青海省天峻地区藏原羚的食性分析

2005 ～2006 年草青期和草枯期我们在青海省天峻地区随机收集了藏原羚的粪样,并利用粪便显微分析法对藏原羚的食性进行了研究。结果表明,藏原羚采食共计16 科34 属43 种植物,其中草青期采食16 科33 属42种,草枯期12 科22 属30 种。豆科植物是藏原羚采食的主要类群,禾本科、菊科、蔷薇科和莎草科其次,豆科、禾本科、菊科、蔷薇科和莎草科等五科植物占藏原羚采食总量的90% 左右。不同物候期,藏原羚的食性变化明显,豆科、蔷薇科在草枯期所占的比例显著低于草青期,而禾本科、菊科和莎草科所占比例则显著高于草青期。     

蒙古野驴、鹅喉羚和家畜的食物重叠

采用粪样显微分析技术研究了新疆卡拉麦里山有蹄类自然保护区及周边区域蒙古野驴、鹅喉羚及家羊、家马和家骆驼3种家养有蹄类春季、秋季和冬季食性组成及食物生态位。结果发现：（1）蒙古野驴、鹅喉羚和家畜主要采食针茅、驼绒藜、蒿和梭梭,但是,它们采食的植物科数和种数都不相同,各植物种类在食谱中所占的比例不同;（2）各个季节有蹄类动物两两之间的食物生态位重叠均在0．8以上,最低为0．832（冬季鹅喉羚和家马）,最高达到0．986（秋季蒙古野驴和家羊;秋季家马和家羊）,五种有蹄类之间的食物生态位重叠度也达到了0．3以上。表明在卡拉麦里山有蹄类自然保护区,上述野生动物及季节性进入该自然保护区的家畜之间均存在食物竞争;冬季积雪深,食物短缺,荒漠有蹄类易因冻饿及疾病等造成死亡。因此,应采取限制秋冬季进入该自然保护区,家畜数量及调整放牧区域等保护管理措施,对该区域荒漠有蹄类动物实施有效保护[动物学报54（6）：941-954,2008]。     

New perspectives in diet analysis based on DNA barcoding and parallel pyrosequencing: the trnL approach

The development of DNA barcoding (species identification using a standardized DNA sequence), and the availability of recent DNA sequencing techniques offer new possibilities in diet analysis. DNA fragments shorter than 100-150 bp remain in a much higher proportion in degraded DNA samples and can be recovered from faeces. As a consequence, by using universal primers that amplify a very short but informative DNA fragment, it is possible to reliably identify the plant taxon that has been eaten. According to our experience and using this identification system, about 50% of the taxa can be identified to species using the trnL approach, that is, using the P6 loop of the chloroplast trnL (UAA) intron. We demonstrated that this new method is fast, simple to implement, and very robust. It can be applied for diet analyses of a wide range of phytophagous species at large scales. We also demonstrated that our approach is efficient for mammals, birds, insects and molluscs. This method opens new perspectives in ecology, not only by allowing large-scale studies on diet, but also by enhancing studies on resource partitioning among competing species, and describing food webs in ecosystems.     

A multivariate statistical study of skull measurements of five taxa of gazelles

A multivariate analysis using canonical variates and the D² test show that five taxa of Palaearctic gazelles examined are distinct. Several forms of gazelles of dubious taxonomic position were also compared on the canonical axes, with conclusions not dissimilar to those of recent workers on the Arabian gazelles, viz. that there are three distinct species in the Arabian peninsula; Gazella dorcas saudiya, Gazella gazella arabica and Gazella subgutturosa marica. Gazella dorcas populations in Somalia have a local form in G. dorcas pelzelni distinct in horns but not in skull measurements from Gazella spekei in the nearby highlands.     

