Reedbed structure and habitat preference of reed passerines during the post-breeding period

Post-breeding habitats of nine passerine species were studied in the permanently flooded reed beds of ponds near the village Pusté úlany (SW Slovakia) in 2002. Structural features of reed beds and the abundance of all birds studied were sampled at two sites and eight study plots. The reed bed structure and abundance of four passerines differed considerably between the individual study plots. The variations in vegetation structure were also caused by winter reed burning in the SE part of study area. Stems in burnt reed beds were smaller and thinner than unburnt. Abundance of the reed warbler and to a lesser extent sedge warbler was higher in tall reed beds, while the bearded tit preferred thick reed stems. Position of reed beds along the shore — open water gradient was an important factor in terms of abundance at the study plots in the case of the reed bunting. This species showed a strong preference for the reed bed edge with open water. Horizontal distribution of other species seems to be random, however, the birds with the exception of Savi’s warbler preferred the upper stratum of reed bed in vertical distribution. Our field data corroborate with those found in experimental studies concerning with ecomorphological characteristics of birds. Some inconsistencies, however, could also be caused by other factors (e.g. foraging preferences). Comparison of breeding and post-breeding habitat requirements of the studied bird species confirmed a more or less random distribution of the majority of species in the post-breeding period. Some variation was found in the cases of only the reed warbler and bearded tit.     

虾夷扇贝雄核发育单倍体的人工诱导研究

人工雄核发育,是利用遗传失活的卵子与正常精子受精,再利用染色体加倍技术使受精卵恢复为二倍体的遗传操作技术。利用该技术可大大加速品系纯化的过程,对遗传育种学研究有重要意义。目前有关鱼类雄核发育的研究已见于鲤(Gyprnus carpio)[1,2]、虹鳟(Oncorhynchus mykiss)[3]、红点溪鳟(Salvelinus fontinalis)[4]、泥鳅(Misgurnus anguilicaudatus)[5,6]、斑马鱼(Danio rerio)[7]、马苏大麻哈鱼(Oncorhynchus masou)[8]等种类。人工诱导贝类雄核发育的研究资料在国内外都很少,目前只有栉孔扇贝和太平洋牡蛎雄核发育诱导条件及其发育早期…     

藏鹀的自然历史、威胁和保护

藏鹀(Emberiza koslowi)是我国青藏高原东部的特有珍稀鸟种,目前关于它的资料非常匮乏.为了解藏鹀的分布、数量和基本生活史特征,促进对于该物种的有效保护,自2005年起以青海省果洛州久治县白玉乡为中心对藏鹀进行了持续6年的观察,并针对其面临的威胁采取了相应的保护措施.结果显示,藏鹀主要分布在青海的玉树、果洛和四川的阿坝一带海拔3 500～4 700 m范围内的适宜栖息地,该分布区比原有认知更靠东北,更为狭小且海拔更高.用样线法开展的藏鹀数量监测,在7.4 km2的调查范围内记录到一个18 ～33只的稳定种群.此外,还对藏鹀的筑巢、育雏和争斗等行为进行了详细描述.食肉动物的捕食、冬季食物缺乏和牲畜踩踏鸟卵是藏鹀面临的最直接威胁.通过持续监测、与当地牧民协商、建立保护小区并开展有针对性的保护,藏鹀种群趋于稳定.     

白顶鹀(Emberiza stewarti)——中国鸟类新纪录

白顶鹀(Emberiza stewarti)为中亚特有物种,比较罕见。2013年5月12日,喀什地区观鸟爱好者与户外摄影人在新疆乌恰县境内膘尔托阔依乡(39°20'N和75°05'E,海拔2 100 m)帕米尔东麓拍摄到一只雄性白顶鹀照片,经过查阅文献,确认是中国鸟类新纪录。     

Effects of the winter beechmast crop on bird occurrence in British gardens

Capsule Woodland birds were significantly less likely to occur in gardens in years of high beechmast crop.

