广西猫儿山地区鸟类组成及垂直分布格局

猫儿山是华南地区的最高峰,为了了解其鸟类随着海拔高度变化的规律,利用网捕法和样线法对猫儿山地区的鸟类组成及分布格局进行了研究。结果表明,猫儿山地区共有鸟类268种,隶属于16目51科,其中留鸟130种,夏候鸟51种,冬候鸟15种,旅鸟72种。依据不同海拔的典型植被类型把猫儿山地区分成7类生境,其中低海拔的农田生境鸟类多样性最丰富,有156种。随着海拔的升高,猫儿山鸟类种数逐渐减少,G-F指数也表现相似的规律。猫儿山鸟类在区系组成上主要以东洋界鸟类为主,在181种繁殖鸟中,东洋界鸟类有149种,古北界鸟类有15种,其余为广布种。随着海拔的升高,东洋界的鸟类所占的比例逐渐降低,而古北界的鸟类所占的比例逐渐升高。猫儿山鸟类组成的垂直分布格局的形成是多种因素共同作用的结果。     

Decreased response or alternative defensive strategies in escape: two different types of long-term memory in the crab Chasmagnathus

An opaque screen moving overhead elicits an escape response in the crab Chasmagnathus that after a few presentations habituates for a long period (long-term habituation). Two types of long-term habituation were previously described: the (context-signal)-long-term habituation yielded by spaced training – context dependent, cycloheximide sensitive and long lasting; and the (signal)-long-term habituation yielded by massed training – context independent, cycloheximide insensitive and shorter lasting. Present research is focused on the defensive strategies crabs display during acquisition of both long-term habituations, using video analysis as the main method of study. Aside from the escape response, Chasmagnathus shows a rigid motionless display, an alternative defensive response we term freezing response. The escape response is predominantly exhibited at night and in summer months, while freezing occurs during day light hours and in winter months. During acquisition of (signal)-long-term habituation, the escape response vanishes without being replaced by freezing. During acquisition of (context-signal)-long-term habituation, the escape response vanishes and is replaced by a strong freezing that finally becomes the only defensive strategy. The former, but not the latter, meets the current concept of habituation. Accepted: 1 December 1998     

Use of Hyperspectral Imagery to Assess Cryptic Color Matching in Sargassum Associated Crabs

Mats of the pelagic macroalgae Sargassum represent a complex environment for the study of marine camouflage at the air-sea interface. Endemic organisms have convergently evolved similar colors and patterns, but quantitative assessments of camouflage strategies are lacking. Here, spectral camouflage of two crab species (Portunus sayi and Planes minutus) was assessed using hyperspectral imagery (HSI). Crabs matched Sargassum reflectance across blue and green wavelengths (400–550 nm) and diverged at longer wavelengths. Maximum discrepancy was observed in the far-red (i.e., 675 nm) where Chlorophyll a absorption occurred in Sargassum and not the crabs. In a quantum catch color model, both crabs showed effective color matching against blue/green sensitive dichromat fish, but were still discernible to tetrachromat bird predators that have visual sensitivity to far red wavelengths. The two species showed opposing trends in background matching with relation to body size. Variation in model parameters revealed that discrimination of crab and background was impacted by distance from the predator, and the ratio of cone cell types for bird predators. This is one of the first studies to detail background color matching in this unique, challenging ecosystem at the air-sea interface.     

More Meditation,Less Habituation? The Effect of Mindfulness Practice on the Acoustic Startle Reflex

BackgroundMindfulness as a mode of sustained and receptive attention promotes openness to each incoming stimulus, even if repetitive and/or aversive. Mindful attention has been shown to attenuate sensory habituation in expert meditators; however, others were not able to replicate this effect. The present study used acoustic startle reflex to investigate the effect of mindfulness practice intensity on sensory habituation.MethodsAuditory Startle Response (ASR) to 36 startling probes (12 trials x 3 block with 40ms inter-block intervals), was measured using electromyography (EMG) in three groups of participants (N = 12/group): meditation-naïve, moderate practice, and intensive practice.ResultsIntensive practice group showed attenuated startle habituation as evidenced by significantly less habituation over the entire experiment relative to the meditation-naïve and moderate practice groups. Furthermore, there was a significant linear effect showing between-block habituation in meditation-naïve and moderate practice groups, but not in the intensive practice group. However, the Block x Group interaction between the intensive practice and the meditation-naive groups was not significant. Moderate practice group was not significantly different from the meditation-naïve in the overall measure of habituation, but showed significantly stronger habituation than both meditation-naïve and intensive practice groups in Block 1. Greater practice intensity was significantly correlated with slower overall habituation and habituation rate in Blocks 2 and 3 in the intensive, but not in the moderate, practice group.ConclusionsThe study provides tentative evidence that intensive mindfulness practice attenuates acoustic startle habituation as measured by EMG, but the effect is modest. Moderate practice, on the other hand, appears to enhance habituation, suggesting the effect of mindfulness practice on startle habituation might be non-liner. Better understanding of the effect of mindful attention on startle habituation may shed new light on sensory information processing capacity of the human brain and its potential for de-automatisation of hard-wired processes.     

