埃塞俄比亚Senkele Swayne保护区斯韦恩麋羚的种群现状与结构

于2005年10月至2006年4月调查了埃塞俄比亚森可勒斯韦恩麋羚保护区旱季和湿季斯韦恩麋羚(Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei)的种群现状与结构.根据植被类型、道路和沟谷,将研究区划分为5个区域,并且调查了保护区外的一块休耕农地.利用全部计数法计数了每个区域内的斯韦恩麋羚,在28 km2的区域内共统计到283只(湿季)和351只(旱季)麋羚,湿季和旱季的麋羚数量变化显著,其季节间差异是由旱季的出生高峰造成的.斯韦恩麋羚种群中雌性个体占42.7%、雄性占36.0%、幼羚占21.3%.某些区域的麋羚数量要高于其它区域,且无论湿季或旱季斯韦恩麋羚多集中在狼尾草高草地中.斯韦恩麋羚的种群结构随季节而变化,其大集群经常出现在湿季而旱季集群较小.斯韦恩麋羚的种群动态因保护程度的不同在不同时期呈不规则性变化     

芥菜型油菜与埃塞俄比亚芥杂种基因组原位杂交分析

原产于非洲的埃塞俄比亚芥(Brassica carinata,2n=34,BBCC)具有适应于炎热干旱地区种植等特点,是改良我国芥菜型油菜(B.juncea,2n=36,AABB)的重要种质资源。本研究用基因组原位杂交方法(GISH,Genomic in situ hybridization)分析了芥菜型油菜与埃塞俄比亚芥种间杂种花粉母细胞的染色体分离,发现在后期I染色体主要以17∶18类型分离,其次是16∶19,染色体落后现象偶然发生,其中B染色体组以8∶8的分离比率较高,表明不同来源的B染色体可正常配对分离。本研究表明,芥菜型油菜与埃塞俄比亚芥远缘杂交,通过染色体同源重组(B染色体间),以及部分同源染色体配对交换的方式(A、B、C基因组间),有可能将埃塞俄比亚芥优良遗传成分转移到芥菜型油菜中。     

埃塞俄比亚Senkele Swayne保护区斯韦恩麇羚的种群现状与结构

于2005年10月至2006年4月调查了埃塞俄比亚森可勒斯韦恩麇羚保护区旱季和湿季斯韦恩麋羚（Alcelaphus buselaphus swaynei）的种群现状与结构。根据植被类型、道路和沟谷,将研究区划分为5个区域,并且调查了保护区外的一块休耕农地。利用全部计数法计数了每个区域内的斯韦恩麋羚,在28km^2的区域内共统计到283只（湿季）和351只（旱季）麋羚,湿季和旱季的糜羚数量变化显著,其季节间差异是由旱季的出生高峰造成的。斯韦恩糜羚种群中雌性个体占42．7％、雄性占36．0％、幼羚占21．3％。某些区域的麋羚数量要高于其它区域,且无论湿季或旱季斯韦恩麋羚多集中在狼尾草高草地中。斯韦恩麋羚的种群结构随季节而变化,其大集群经常出现在湿季而旱季集群较小。斯韦恩麇羚的种群动态因保护程度的不同在不同时期呈不规则性变化     

暗绿绣眼鸟春季和冬季取食生态位初步研究

2014年10—12月和2015年3—5月在广西壮族自治区宜州市对暗绿绣眼鸟Zosterops japonicus春季和冬季的取食空间生态位进行了研究,主要记录暗绿绣眼鸟的数量、取食时段、食物种类以及包括取食高度、水平取食位置、取食方向等相关取食行为数据。结果表明,暗绿绣眼鸟为杂食性鸟类,主要采食植物嫩叶、果实,偶尔采食昆虫或花瓣。春季取食的植物有31种,食物生态位宽度为13.86;冬季取食的植物有21种,食物生态位宽度为11.75;春季和冬季的食物生态位重叠度为0.903。春季暗绿绣眼鸟在06∶00—09∶00取食频次最高(占42.93%),而冬季则是在09∶00—12∶00取食频次最高(占38.04%)。卡方独立性检验表明:春季和冬季暗绿绣眼鸟在取食时间和取食高度上的差异均有统计学意义(P0.05),在水平取食位置和取食方向上的差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。     

