Identification of CR1 retroposons in Arborophila rufipectus and their application to Phasianidae phylogeny

Chicken repeat 1 (CR1), a member of non‐LTR retroposon, is an important phylogenetic marker in avian systematics. In this study, we reported several characteristics of CR1 elements in a draft genome of Arborophila rufipectus (Sichuan partridge). According to the analyses of RepeatMasker, approximately 254 966 CR1 elements were identified in A. rufipectus, covering 6.7% of the genome. Subsequently, we selected eighteen novel CR1 elements by comparing the chicken genome, turkey genome and assembled A. rufipectus scaffolds. Here, a combined data set comprising of 22 CR1 loci, mitochondrial genomes and eight unlinked introns was analysed to infer the evolutionary relationships of twelve Phasianidae species. The applicability of CR1 sequences for inferring avian phylogeny relative to mtDNA and intron sequences was investigated as well. Our results elucidated the position of A. rufipectus in Phasianidae with robust supports that it presented a sister clade to Arborophila ardens/Arborophila brunneopectus, and implied that genus Arborophila was in a basal phylogenetic position within Phasianidae and a phylogenetic affinity between Meleagris gallopavo and Pucrasia macrolopha. Therefore, this work not only resolved some of the confounding relationships among Phasianidae, but also suggested CR1 sequences could provide powerful complementary data for phylogeny reconstruction.     

Robust assessment of associations between weather and eastern wild turkey nest success

Temperature and precipitation have been identified as factors that potentially influence eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) reproduction, but robust analyses testing the relationship between weather parameters and turkey nest success are lacking. Therefore, we assessed how weather influenced turkey daily nest survival using 8 years of data collected from 715 nests across the southeastern United States. We also conducted exploratory analyses investigating if weather conditions during or prior to nesting best predicted nest success. We then assessed the possible implications of climate change through 2041–2060 for future eastern wild turkey daily nest survival and nest success for variables determined significant in analyses. During incubation, positive anomalies of minimum daily temperature were associated with greater daily nest survival. Precipitation during nesting was not a good predictor of daily nest survival. Exploratory analyses unexpectedly indicated that weather conditions in January prior to incubation were more important to nest success than weather conditions during incubation. In January, negative anomalies of minimum temperature and greater average daily precipitation were associated with greater nest success. Projections of future nest success or daily nest survival based on these relationships with the predictive covariates, and informed by climate models, suggest that nest success may increase as January precipitation increases and that daily nest survival may increase as temperature during incubation increases. These positive associations could be offset by a negative association between nest success and the expected increases in January minimum average temperature. Additional research is needed to investigate causes of these relationships and assess the implications of climate change for eastern wild turkey poult survival.     

Fossil birds of the Kibish Formation

The Kibish Formation has yielded a small collection of bird fossils, which are identified here as belonging to five species in four different families: Pelecanidae (pelicans), Anhingidae (darters), Ardeidae (herons) and Phasianidae (gamefowl). Two species of pelicans are identified: Pelecanus cf. P. onocrotalus, and P. aff. P. rufescens. The darter is referrable to Anhinga melanogaster. The heron is identifiable as Ardea sp., and the gamefowl as Numidinae indet. (guineafowl). Pelecanus cf. P. onocrotalus is represented by, among other remains, a well-preserved partial skull. Four of the birds are thus referrable to extant taxa that provide some paleoenvironmental clues for Member I of the Kibish Formation. The two species of pelican, the darter, and the heron indicate the presence of local freshwater bodies, a lake or a slow river, supporting resources of fish. The guineafowl is poorly informative ecologically, but probably excludes the notion that the local terrestrial landscape was treeless.     

Polymorphisme biochimique chez le faisan commun (Phasianus colchicus)

Egg white proteins, hemoglobin, serum proteins and enzymes from Phasianus colchicus have been examined by starch gel electrophoresis. All three genetic parameters, mean proportion of loci polymorphic per population (P), mean numbers of alleles per locus (A), and mean proportion of loci heterozygous per individual (H), are given. Comparison were made between the proteins of the related species Coturnix coturnix japonica, and the variation of pheasant proteins is discussed in connexion with the genetic structure of the population studied.     