Prey or play: interactions between walruses and seabirds

Several anecdotal reports indicate that walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) occasionally attack seabirds, which potentially impacts local bird populations. However, the manner in which walruses interact with seabirds and the motivational basis of such interactions have not been investigated. Here, we describe and characterize the behaviour of wild Pacific walruses (O. r. divergens) directed at seabirds in water near the summer haulout in the Chukchi Sea. Although most walruses showed no interest in seabirds nearby, some individuals intentionally approached them both alone and in groups. A total of 74 seabird encounters for 71 individually identified walruses were registered. Behavioural analysis based on detailed observations, photography and video recording showed that the most common types of walrus behaviour toward a bird were approach by surfacing and splash, approach by surfacing and hit and attack from below. Immature individuals initiated 82% of encounters. The motivation to approach a bird was low in adult individuals, with the majority of encounters involving adults initiated by males. Walrus encounters with live birds showed a very low rate of bird kill. Encounters with dead birds were followed by further manipulations with bird carcasses, which included both the consumption of bird soft tissue and object play taking the form of drop–catch behaviour. In addition eight cases of the object-oriented play with a bird carcass in a group of walruses were observed. Object play in wild walruses is reported for the first time. Our results indicate that in seabird encounters, walruses display diverse behavioural patterns, not limited to predatory responses.     

Bird schistosomes in planorbid snails in the Czech Republic

Bird schistosomes have been in focus as causative agents of cercarial dermatitis of humans in the last years; however, our knowledge of their species spectrum and intermediate host specificity is still insufficient. Our study focused on bird schistosomes developing in planorbid snails that have been less studied so far. From 2001 to 2010, cercariae of bird schistosomes were found in four snail species (Gyraulus albus, Segmentina nitida, Anisus vortex and Planorbis planorbis) from seven localities in the Czech Republic. Based on morphology and results of molecular analysis, the isolates found belong to at least six species. Five of them are probably undescribed species, and one species appears to be identical with Gigantobilharzia vittensis Reimer, 1963 (syn. G. suebica Dönges, 1964). The finding from S. nitida represents the first report of a bird schistosome from this snail.     

Habitat Fragmentation and Ecological Traits Influence the Prevalence of Avian Blood Parasites in a Tropical Rainforest Landscape

In the tropical rainforests of northern Australia, we investigated the effects of habitat fragmentation and ecological parameters on the prevalence of blood-borne parasites (Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) in bird communities. Using mist-nets on forest edges and interiors, we sampled bird communities across six study sites: 3 large fragments (20–85 ha) and 3 continuous-forest sites. From 335 mist-net captures, we recorded 28 bird species and screened 299 bird samples with PCR to amplify and detect target DNA. Of the 28 bird species sampled, 19 were infected with Plasmodium and/or Haemoproteus and 9 species were without infection. Over one third of screened birds (99 individuals) were positive for Haemoproteus and/or Plasmodium. In forest fragments, bird capture rates were significantly higher than in continuous forests, but bird species richness did not differ. Unexpectedly, we found that the prevalence of the dominant haemosporidian infection, Haemoproteus, was significantly higher in continuous forest than in habitat fragments. Further, we found that ecological traits such as diet, foraging height, habitat specialisation and distributional ranges were significantly associated with blood-borne infections.     