Time allocation and patterns of activity of the dorcas gazelle (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Gazella dorcas</Emphasis>) in a sahelian habitat

The patterns of activity are a reflection of the adaptation of a species to its habitat. This study reports the patterns of activity and time allocation of the dorcas gazelle following their reintroduction process from the captivity to semi-wild conditions in a sahelian habitat. Activity of three adult males was recorded using GPS collars equipped with a temperature sensor and acceleration sensors recording in two channels, forward–backward (X-axis) and sideways (Y-axis). Collars delivered data for 59, 139 and 151 days. The aim of this work is to assess the ability of dorcas gazelle to adapt its activity schedule to a changing environment. The main activity behaviour observed is resting (59.8 ± 23.9%), followed by feeding (20.9 ± 10.9%), displacement (15.1 ± 14.1%) and running (3.9 ± 5.5%). If resting time is eliminated, the gazelles invest most of their time in feeding (61.0 ± 21.3%) and displacements (30.8 ± 15.6%) and only 7.6 ± 0.6% in running. The dorcas gazelle exhibit three patterns of activity: one diurnal with maximum activity in the central hours of the day, which accounts during the dry-cool season (December, January and February); a bimodal pattern with maximum activity at dust and dark, resting in the middle of the day during the hot-dry season (April) and a transitional pattern in March. Temperature is the main driver of this change in patterns; when average temperature exceeds the body temperature of the dorcas gazelle, the pattern of activity changes from diurnal to bimodal. These results reveal the ability of the dorcas gazelles facing environmental changing conditions in their native habitat.     

Factors affecting the distribution of dorcas gazelle

The dorcas gazelle Gazella dorcas was very common and widespread in Tunisia. Nowadays, only some small isolated populations still survive in the desert areas of the southern part of the country. Factors affecting the distribution of this species in Tunisia have never been investigated despite the importance of such investigations for elaborating long-term conservation plans for the remaining wild populations. Using data on gazelle occurrence and on a set of habitat and human variables collected in south-eastern Tunisia, we aimed to identify the factors affecting gazelle distribution in this area. In particular, we investigated the relevance of habitat versus human factors for gazelle occurrence probability. As predicted, we found that human variables were the most relevant factors shaping the distribution patterns of gazelles in the studied area. Gazelles tended to avoid areas where agricultural development has occurred but did not seem to be disturbed by livestock. Overall, our results suggest that the occurrence probability of dorcas gazelle in southern Tunisia was mainly dependent on human presence and land use, rather than habitat characteristics. The recent intensification of agriculture in the more remote areas of southern Tunisia may thus constitute a serious threat to the conservation of this endangered species.     

Unveiling the Diet of Elusive Rainforest Herbivores in Next Generation Sequencing Era? The Tapir as a Case Study

Characterizing the trophic relationships between large herbivores and the outstanding plant diversity in rainforest is a major challenge because of their elusiveness. This is crucial to understand the role of these herbivores in the functioning of the rainforest ecosystems. We tested a non-invasive approach based on the high-throughput sequencing of environmental samples using small plant plastid sequences (the trnL P6 loop) and ribosomal ITS1 primers, referred to as DNA metabarcoding, to investigate the diet of the largest neotropical herbivore, the lowland tapir. Sequencing was performed on plant DNA extracted from tapir faeces collected at the Nouragues station, a protected area of French Guiana. In spite of a limited sampling, our approach reliably provided information about the lowland tapir''s diet at this site. Indeed, 95.1% and 74.4% of the plant families and genera identified thanks to the trnL P6 loop, respectively, matched with taxa already known to be consumed by tapirs. With this approach we were able to show that two families and eight new genera are also consumed by the lowland tapir. The taxonomic resolution of this method is limited to the plant family and genera. Complementary barcodes, such as a small portion of ITS1, can be used to efficiently narrow identifications down to the species in some problematic families. We will discuss the remaining limitations of this approach and how useful it is at this stage to unravel the diet of elusive rainforest herbivores and better understand their role as engineers of the ecosystem.     

Disentangling and ranking the influences of multiple environmental factors on plant and soil-dwelling arthropod assemblages in a river Rhine floodplain area

Floodplains of large rivers are among the most dynamic and diverse, yet most threatened ecosystems on earth. For a solid underpinning of river conservation and rehabilitation measures, it is critical to unravel the influences of the multiple stressors affecting floodplain ecosystems. Using canonical correspondence analysis with variance partitioning, we disentangled and ranked the influences of three floodplain ecosystem stressors (land use, flooding and soil contamination) on terrestrial plant and soil-dwelling arthropod assemblages in a floodplain area along the river Rhine in The Netherlands. We included five biotic assemblages: plant species (73 taxa), ground beetle species (57 taxa), ground beetle genera (29 taxa), beetle families (32 taxa) and arthropod groups at taxonomic levels from family to class (10 taxa). Plant and arthropod assemblages were primarily related to land use, which explained 19–30% of the variation in taxonomic composition. For plant species composition, flooding characteristics were nearly as important as land use. Soil metal contamination constituted a subordinate explanatory factor for the plant assemblages only (3% of variation explained). We conclude that the taxonomic composition of terrestrial plant and arthropod assemblages in our study area is related to land use and flooding rather than soil metal contamination.     

