studying the mating behavior and parturition of these lizards in captivity will enable us understand how is this ancient species reproduction and optimize artificial reproduction protocol. We studied the mating behavior and parturition of Chinese crocodile lizards in captivity using video recordings at the Daguishan National Nature Reserve, China, from 2015 to 2017. We analyzed pre-copulation and copulation, which occurred in mid-March to late May from all studied years. Pre-copulation and copulation lasted on average 7.51(n=11) and 27.45(n=11) minutes, respectively. We found that large-bodied male lizards have longer copulation periods, a pattern seen in other lizard species. In the mating event, males always initiated sex, while the females were passive. The duration of parturition lasted 153.8 ± 26.8(n=46) minutes, and larger females had heavier clutches. In addition, even though Chinese crocodile lizards represent an ancient lizard clade with primitive characteristics, they still abide by the reproduction patterns seen in most other lizard species.

Assessing stand structure in successional stages of dark coniferous forests in western Sichuan, China

Subalpine dark coniferous forests in the western Sichuan Province of China play an important role in the hydrological processes in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Second-growth forests, with different stand successional stages, have developed as a result of logging over the past 50 years. Forest cover and stand structure changed greatly with concomitant degradation of forest ecosystem functions. To understand how the stand structures of the second-growth forests change during the stand succession process, we analyzed stand structure characteristics and an old-growth state index of the bamboo and moss-forest types. We found that stand structure at the young successional stage featured one-third of the structure characteristics of the old-growth dark coniferous forests,while the structure of the medium-aged stage had reached half the structure of the old-growth state. The two forest types were similar in the rate of development at the young successional stage but differed at the medium-aged stage;the moss-forest type had more advanced development than the bamboo-forest type at the medium-aged successional stage.

First record of Theloderma pyaukkya Dever, 2017(Anura: Rhacophoridae) in China, with range extension of Theloderma moloch(Annandale, 1912) to Yunnan

DEAR EDITOR,Theloderma pyaukkya is recorded for the first time in China based on a specimen collected from western Yunnan.Morphologically,the specimen shows good agreement with the original description of T.pyaukkya,and phylogenetically is clustered with the type specimens and holotype of T.

A new species of the genus Amolops(Anura:Ranidae)from Yunnan,China

DEAR EDITOR,A new species of the genus Amolops,Amolops tuanjieensis sp.nov.,is described from Yunnan,China.The new species can be distinguished by the following characters:dorsolateral folds present;dorsal and ventral surfaces smooth;top of head and dorsum brown-red with irregular gray and dark spots;flank green;side of head black,from tip of snout,diffusing posteriorly to axilla,continuing as black streak below edge of dorsolateral fold;SVL 39.5-40.4 mm in males,56.8-60.7 mm in females;tympanum distinct;supratympanic fold indistinct;vomerine teeth in two oblique rows between choanae,closer to each other than choanae;vocal sacs present;nuptial pads present;outer metatarsal tubercle absent,supernumerary tubercles absent;all fingertips expanded into discs;limbs dorsally brown with dark brown bars and irregular dark brown blotches.

A new species of Kurixalus(Anura, Rhacophoridae)from Guizhou, China

DEAR EDITOR,We describe a new species of the genus Kurixalus, Kurixalus raoi sp. nov., from Guizhou Province, China, based on morphological and molecular evidence. Phylogenetically, the new species is sister to K. idiootocus, but is distinguishable from all known congeners by a combination of the following characters: small body size(snout-vent length 28.2-32.2 mm in males;38.6 mm in female);snout rounded.

A new species of Amolops(Anura:Ranidae)from northern Myanmar

DEAR EDITOR,A new species of the genus Amolops,Amolops putaoensis sp.nov.,is described from northern Myanmar.The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by the following characters:(1)dorsolateral fold distinct;(2)upper-lip stripe white;(3)male body size 37.6-40.2 mm;(4)ground color of dorsal surface brown,flank green,small warts on dorsum.

Systematic relationships of Chinese freshwater semisulcospirids (Gastropoda, Cerithioidea) revealed by mitochondrial sequences

The systematics of Semisulcospiridae in China is revised here based on morphological characters and mitochondrial phylogenetics. Phylogenetic relationships within the Chinese semisulcospirids were assessed via DNA sequences from mitochondrial analysis (cytochrome c oxidase I and 16S rRNA). This research contains most morphospecies of semisulcospirids previously recorded in China. Based on these results, the family of Chinese Semisulcospiridae is represented by three genera: i.e., viviparous Semisulcospira B?ttger, 1886, oviparous Hua Chen, 1943 and Koreoleptoxis Burch and Jung, 1988. These genera can be distinguished from each other by reproductive anatomy, reproductive mode, and radula features. Species of Hua are mainly distributed in southwest China and Guangxi, whereas Koreoleptoxis and Semisulcospira are mainly distributed in south and northeast China.