Interictal Neurocognitive Processing of Visual Stimuli in Migraine: Evidence from Event-Related Potentials

Research has established decreased sensory habituation as a defining feature in migraine, while decreased cognitive habituation has only been found with regard to cognitive assessment of the relative probability of the occurrence of a stimulus event. Our study extended the investigation of interictal habituation in migraine to include cognitive processing when viewing of a series of visually-complex images, similar to those we encounter on the internet everyday. We examined interictal neurocognitive function in migraine from a habituation perspective, using a novel paradigm designed to assess how the response to a series of images changes over time. Two groups of participants--migraineurs (N = 25) and non-migraine controls (N = 25)--were asked to view a set of 232 unfamiliar logos in the context of a target identification task as their brain electrical responses were recorded via event-related potentials (ERPs). The set of logos was viewed serially in each of 10 separate trial blocks, with data analysis focusing on how the ERP responses to the logos in frontal electrodes from 200-600 ms changed across time within each group. For the controls, we found that the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP) ERP component elicited by the logos had no significant change across trial blocks. In contrast, in migraineurs we found that the LPP significantly increased in amplitude across trial blocks, an effect consistent with a lack of habituation to visual stimuli seen in previous research. Our findings provide empirical support abnormal cognitive processing of complex visual images across time in migraineurs that goes beyond the sensory-level habituation found in previous research.     

鄱阳湖都昌候鸟自然保护区丰水期和枯水期鸟类多样性

2009年12月和2010年5月,利用样线法和同步调查法对江西省鄱阳湖都昌候鸟自然保护区的鸟类开展了调查,分析了丰水期和枯水期鸟类群落结构的特征及其差异.野外调查共记录到鸟类14目43科169种.丰水期鸟类有36科96种,枯水期鸟类36科135种.其中,国家重点保护鸟类17种.结合保护区日常监测到白鹤(Grus leucogeranus)、灰鹤(G.grus)、白头鹤(G.monacha)和白枕鹤(G.vipio)的分布记录,该保护区鸟类累计达173种.保护区枯水期鸟类以雀形目、鹆形目和雁形目为主,分别占枯水期鸟类种类总数的47.4％、13.3％和9.6％;丰水期鸟类以雀形目、鸻形目和鹳形目为主,分别占鸟类种类总数的58.3％、8.3％和10.4％.枯水期和丰水期鸟类物种组成存在明显的季节性变换.枯水期农田生境鸟类多样性最高,其次是草洲、沼泽和水体,泥滩生境鸟类多样性最低;丰水期农田和水体生境鸟类多样性基本相同.都昌候鸟自然保护区枯水期的优势种为八哥(Acridotheres cristatellus)、白头鹎(Pycnonotus sinensis)、灰椋鸟(Sturnus cineraceus)、麻雀(Passer montanus)和山斑鸠(Streptopelia orientalis),丰水期为白鹭(Egretta garzetta)和八哥.     

Habituation in in vitro soybean cultures

The habituation of soybean (Glycine max) callus can be induced rapidly, by exposing the tissue to small amounts (10⁻⁹molar) of compounds including 2.4-dinitrophenol and phenoxyisobutyric acid for brief periods of time. Such compounds reportedly exhibit antiauxin activity. Various soybean callus phenotypes have been isolated which continue to exhibit hormone habituation 14 months following the initiation of the experiment. Protein changes in habituated tissue under selected hormonal regimes were detected indicating changes at the level of gene expression. Habituated tissue exhibits hormonal autonomy in a manner similar to crown gall tissue, suggesting that such studies may help elucidate the mechanism of induction of crown gall disease and genetic transformation by Agrobacterium.     

Magellanic Woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus) sap feeding and its role in the Tierra del Fuego forest bird assemblage

Several woodpecker species feed on phloem-sap flowing from pecked trees. We report sap consumption by the magellanic woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus) inhabiting beech (Nothofagus) forests of Tierra del Fuego island (Chile). Magellanic woodpeckers drilled sap wells in N. betuloides trees close to their nests and also when they were moving in family groups. Three other bird species were observed foraging and competing for sap: the austral parakeet (Enicognathus ferrugineus) and two small passerines, the patagonian sierra-finch (Phrygilus patagonicus) and the white-crested elaenia (Elaenia albiceps). The abundance of these three bird species was greater in sites around sap wells than in other forest sites, suggesting that magellanic woodpecker is an important species in maintaining the Nothofagus forest bird assemblage.     