3个香蕉品种的果实淀粉形状与含量及风味物质比较

采用扫描电子显微镜对巴西蕉、宝岛蕉、红香蕉3个品种(AAA基因型)的淀粉颗粒形状及大小进行观察,并测定果实中总淀粉、直链淀粉、支链淀粉及风味物质的含量,以揭示不同品种间香蕉果实品质差异的内在机理。结果显示:(1)巴西蕉、宝岛蕉、红香蕉淀粉颗粒的形状分别为不规则三角形、圆形、棒形,大小分别为8.20~35.70μm、6.90~29.80μm、5.47~23.80μm。(2)巴西蕉、宝岛蕉、红香蕉总淀粉含量分别为(66.93±2.48)%、(90.38±2.46)%、(48.91±2.49)%;直链淀粉含量分别为(20.48±1.09)%、(21.48±1.08)%、(14.67±1.10)%;支链淀粉含量分别为(46.45±1.85)%、(68.90±1.25)%、(34.24±1.45)%;且3个品种总淀粉、支链淀粉及直链淀粉含量差异均达到显著水平。(3)巴西蕉、宝岛蕉、红香蕉Vc含量分别为(15.54±1.10)、(17.63±1.14)、(16.76±1.03)mg/100g FM;可溶性固形物含量分别为(15.50±0.22)%、(15.67±0.30)%和(16.17±0.30)%;糖/酸比分别为2.75∶1、2.74∶1、3.15∶1;差异显著性分析发现,3个品种Vc及可溶性固形物含量差异分别达到极显著、显著水平;巴西蕉和宝岛蕉糖/酸比差异不显著。研究认为,同一基因型(AAA)不同品种香蕉果实的淀粉形状、大小、总淀粉、直链淀粉、支链淀粉以及Vc和可溶性固形物含量均存在明显差异,为解释不同品种间香蕉果实品质差异提供了理论依据。     

集群数量和采食距离对储草期布氏田鼠警戒频次的影响

警戒行为是动物对环境中潜在危险做出的反应。为探究影响警戒行为的因素,作者在内蒙古锡林郭勒典型草原区进行了集群数量和采食距离对储草期自由生活状态下布氏田鼠(Lasiopodomys brandtii)警戒频次影响的实验。通过标志重捕法和人工去除法设定3个集群数量梯度(11只、6只和3只),利用人工食物站设置4个采食距离梯度(5 m、10 m、20 m、30 m),共12个梯度组合,每个组合分别观察60次采食过程,共计观察720次,并记录采食过程中的警戒频次。对数据进行双因素方差分析,集群规模和采食距离对布氏田鼠警戒行为频次均有极显著影响(P0.01)。随着集群数量减小,布氏田鼠单次采食的警戒频次显著增加;采食距离越远,单次采食的警戒频次越高;集群数量和采食距离之间还存在极显著的交互作用(P0.01)。集群数量增大意味着采食距离的增加,为保证储草效率,布氏田鼠种群会在增加集群数量和减小采食距离之间权衡,最终集群数量维持在中等水平,支持了最优集群理论。     

岩松鼠的食物贮藏行为

食物贮藏是许多动物对不可预见的食物供应变化的一种重要适应.岩松鼠(Sciurotamias davidianus)为中国特有物种,广泛分布于华北地区的山地和丘陵地带.作者在北京市东灵山地区建造半自然围栏(4 m×3 m× 1 m),以核桃(Juglans regia)和山杏(Prunus armeniaca)种子为备选食物,对岩松鼠(12只)的食物贮藏行为进行了研究.数据的统计分析采用SPSS for Windows进行.研究结果表明1)岩松鼠表现出集中和分散两种食物贮藏方式,而分散贮藏是其偏好的贮藏方式;2) 当遇到贮藏食物被盗窃时,岩松鼠倾向于搬运更多的食物进行集中和分散贮藏;3)岩松鼠没有在食盘就地取食任何一种食物;把食物搬离后,岩松鼠所取食的山杏种子数量明显多于所取食的核桃数量;4)岩松鼠只选择核桃进行分散贮藏;5)岩松鼠对核桃的搬运距离大于山杏种子.本研究结果提示,在自然条件下,岩松鼠对核桃和山杏的天然更新起着不同的作用[动物学报 51(3)376-382,2005].     