Diet and feeding behavior of a group of high-altitude rhesus macaques: high adaptation to food shortages and seasonal fluctuations

Diet and feeding behavior data are crucial to a deep understanding of the behavioral response and adaptation of primates to a high-altitude environment.From August 2019 to June 2021,we collected data on the feeding behavior of a high-altitude rhesus macaque Macaca mulatta group from Yajiang County,Western Sichuan Plateau,which has an altitude of over 3,500 m.The results showed that feeding(33.0±1.8%)and moving(28.3±2.6%)were the dominant behavior of rhesus macaques.Macaques ate 193 food items,comprising 11 food categories from 90 species.Our study found that plant roots(30.9±30.1%)and young leaves(28.0±33.1%)were the main foods eaten by macaques.The preferred foods of rhesus macaques were young leaves,fruits,and seeds,and the consumption of these items was positively correlated with its food availability.When the availability of preferred foods was low,macaques took plant roots,barks,and fallen leaves as fallback foods.In particular,roots were a dominant food item in winter,and this way of feeding became a key survival strategy.Our results suggest that,facing the relative scarcity and strong seasonal fluctuations of food resources in high-altitude habitat,macaques adopt active foraging strategies,relying on a variety of food species and adjusting flexibly their food choices based on food availability,which may help to maximize the energy efficiency of high-altitude macaques.

Tooth loss and alveolar remodeling in Sinosaurus triassicus (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Lower Jurassic strata of the Lufeng Basin, China

Pathological or traumatic loss of teeth often results in the resorption and remodeling of the affected alveoli in mammals. However, instances of alveolar remodeling in reptiles are rare. A remodeled alveolus in the maxilla of the Chinese theropod Sinosaurus (Lower Jurassic Lower Lufeng Formation) is the first confirmed example of such dental pathology in a dinosaur. Given the known relationship between feeding behavior and tooth damage in theropods (teeth with spalled enamel, tooth crowns embedded in bone) and the absence of dentary, maxillary, and premaxillary osteomyelitis, traumatic loss of a tooth is most likely the cause of alveolar remodeling. Based on the extent of remodeling, the injury and subsequent tooth loss were non-fatal in this individual.

Taxonomic review of the ant genus Dilobocondyla from China(Hymenoptera:Formicidae), with a revised key to the known species

Three species of the myrmicine ant genus Dilobocondyla are recognized in China:D. gaoyureni, D. fouqueti and D. rufida sp. nov. The new species is described based on the worker and the gyne castes, and can be distinguished from the others by the relatively shorter petiole and the obvious bicolored body. A revised key to the known species of the world based on worker caste is presented.

Yunnanilus chuanheensis, a new loach species(Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae) from the upper Lixianjiang River in Yunnan, China

DEAR EDITOR,A new loach species(Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae:Yunnanilini), Yunnanilus chuanheensis sp. nov., was caught from Chuanhe in the upper reaches of the Lixianjiang River, a tributary of the Red River in Nanjian County, Yunnan Province, China. This species is a member of the traditional Y.pleurotaenia species group based on the presence of a lateral line and cephalic lateral-line canals.

From mainland to islands:colonization history in the tree frog Kurixalus(Anura:Rhacophoridae)

The origin and colonization history of Kurixalus,a genus of small arboreal tree frogs breeding exclusively in shallow swamps,is under disputed.On the basis of comprehensive sampling program,the evolutionary history of Kurixalus is investigated based on 3 mitochondrial genes.Our results indicate that the genus Kurixalus originated in the Asian mainland and subsequently arrived at its current distribution in Borneo,Taiwan,Ryukyu,and Hainan islands by a series of dispersal events.Moreover,the colonization of Taiwan from mainland Asia has occurred 2 times.The initial colonization of Taiwan occurred at 3.46-8.68 Mya(95%highest posterior density),which rejects the hypothesis that Kurixalus probably originated from Taiwan during the early Oligocene and favors the model of Neogene-origin rather than the model of Quaternary-origin for Taiwan Residents Kurixalus.Kurixalus eiffingeri has dispersed from Taiwan to the Ryukyus once or 2 times pending more data.Both transoceanic dispersal and landbridge dispersal have played a role in the colonization process;the former resulted in the colonization of Taiwan and the Ryukyus and the latter led to the colonizati on of Bor neo and Hain an.