Diets of non-native deer in Australia estimated by macroscopic versus microhistological rumen analysis

Estimating diet is often an important step in understanding and managing the impacts of ungulates, particularly for non-native species, but there is uncertainty about whether rumen contents should be assessed using macroscopic or microhistological methods or both. Introduced sambar deer (Cervus unicolor) have a large and increasing distribution in south-east Australia, and there is concern about their impacts on native and non-indigenous plant species. We estimated the diets of 102 sambar deer harvested during 2007–2009 using macroscopic and microhistological rumen analysis techniques. We identified 105 plant species in the diets of sambar deer, 61 identified with both techniques and 22 identified only macroscopically or only microhistologically. Rumen species richness was 70% greater using the microhistological technique. Estimates of taxonomic (i.e., monocot and dicot) and functional (i.e., fern, shrub–tree, forb, climber, grass, and grass-like) group composition by the 2 techniques were similar. Shrubs–trees dominated the diet (macroscopic, 49.7%; microhistological, 52.7%), followed by grasses (macroscopic, 22.7%; microhistological, 17.5%) and ferns (macroscopic, 20.6%; microhistological, 22.2%). We identified 9 non-indigenous plant species, 2 of which we identified using only the microhistological technique. We detected seeds of the weed blackberry (Rubus fruticosus aggregate), sometimes in large amounts, only with the macroscopic technique, whereas we detected foliage of that species with both techniques. Both techniques classified sambar deer as an intermediate mixed feeder closer to a concentrate selector–browser than a bulk and roughage feeder. However, both techniques detected seasonal differences in the percentages of taxonomic and functional groups in the diet; sambar deer were more grazers in autumn and more browsers in spring. Our results indicate that both macroscopic and microhistological techniques may need to be used when it is important to identify plant species in the diet, as is often the case for non-native ungulates. However, either technique can be used to estimate broader taxonomic and functional diet composition, including feeding type. © The Wildlife Society, 2011     

Population differentiation and the effects of herbivory and sand compaction on the subterranean growth of a desert lily

Differences in level of herbivory can select for local adaptation and genetic differentiation of plant populations in different environments. Mean bulb depth of the desert lily Pancratium sickenbergeri, differs considerably among populations differing in the level of herbivory by the dorcas gazelle. The gazelle digs in the sand to remove most of the bulb of the lily. Deeper bulbs have less material removed by herbivory than shallow bulbs and have higher fitness. A possible confounding factor is the degree of sand compaction, which may retard the downward growth of the bulb. We conducted a common garden experiment with 2 sand types with seeds from source populations with different levels of herbivory. There was a large genetic difference among populations. Two of 3 analyses indicated that there was an interaction between population and sand type, indicating that there is a heritable component of plasticity.     

长江口东滩湿地斑尾刺虾虎鱼的栖息亚生境选择和食性差异

2015年7月至2016年6月每月在长江口东滩湿地西南水域的光滩、盐沼(以海三棱藨草为主)和潮沟3种亚生境进行斑尾刺虾虎鱼的样本采集,分析斑尾刺虾虎鱼的丰度和食性差异.结果表明:6—11月均采集到斑尾刺虾虎鱼样本,以幼鱼为主,其他月份未采集到.其中,7月采集数量最多,为71尾,11月仅采集到3尾.潮沟中共采集到93尾,分别是光滩和盐沼的5.2和4.9倍.6—11月斑尾刺虾虎鱼的平均体长和体质量均呈逐渐增加趋势.斑尾刺虾虎鱼主要摄食虾类、蟹类、昆虫类和多毛类等10大类30小类饵料生物.其中,虾类是最重要的饵料类别,并以安氏白虾等白虾属为主;蟹类以相手蟹属为主;昆虫类以小划蝽等蝽科昆虫成虫为主;鱼类饵料的质量百分比相对较高,但数量比例很低.不同亚生境斑尾刺虾虎鱼的饵料组成差异较大.7—11月斑尾刺虾虎鱼的摄食等级随体长增大而明显增大,秋末(11月)平均摄食等级可达3.不同亚生境间的斑尾刺虾虎鱼丰度差异与其摄食饵料不同有关.     