Molecular classification of Pakistani collared dove through DNA barcoding

Pakistan is bestowed by a diversified array of wild bird species including collared doves of which the taxonomy has been least studied and reported. DNA barcoding is a geno-taxonomic tool that has been used for characterization of bird species using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene (COI). This study aimed to identify taxonomic order of Pakistani collared dove using DNA barcoding. Purposely herein, we present a phylogenetic analysis of Pakistani collared dove based on 650 base pairs of COI gene sequences. Analysis of phylogenetic tree revealed that Pakistani collared dove shared a common clade with Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto) and African collared dove (Streptopelia roseogrisea) which indicated a super-species group in Streptopelia genus. This is the first report of molecular classification of Pakistani collared dove using DNA barcoding.     

If a bird flies in the forest,does an insect hear it?

Birds are major predators of many eared insects including moths, butterflies, crickets and cicadas. We provide evidence supporting the hypothesis that insect ears can function as ‘bird detectors’. First, we show that birds produce flight sounds while foraging. Eastern phoebes (Sayornis phoebe) and chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) generate broadband sounds composed of distinct repetitive elements (approx. 18 and 20 Hz, respectively) that correspond to cyclic wing beating. We estimate that insects can detect an approaching bird from distances of at least 2.5 m, based on insect hearing thresholds and sound level measurements of bird flight. Second, we show that insects with both high and low frequency hearing can hear bird flight sounds. Auditory nerve cells of noctuid moths (Trichoplusia ni) and nymphalid butterflies (Morpho peleides) responded in a bursting pattern to playbacks of an attacking bird. This is the first study to demonstrate that foraging birds generate flight sound cues that are detectable by eared insects. Whether insects exploit these sound cues, and alternatively, if birds have evolved sound-reducing foraging tactics to render them acoustically ‘cryptic’ to their prey, are tantalizing questions worthy of further investigation.     

Avian Magnetoreception: Elaborate Iron Mineral Containing Dendrites in the Upper Beak Seem to Be a Common Feature of Birds

The magnetic field sensors enabling birds to extract orientational information from the Earth''s magnetic field have remained enigmatic. Our previously published results from homing pigeons have made us suggest that the iron containing sensory dendrites in the inner dermal lining of the upper beak are a candidate structure for such an avian magnetometer system. Here we show that similar structures occur in two species of migratory birds (garden warbler, Sylvia borin and European robin, Erithacus rubecula) and a non-migratory bird, the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus). In all these bird species, histological data have revealed dendrites of similar shape and size, all containing iron minerals within distinct subcellular compartments of nervous terminals of the median branch of the Nervus ophthalmicus. We also used microscopic X-ray absorption spectroscopy analyses to identify the involved iron minerals to be almost completely Fe III-oxides. Magnetite (Fe II/III) may also occur in these structures, but not as a major Fe constituent. Our data suggest that this complex dendritic system in the beak is a common feature of birds, and that it may form an essential sensory basis for the evolution of at least certain types of magnetic field guided behavior.     

Does Sleep Really Influence Face Recognition Memory?

Mounting evidence implicates sleep in the consolidation of various kinds of memories. We investigated the effect of sleep on memory for face identity, a declarative form of memory that is indispensable for nearly all social interaction. In the acquisition phase, observers viewed faces that they were required to remember over a variable retention period (0–36 hours). In the test phase, observers viewed intermixed old and new faces and judged seeing each before. Participants were classified according to acquisition and test times into seven groups. Memory strength (d′) and response bias (c) were evaluated. Substantial time spent awake (12 hours or more) during the retention period impaired face recognition memory evaluated at test, whereas sleep per se during the retention period did little to enhance the memory. Wakefulness during retention also led to a tightening of the decision criterion. Our findings suggest that sleep passively and transiently shelters face recognition memory from waking interference (exposure) but does not actively aid in its long-term consolidation.     

Phenological differences among selected residents and long-distance migrant bird species in central Europe

The phenological responses to climate of residents and migrants (short- and long-distance) differ. Although few previous studies have focussed on this topic, the agree that changes in phenology are more apparent for residents than for long-distance migrants. We analysed the breeding times of two selected residents (Sitta europaea, Parus major) and one long-distance migrant (Ficedula albicollis) from 1961 to 2007 in central Europe. The timing of the phenophases of all three bird species showed a significant advance to earlier times. Nevertheless, the most marked shift was observed for the long-distance migrant (1.9 days per decade on average in mean laying date with linearity at the 99.9 % confidence level). In contrast, the shifts shown by the residents were smaller (1.6 days for S. europaea and 1.5 days for P. major also on average in mean laying date for both, with linearity at the 95 % confidence level). Spearman rank correlation coefficients calculated for pairs of phenophases of given bird species in 20-year subsamples (e.g. 1961–1980, 1962–1981) showed higher phenological separation between the residents and the migrant. This separation is most apparent after the 1980s. Thus, our results indicate that the interconnections between the studied phenological stages of the three bird species are becoming weaker.     