青海门源地区大鵟和雕鸮的食性比较

1999-2002年的6-8月份,在青海门源地区收集了大鵟和雕鸮的吐弃块(pellets)和残留食物(food remains),带回实验室进行分检鉴定、研究分析。大鵟食物中共有736个猎物,其中高原鼢鼠28只、高原鼠兔139只、甘肃鼠兔142只、田鼠科动物422只、雀形目鸟类4只、香鼬1只;各猎物对大鵟食物的生物量贡献率分别为14．26％、40．79％、17．39％、26．99％、0．22％、0．35％。雕鸮食物中共有330个猎物,其中高原鼢鼠17只、高原鼠兔77只、甘肃鼠兔44只、田鼠科动物183只、雀形目鸟类2只、红脚鹬2只、高原兔5只;各猎物对雕鸮食物的生物量贡献率分别为11．83％、30．87％、7．36％、16．00％、0．15％、0．62％、33．17％。雕鸮的食物生态位宽度与大鵟的食物生态位宽度相近,食物生态位高度重叠,但是它们捕食同种猎物的比例显著不同。     

红花蕉的繁殖栽培技术

红花蕉(Musa coccinea Andr.),又称红蕉、指天蕉等,芭蕉科芭蕉属多年生常绿丛生草本植物,原产于中国云南东部、广东、广西等地.目前,在欧美各国已广泛栽培.红花蕉株形潇洒,花序硕大,苞片鲜红艳丽,开花持久,是一种观赏价值极高的观赏花卉,在华南等温暖地区可种植于庭院墙角、窗前、假山、亭口或池边等地,极富南方特色,亦可盆栽观赏;其鲜艳挺拔的红色直立花序,又是极好的插花材料,可作切花观赏.     

赤腹松鼠采食选择的季节性变化

2008年9月至2010年8月,对广西宜州龙江河畔赤腹松鼠采食选择的季节性变化进行分析.赤腹松鼠对榕树的采食量最大,约占总采食量的36.53%,食物采食选择的种类存在显著差异(P<0.05),各季节采食的种类无显著变化(P>0.05);取食偏好分析、食物生态位宽度和重叠度结果表明,夏季的生态位宽度最大,为4.1545,秋季的生态位宽度最小,为3.5001,夏季和秋季的生态位重叠度最大,为0.9882,夏季和冬季的生态位重叠度最小,为0.9343.     

Growth, radiation use efficiency and yield potential of enset (Ensete ventricosum) at different sites in southern Ethiopia

Knowledge on the physiological parameters that determine the growth of enset (Ensete ventricosum) and on how these parameters develop over time and affect yield under field conditions is scarce. Field experiments were carried out at three sites in southern Ethiopia using suckers of several clones to generate crop physiological parameters and to describe the time course of leaf number, leaf area and plant height. Yield potentials at different sites were estimated using these parameters and weather data, and compared with the actual yield. Plant height and LAI increased faster at Awassa and Areka than at Hagereselam because of a higher leaf appearance rate associated with temperatures being closer to the optimum. The trend in plant height was best described by a logistic function, whereas the trend in LAI was best described by a logistic function only at Awassa and Areka. A high leaf appearance rate (0.18 leaves day^?1) during early growth at Awassa and Areka made it possible that leaves that were senesced during unfavourable climatic conditions could be rapidly replaced without strong fluctuation in leaf area index. At Hagereselam, however, the rate of leaf appearance (0.09 leaves day^?1) was too small to compensate for the decline in the number of green leaves per plant during adverse conditions and thus LAI fluctuated over the whole growing period. The trend in fraction of PAR intercepted was best described by a generalised logistic function. At 300 days after transplanting the suckers, LAI reached a value of 4.5 and enset clones intercepted 92–97% of incoming PAR. The mean extinction coefficient was between 0.56–0.91 and radiation use efficiency (RUE) ranged from 1.43–2.67 g MJ^?1. Dry matter kocho yield potentials of 17.1 to 33.9 t ha‐1 yr‐1 were estimated for enset clones. Important yield potential differences existed between clones mainly because of differences in radiation use efficiency that was probably partly associated with viral infection. The average ratio of actual yield:yield potential (0.24) was low mainly because of large losses associated with traditional fermentation techniques, yield reducing cultivation methods such as repetitive transplanting and leaf pruning, presence of diseases, lack of adequate fertilisation and shortage and uneven distribution of rainfall.     