Neogene phasianids (Aves: Phasianidae) of Central Asia: 2. Genera <Emphasis Type="Italic">Perdix,Plioperdix</Emphasis>, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bantamyx</Emphasis>

The phasianid genera Perdix, Plioperdix, and Bantamyx from the Neogene of Mongolia and Transbaikalia are reviewed. Based on published data and new material, the diagnoses of Late Pliocene Perdix margaritae Kurochkin and Plioperdix ponticus (Tugarinov) and Late Miocene Bantamyx georgicus Kurochkin are emended. It is shown that a tarsometatarsus from the Upper Miocene of the Pavlodar locality belongs to the genus Palaeoperdix rather than Palaeortyx, as was proposed in the previous studies. Small Neogene Asian phasianids are compared in detail with Neogene taxa from Europe and extant genera.     

Phylogenetic analysis of some Neogene phasianid genera (Aves: Phasianidae)

Phylogenetic analysis based on osteological characters of some Neogene and Recent phasianids is performed. Phylogenetic tree shows close relationships of Plioperdix with Ammoperdix and Tologuica with Excalfactoria. Chauvireria is at the base of the clade (Alectoris + (Coturnix + (Excalfactoria + Tologuica))). Palaeoperdix is relatively close to the lineage of large pheasants.     

Niche partitioning among three montane ground‐dwelling pheasant species along multiple ecological dimensions

Pheasants (order Galliformes) are typical ground‐dwelling birds, having a large body size and weak flight abilities. Sympatric pheasants are expected to share narrower niche space and face more extensive interspecific competition. However, little work has been undertaken simultaneously to investigate niche partitioning among sympatric pheasant species across multiple ecological dimensions. We compared microhabitat use, activity pattern and foraging strategy of sympatric Blood Pheasant Ithaginis cruentus, Buff‐throated Partridge Tetraophasis szechenyii and White Eared‐pheasant Crossoptilon crossoptilon on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau, China, to identify potential interspecific niche partitioning along different ecological dimensions in the breeding season. We found that the Buff‐throated Partridge differed significantly from the other two species in microhabitat use, and the three species showed different foraging strategies. It is likely that niche partitioning reduced potential interspecific competition, thus facilitating the species’ stable coexistence. Our study provides practical evidence of multidimensional niche theory within sympatric ground‐dwelling pheasant species, emphasizing that species interactions and coexistence within a guild are often not uni‐dimensional. Given global conservation concern for maintaining bird diversity, we recommend further restriction of yak grazing in these species’ habitat.     

Phylogenetic relationships of four endemic genera of the Phasianidae in China based on mitochondrial DNA control-region genes

The taxonomic status of some genera within the Phasianidae remains controversial. To demonstrate the phylogenetic relationships of four endemic genera (Tetraophasis, Ithaginis, Crossoptilon and Chrysolophus) and other 11 genera of Phasianidae in China, a total of 1070 nucleotides of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control-region genes were sequenced. There are 376 variable sites including 345 parsimony sites. The genetic distance ranged from 0.067 (Chrysolophus and Phasianus) to 0.181 (Perdix and Bambusicola) among the 15 genera. Maximum likelihood method was used to construct a phylogenetic tree, which grouped all the genera into two deeply divergent clades. Perdix was shown to be a non-partridge genus. Alternatively, it appears ancestral to either partridges or pheasants. The sibling taxa of the four endemic genera were Lophophorus, Tragopan, Lophura and Phasianus, respectively. Calibrated rates of molecular evolution suggested that the divergence time between the four genera and related taxa was 4.00–5.00 million years ago, corresponding to the Pliocene. Considering their molecular phylogenetics, fossil and geographical distribution patterns, the four endemic genera might have originated in the southwestern mountains in China.     

Complete mitochondrial genome of ring-necked pheasant Phasianus colchicus alaschanicus from China's Helan Mountains and description of its phylogenetic relationships in Galliformes

Phasianus colchicus alaschanicus, Phasianidae, Galliformes is known only from the Helan Mountains of Ningxia and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regions, China. Due to few studies on this subspecies, the taxonomic status of Phasianus colchicus alaschanicus in Galliformes is unclear. We sequenced the mitochondrial genome of one P. c. alaschanicus and downloaded 36 species of 22 genera from GeneBank to construct a phylogenetic tree based on the Maximum Likelihood (ML) method. The mitochondrial genome sequence length of P. c. alaschanicus was 16,688 bp with a base composition of 30.6% A, 25.3% T, 30.8% C, and 13.3% G, including two rRNA genes (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA), 22 tRNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, and a control region. We confirmed the genetic classification status of P. c. alaschanicus in Galliformes. The Phasianidae formed a complex clade, which could be separated into eighteen lineages. P. c. alaschanicus was a sister group of the remaining taxa (posterior probabilities 100% in ML).