Aim To test the hypothesis that woodland species that feed on beechmast will have significantly lower occurrence rates at garden feeders in mast years.

Methods Weekly winter occurrence rates at garden feeders between 1970/71 and 1999/2000 for 40 species were analysed in relation to annual beechmast abundance, classified into low, medium and high years. A repeated-measures logistic regression model was used to assess whether beechmast abundance explained further significant variation additional to underlying seasonal and annual trends.

Results Seven species that commonly feed on beechmast showed significantly lower occurrence in gardens in years of highest beechmast abundance: Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major, Woodpigeon Columba palumbus, Great Tit Parus major, Coal Tit Periparus ater, Nuthatch Sitta europaea, Jay Garrulus glandarius and Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs. Blackbird Turdus merula and Siskin Carduelis spinus, which showed similar significant patterns, are likely to take beechmast as elements of their diet. Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba was the only insectivorous species to show significant effects, but occurrence was lowest in years of intermediate beechmast abundance. For the latter species, this may have been due to confounding effects of temperature, but there were no such confounding effects of either temperature, or the number of bird feeders provided in gardens, for the other nine species.

Conclusion Use of artificial food sources by birds in gardens is influenced by resources in the surrounding countryside, suggesting that food provided in gardens may play a significant part in the population dynamics of these species, that population monitoring without consideration of the garden habitat may be deficient, and that volunteer-based garden bird recording may provide data that can be used as an indicator of changes in the wider countryside.     

Breeding ecology of farmland Yellowhammers Emberiza citrinella

Observations of Yellowhammers flying from nests to foraging sites were used to assess use of foraging habitats in relation to availability. Selection of invertebrates by foraging Yellowhammers was studied using analysis of nestling faecal samples in relation to invertebrate samples taken from farmland habitats. Both data sets were analysed using compositional analysis. Broad-leaved crops and sparsely vegetated areas were favoured early in the breeding season, but cereal crops were increasingly used as these ripened. Unripe cereal grain formed a major component of nestling diet, but invertebrates were fed to all broods. Lepidoptera larvae, Araneae and Tipulidae were consumed more than other invertebrate groups. Nestling mortality was high during cold weather when these invertebrates would have been inactive. We suggest that farming systems that increase habitat diversity and reduce pesticide application to arable crops will benefit Yellowhammers and other farmland buntings.     

中国东北地区基于环志监测的田鹀迁徙趋势和数量动态北大核心CSCD

许多长距离迁徙的雀形目鸟类的种群数量正在持续下降,田鹀(Emberiza rustica)种群数量下降趋势更为突出。通过对田鹀种群数量长期监测和迁徙动态分析,可为此物种保护提供科学依据。从2001年开始,陆续在黑龙江省高峰、青峰、帽儿山、新青和大沾河,吉林省珲春和吉林市,辽宁省的辽宁鸟类研究中心(大连)和旅顺老铁山,以及内蒙古乌尔其汗鸟类栖息的临水林缘处布网环志。截至2018年,累计环志田鹀184181只,其中春季88571只,秋季95610只;各年度环志数量波动较大,总体呈现急速下降趋势。幼鸟的越冬损失率高达41.3%。田鹀106只次的回收信息表明,自然条件下田鹀寿命可达11年以上;日迁飞距离最快可达到300 km,飞行速度可达30 km/h。中国东北地区是田鹀等鸟类的重要迁徙途经地;田鹀的迁徙路线相对稳定,在瑞典北部繁殖的种群经中国东北地区迁徙到天津以南越冬。通过环志发现,近些年田鹀种群数量急速下降。通过比对,发现中国东北地区田鹀的环志数量变化趋势与瑞典的田鹀环志数量变化趋势相似;相对于环志数量最多的年份,环志数量下降95%以上,值得关注。栖息地破碎化、非法猎捕等是影响田鹀生存的主要受威胁因素。建议依据田鹀等鸟类生物学习性,加强鸟类栖息地的保护,坚持长期标准化的鸟类环志监测,进一步探索鸟类迁徙规律,以助于鸟类种群的恢复。     