Burrow patterns of the mole rat Spalax ehrenbergi in two soil types (terra-rossa and rendzina) in Mount Carmel, Israel

Complete burrow systems of the mole rat Spalax ehrenbergi (Rodentia; Spalacidae), from two sites on Mount Carmel in Israel, with different soil types (terra-rossa and rendzina), were excavated and described here for the first time.
A comparison was made of burrow structure patterns in the two soils and of the sexes, with special attention to the features of the feeding tunnels.
The pattern in the rendzina revealed longer burrows with a longer main tunnel and fewer branches per metre of the main tunnel, while the pattern in the terra-rossa revealed shorter burrows with a shorter main tunnel and a relatively higher number of branches. These differences can primarily be related to the different levels of food availability, which is higher in the terra-rossa. It is suggested that each of the patterns reflects the mole rat's ability to optimize foraging efficiency in accordance with its given food availability.
The average total length of the males' burrows was much greater than those of the females' burrows in the rendzina soil. It appears that food requirements determine different burrow features of the sexes rather than reproduction requirements.
Other tunnel features (e.g. structural complexity, depth and width, segment length and spatial arrangement) and the factors which may affect them, as well as burrow structure of young mole rats and evidence of the underground dispersion of young mole rats, were presented and discussed.
Many similarities were found in a comparison of S. ehrenbergi burrow features with those of other solitary subterranean rodents.     

Foraging strategy in a subterranean rodent,Spalax ehrenbergi: a test case for optimal foraging theory

Summary The foraging behavior of the subterranean mole rat Spalax ehrenbergi (Rodentia, Spalacidae) was tested according to the framework of optimal foraging theory. We compared the frequencies of food species hoarded in storage chambers of mole rats with the frequencies of these species occurring in the vicinity of the mole rats' nest mounds during the winter and spring seasons. In addition, we examined the food composition of several summer nest mounds. Laboratory observations were conducted in order to test the foraging behavior of mole rats under simulated subterranean conditions. The mole rat is a generalist and collects a variety of food species. Out of 33 plant species that were hoarded by mole rats in the 21 studied nest mounds, 61% (n=20) were geophytes, 21% (n=7) perennial herbs, 15% (n=5) annual herbs and 3% (n=1) dwarf shrubs. The frequency of each collected species in the 16 winter and spring nest mounds is in general accordance with its frequency in the mole rat's territory. This implies that the mole rat randomly samples the food reserve of its territory without special preference or directed search for a particular species. The collection or avoidance of any food item is not dependent on the presence or absence of any other food item. We suggest that the foragin generalism of the mole rat is a product of the constraints of a subterranean niche — the necessity to hoard food as much as possible in a limited time period and the high energetic investment of tunneling to the food items.     

Speciation and adaptive radiation of subterranean mole rats, Spalax ehrenbergi superspecies, in Jordan

The major initial mechanism of speciation in subterranean blind mole rats, Spalacidae, is chromosomal, primarily through Robertsonian rearrangements. Here we highlight another scenario of chromosomal rearrangement leading to ecological speciation and adaptive radiation apparently initiated by pericentric inversions and genie divergence to different ecologies in mole rats in Jordan. We analysed karyotype, allozyme, size and ecological diversity across the range of mole rats in Jordan from mesic Irbid in the north to xeric Wadi Musa (Petra region) in the south, a transect of 250 km. We examined mole rats for chromosome ( N =71), size ( N =76), and allozyme ( N =67) diversities, encoded by 32 loci, in 12 populations of the Spalax ehrenbetgi superspecies in Jordan. By a combination of chromosome morphology, genetic distance, body size and ecogeography, we identified four new putative biological species. All species (except two animals in Madaba) share 2 n = 60 but vary in chromosome morphology, caused by pericentric inversions and/or centromeric shifts. The 'north Moav' species is karyotypically polymorphic for 2 n (2 n = 60; including locally also two animals with 2 n = 62). The distribution of the four species is associated with ecogeographical different domains and climatic diversity. Genetic diversity indices were low, but like chromosome arms (NFa) were positively correlated with aridity stress. Discriminant analysis correctly classified 91% of the individuals into the four species utilizing combinatorially chromosome, allozyme and size diversities. It is hypothesized that mole rat evolution underground is intimately associated with climatic diversity stress above ground.     

Wetland food resources for spring-migrating ducks in the Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes Region