Early cell-wall modifications of maize cell cultures during habituation to dichlobenil

Studies involving the habituation of plant cell cultures to cellulose biosynthesis inhibitors have achieved significant progress as regards understanding the structural plasticity of cell walls. However, since habituation studies have typically used high concentrations of inhibitors and long-term habituation periods, information on initial changes associated with habituation has usually been lost. This study focuses on monitoring and characterizing the short-term habituation process of maize (Zea mays) cell suspensions to dichlobenil (DCB). Cellulose quantification and FTIR spectroscopy of cell walls from 20 cell lines obtained during an incipient DCB-habituation process showed a reduction in cellulose levels which tended to revert depending on the inhibitor concentration and the length of time that cells were in contact with it. Variations in the cellulose content were concomitant with changes in the expression of several ZmCesA genes, mainly involving overexpression of ZmCesA7 and ZmCesA8. In order to explore these changes in more depth, a cell line habituated to 1.5 μM DCB was identified as representative of incipient DCB habituation and selected for further analysis. The cells of this habituated cell line grew more slowly and formed larger clusters. Their cell walls were modified, showing a 33% reduction in cellulose content, that was mainly counteracted by an increase in arabinoxylans, which presented increased extractability. This result was confirmed by immunodot assays graphically plotted by heatmaps, since habituated cell walls had a more extensive presence of epitopes for arabinoxylans and xylans, but also for homogalacturonan with a low degree of esterification and for galactan side chains of rhamnogalacturonan I. Furthermore, a partial shift of xyloglucan epitopes toward more easily extractable fractions was found. However, other epitopes, such as these specific for arabinan side chains of rhamnogalacturonan I or homogalacturonan with a high degree of esterification, seemed to be not affected.     

Conservation potential of semi-natural habitats for birds in intensively-used agricultural landscapes

Agricultural intensification resulted in substantial loss of farmland biodiversity. Semi-natural habitats may be viewed as potential buffers of these adverse impacts, but a rigorous assessment of their capacity for supporting farmland biodiversity is lacking. In this study, we explored conservation potential of two different types of semi-natural habitats for birds in intensively-used agricultural landscapes – farmland hedges (i.e., linear strips of shrubby and tree vegetation) and open scrubland (i.e., scattered shrubs and abandoned orchards). Specifically, we tested whether the abundance and species richness of birds differ between these habitats considering various species traits, such as habitat affinity (i.e., forest, farmland and urban species), diet specialization (i.e., animal eaters, plant eaters, and omnivores) and conservation status (Species of European Conservation Concern). We found that open scrubland hosted on average 37.9 bird species and 122.6 individuals per 1 km² of the transect, whereas farmland hedges hosted only 19 species and 61.8 individuals per 1 km² of the transect. However, results have substantially changed if we considered the area of suitable habitat into account. More specifically, open scrubland hosted more bird species and individuals when we considered open habitat species and the area of open habitats, whereas farmland hedges had higher species diversity and individuals of woodland bird species when we considered the area of woodland habitats. Similarly, analyses of habitat affiliations of individual species corresponded to the whole-community patterns; and revealed that several woodland bird species were mainly associated with farmland hedges (e.g., Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs, Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos and Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla), whereas the open scrubland was preferred by open habitat bird species (e.g., Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra, Quail Coturnix coturnix and Skylark Alauda arvensis). These results demonstrate that semi-natural habitats, both open scrubland and farmland hedges, have large potential for promotion and conservation of bird communities within intensively used agricultural landscapes, as both may have represented suitable habitats for species with different ecological requirements. Therefore, management measures focused on the enlargement of the area of these habitats, in combination with suitable management (e.g., regulating the progress of natural succession in open scrubland; increasing structural diversity of existing farmland hedges), may substantially contribute to bird conservation within agricultural landscapes.