贵州黄喉鹀繁殖生态初步观察

2012年和2013年4~8月,在贵州贵定县境内采用定点观察法对黄喉鹀(Emberiza elegans)的繁殖行为进行了初步观察,并测量了雏鸟的体重和体长,第5飞羽、尾长、嘴峰长、跗跖等生长情况,用Logistic方程对体重和体长进行拟合。黄喉鹀常常结成小群活动于山间溪流平缓处的阔叶林间以及山间的草甸和灌丛,极少活动于针叶林带。其种群遇见率为3.13只/km,种群密度为7.82只/km2。繁殖期是4~7月份。共发现17巢,地面巢11个,树上巢6个。营巢期6~8 d(n=9),巢分为外中内3层。巢外径(10.8±0.6)cm×(10.7±0.7)cm,内径(7.2±0.3)cm×(7.0±0.4)cm,巢深(6.1±0.4)cm,巢高(7.4±0.2)cm。卵有褐色斑点,卵重(2.20±0.01)g,卵长径(18.34±0.45)mm,卵短径(15.03±0.05)mm。窝卵数(3.6±0.4)枚(3~6枚)(n=9)。对2巢亲鸟(2♀,2♂)13 d白天坐巢时间统计,雌鸟坐巢时间9.69 h/d,雄鸟3.49 h/d。孵卵期12~14 d(n=8),孵化率84.37%。雏鸟留巢11~12 d(n=6),雏鸟离巢率74.07%。雏鸟的外部器官的生长发育符合雀形目外部器官发育规律。体重和体长生长的Logistic拟合方程分别为W=18.03/1+e3.06-0.27t和L=15.60/1+e1.21-0.17t。     

芦鹀种群中的文化、遗传和形态进化的同时比较

我们比较了芦 (Emberizaschoeniclus)两个亚种组 ,即北部的薄喙亚种组和南部的厚喙亚种组的 10个种群中的文化、遗传和形态变异。使用了四个不同的变异标记物 ,其中两个用来测量文化分化 ,一个用来测量遗传分化 ,即微卫星等位基因的频次 ,一个用来测量种群的形态分化 ,即喙的高度。将遗传分化作为进化时间的尺度 ,我们计算了亚种组间和组内分化指标与所估计的进化率之间的相关性 ,发现只有文化定量指标和遗传分化与种群的形态分化相关 ,而两个文化分化指标之间没有关系 ,文化分化与遗传分化之间也没有关系。使用文化 -定量分化指标 ,发现亚种组间的文化进化率高于亚种内的文化进化率 ,提示鸣唱在防止杂交方面只有微弱的、也许是次要的作用。鸣唱定量特征的变异与微卫星频次相同 ,实际上在自然界中更可能是遗传决定的 ,这可以解释由于分析两个文化变异指标所得出的结果的不一致性。鸣唱的声学特性可能由于栖息地的差异或形态上的限制而发生了演变 ,而文化传播单位 (Meme)的特性可能由于学习鸣唱和文化传播而受到了影响     

Song dialects in the yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella : bioacoustic variation between and within dialects

The yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella is a common European bird that sings in dialects that for decades have been distinguished by the existence of one single element (called a “specific”). In this study we looked into other possibilities for dialect discrimination, measuring 24 different variables. For the first time, multivariate statistics were used to discriminate dialect in yellowhammer song. Two similar dialects (XlB and XsB) that are not clearly defined in the literature were studied. Statistics incorporated (1) all variables, (2) no variables of “specific” elements, and (3) no variables under the influence of these “specific” variables. Multivariate statistics support dialect discrimination by ear and confirmed that only one element in yellowhammer song characterises dialect. In addition, we looked for local differences within two dialects and found that one local observation area showed a higher separation than the other sites (Meck1). However, as yet there is insufficient evidence for the existence of a new subdialect. The experiments comply with the current laws of the study area.