Wetlands in the Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes Region (UMRGLR) must annually sustain populations of migrating waterfowl from the mid-continent of North America. We used multi-stage sampling to estimate plant and invertebrate food biomasses (kg/ha) for ducks in 3 wetland habitat types at 6 stop-over locations in the UMRGLR during 2006 and 2007. Total biomass was greatest in palustrine emergent (PEM; = 208 kg/ha, SE = 23, median = 120), followed by palustrine forested (PF; = 87 kg/ha, SE = 7; median = 43), and lacustrine–riverine (LR; = 52 kg/ha, SE = 7; median = 27) wetlands. Ducks that foraged in forested and LR wetlands encountered the least food abundance during spring in the UMRGLR. Our estimates of food abundance were the lowest reported among other landscape scale surveys from mid-continent North America. About 1 in every 5 PEM wetlands and over half of our PF and LR wetlands that we sampled contained <50 kg/ha of food, suggesting many had little or no forage value to ducks during spring. Biomass of plant foods generally exceeded invertebrate biomass in all habitat types, although invertebrate biomass estimates exceeded plant biomass in 8 of 29 sites when considered by wetland type and year. Total food biomass estimates varied widely ( = 6–425 kg/ha) between years and among habitats; thus, using global arithmetic means to estimate food abundance for conservation planning obscures fine scale temporal and spatial variation that may be necessary for management on local and sub-regional levels. Distributions of food biomass estimates were right-skewed, causing us to question whether arithmetic means realistically represent levels of food abundance that all ducks encounter during spring migration. Alternative measures of central tendency (e.g., median) may be more biologically realistic, particularly if spring-migrating ducks are not distributed in an ideal-free manner with respect to food abundance. Future research should determine how ducks distribute themselves in relation to variation in food abundance in space and time during spring migration to strengthen the biological approach to conservation planning in non-breeding Joint Venture areas of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.     

Geographic variation in network structure of a nearctic aquatic food web

Aim The network structure of food webs plays an important role in the maintenance of diversity and ecosystem functioning in ecological communities. Previous research has found that ecosystem size, resource availability, assembly history and biotic interactions can potentially drive food web structure. However, the relative influence of climatic variables that drive broad‐scale biogeographic patterns of species richness and composition has not been explored for food web structure. In this study, we assess the influence of broad‐scale climatic variables in addition to known drivers of food web structure on replicate observations of a single aquatic food web, sampled from the leaves of the pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea), at different geographic sites across a broad latitudinal and climatic range. Location Using standardized sampling methods, we conducted an extensive ‘snapshot’ survey of 780 replicated aquatic food webs collected from the leaves of the pitcher plant S. purpurea at 39 sites from northern Florida to Newfoundland and westward to eastern British Columbia. Methods We examined correlations of 15 measures of food web structure at the pitcher and site scales with geographic variation in temperature and precipitation, concentrations of nutrients from atmospheric nitrogen deposition, resource availability, ecosystem size and the abundance of the pitcher plant mosquito (Wyeomyia smithii), a potential keystone species. Results At the scale of a single pitcher plant leaf, linkage density, species richness, measures of chain length and the proportion of omnivores in a web all increased with pitcher volume. Linkage density and species richness were greater at high‐latitude sites, which experience low mean temperatures and precipitation and high annual variation in both of these variables. At the site scale, variation in 8 of the 15 food web metrics decreased at higher latitudes, and variation in measures of chain length increased with the abundance of mosquitoes. Main conclusions Ecosystem size and climatic variables related to latitude were most strongly correlated with network structure of the Sarracenia food web. However, in spite of large sample sizes, thorough standardized sampling and the large geographic extent of the survey, even the best‐fitting models explained less than 40% of the variation in food web structure. In contrast to biogeographic patterns of species richness, food web structure was largely independent of broad‐scale climatic variables. The large proportion of unexplained variance in our analyses suggests that stochastic assembly may be an important determinant of local food web structure.     

Spatial and seasonal changes in the diet of Oligosarcus hepsetus (Characiformes, Characidae) in a Brazilian reservoir.

We assessed spatial and seasonal changes in the diet of Oligosarcus hepsetus in order to describe the strategy developed by this species that allows their very high abundance in Lajes reservoir, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Fish samplings were carried out using gill nets, deployed during ca. 12 and 24 hours, between April 2001 and May 2002. A total of 289 individuals were examined, of which 97 showed gut contents. We used the index of relative importance (IRI) to compare probable dietary shifts, and the frequency of occurrence (% OC) to analyze possible ontogenetic influences on feeding. O. hepsetus showed carnivorous habits, feeding preferably on fish and insects, the latter of which occurred in 71.0% of the guts presenting contents. O. hepsetus consumed different items along the three reservoir zones: insects (61.0% IRI) and Cichla monoculus (38.9% IRI) in the lower zone; Lepidoptera (57.0% IRI) in the middle zone; and C. monoculus (77.0% IRI) in the upper zone. Food items changed seasonally with C. nonloculus predominating in autumn 2001, and Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera in the winter. In spring almost all food was Lepidoptera (99.8% IRI), while in the summer Hemiptera dominated in the diet. In autumn 2002 Hemiptera (97.0% IRI) was dominant, in significant contrast with the previous autumn. Individuals smaller than 190 mm SL fed heavily on insects, while fishes predominated in the diet of individuals larger than 190 mm SL. Shifts in prey-capture ability among length classes suggest decreasing intraspecific competition. A higher food plasticity seems to be the strategy employed by this opportunist species, which used food resources available in the reservoir.     

Limited polymorphism of both classes of MHC genes in four different species of the Balkan mole rat

We analyzed the restriction fragment length polymorphism of class I and class II MHC genes in DNA from 20 individuals belonging to the four different species of the complex of species of Balkan mole rats Spalax leucodon captured at four different localities in Yugoslavia. All populations were tested with four restriction enzymes and one conserved mouse probe for each of the two classes of MHC genes. The probes employed detect either limited polymorphism of class I genes or lack of polymorphic bands containing class II genes. Of the two other subterranean rodents that have been studied, four karyotype forms of the Israeli mole rat show polymorphism in both classes of MHC genes similar to the one found in all other mammals (Nieti et al. 1985), and the Syrian hamster shows limited polymorphism of class I genes and high polymorphism of class II genes (McGuire et al. 1985). Balkan mole rats belong to a new group in this respect, different from all mammals studied so far, since they apparently show limited polymorphism of both classes of MHC genes.     

An analysis of the mole rats (Mammalia: Rodentia) from Langebaanweg (Mio-Pliocene, South Africa)

A study of the taphonomy and age profiles of the mole rat population from Langebaanweg ‘E’ Quarry was undertaken in order to see if these subterranean rodents had been accumulated by predation (coprocoenosis hypothesis) or as a result of drowning in their burrows during a flood event (catastrophocenosis hypothesis). Previous research has cited the bathyergids as being the most common rodent at Langebaanweg, however, a comprehensive study of new micromammal material indicates that murids, rather than mole rats, dominate most of the assemblages. The concentration of mole rat remains in many of the fossil-bearing levels at Langebaanweg is, nevertheless, still extremely high compared to other fossil sites or predation assemblages in the area. A taphonomic examination of mole rat incisor surfaces indicates that digestion occurs on between 44% and 54% of incisors in the different assemblages, and this, together with the degree of digestion suggests that category 1 and category 2 predators had been responsible for the accumulation of the fossil mole rat assemblages. The absence of rounding, polishing or weathering on the fossils indicates that there has been little or no transport by water, and that burial of the bones was rapid. Breakage and damage to the anterior portion of many of the mandibles made it impossible to accurately assess the age of the older mole rats, and the majority of mandibles could provide only a minimum age of the animal at the time of death. The age profile indicates that very young individuals are missing from the assemblages. This allows for refutation of the previously made suggestion that flooding was responsible for the death of the majority of Langebaanweg mole rats and also introduces the possibility that Bathyergus hendeyi may have been a social animal, unlike extant bathyergids which are solitary.     

Food and density limitations of the Seychelles Magpie Robin,Copsychus sechellarum,on Cousine Island

The critically endangered Seychelles Magpie Robin, Copsychus sechellarum, is one of the rarest birds in the world. At the end of December 1999, there were 88 individuals distributed on four small granite islands: Fregate, Aride, Cousin and Cousine. Little is known of Magpie Robin ecology in its natural habitat. Studies carried out on Aride, Cousin and Cousine are therefore valuable as each island is dominated by native woodland. The composition of Magpie Robin diet was compared between Fregate and Cousine. An exotic species of cockroach, Pycnoscelus indicus, and dropped fish were found to be considerably more important prey items on Cousine. Observations of chick food provisioning indicated habitat quality differences between the territories. Invertebrate and vertebrate food resources available to the Magpie Robin were sampled on Cousine between 1997 and 1998. Fourteen sites were sampled for invertebrates and fifty-two species from fifteen taxa were identified. There were significant differences between the mean number of species recorded per site and the mean number of animals found at each site. Skink density was estimated at between 1219-1516/ha and 354-538/ha for Mabuya sechellensis and Mabuya wrightii respectively. Invertebrate diversity and abundance was greatest in areas dominated by closed-canopy woodland on or near the coastal plain. These results explained the current distribution of Magpie Robin territories. The invertebrate abundance data were used to estimate the carrying capacity of the island for the Magpie Robin. Cousine could theoretically support up to six breeding pairs but it is questionable that a population of this size could be self-sustaining in the long-term.