Dietary Overlap of Przewalski's Gazelle,Tibetan Gazelle,and Tibetan Sheep on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Abstract: We studied food composition and overlap among sympatric Przewalski's gazelle (Procapra przewalskii), Tibetan gazelle (P. picticaudata), and Tibetan domestic sheep (Ovis aries) in the Upper Buha River, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, using microscopic fecal analysis. The 2 gazelles forage mainly on plants from Leguminosae and Compositae families and domestic sheep feed mainly on Gramineae and Cyperaceae. The dietary overlap index between the 2 gazelles and Tibetan domestic sheep increased from 0.43 to 0.58 during the plant-growing period to 0.76–0.77 during the plant-withering period, which indicated competition for foods intensified during the food-limited season. Although the 2 gazelle ate similar diets, they might avoid food competition by occupying different foraging areas. We suggest reducing numbers of overwintering Tibetan domestic sheep on pastures to lessen survival pressure on the endangered gazelles during winters.     

Low variability of internal transcribed spacer rDNA and trnL (UAA) intron sequences of several taxa in the Festuca ovina aggregate (POACEAE)

Identification and classification of numerous Festuca species is still a difficult problem due to the close morphological resemblance. The most difficult fine fescues to identify belong to the Festuca ovina aggregate, which is the largest group in the genus Festuca. Many taxons are considered to be separate species based on quantitative taxonomic characters, differences in ploidy level or the structure of sclerenchyma cells. In order to evaluate the taxonomic value of DNA-based markers, sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) region and the chloroplast trnL (UAA) intron was performed in the ten most problematic fine fescues belonging to the Festuca ovina aggregate. Intraspecific ITS variants were found in a single case while in other cases only intragenomic ITS polymorphisms were detected with 1-2 ambiguous positions. Among the sequences of the trnL (UAA) intron even intragenomic polymorphisms were not detected in any of the Festuca species studied. Thus, the results do not support the species status of these ten taxa.     

Diet and biology of the laughing owl Sceloglaux albifacies (Aves: Strigidae) on Takaka Hill, Nelson, New Zealand

The faunal composition of two Holocene fossil deposits of small vertebrates provided new information on the diet and biology of Sceloglaux albifacies , a strigid owl endemic to New Zealand. The taxonomic composition and several measures of diversity of the prey accumulation are given. Most taxa in the deposit had a mass of 50-150g, but species up to 400g were also present. The owl was a generalist feeder, but the prey biomass distribution showed that a few taxa provided most of its energy requirements. Changes in the diet appeared to coincide with the appearance of Rattus exulans , the Polynesian rat, and the consequent decline or extinction of several prey. The ecologies of extant taxa represented in the deposit suggest that the owl was primarily a nocturnal forest species. Many prey taxa were terrestrial. Species richness was higher for both diurnal (by 50%) and nocturnal (by 63%) vertebrates in the deposit than in the present fauna around the site. Analysis of possible guilds in the pre-human and present faunas of Takaka Hill suggests that ground-frequenting taxa were most severely affected by extinctions; three guilds vanished entirely.     

Relative efficiency of fecal versus regurgitated samples for assessing diet and the deleterious effects of a tartar emetic on migratory birds

ABSTRACT We describe the deleterious effects of using an antimony potassium tartrate emetic to obtain diet samples from birds, and compare information obtained from regurgitated samples versus fecal samples in describing diets of autumn migrants. We also examined dose effectiveness in captive Dark‐eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis) subjected to the same emetic technique used in the field. Over 70% of migrants given an emetic at a study site in Idaho regurgitated useful samples. For 5 of 7 species analyzed, regurgitated samples produced significantly more arthropods per sample than fecal samples, and one species, Warbling Vireo, showed higher numbers of distinct arthropod taxa per sample. In most species, regurgitated samples accumulated arthropod taxa more quickly than fecal samples. However, increasing the number of fecal samples by 5–17 produced a similar number of taxa. Diet composition based on fecal versus regurgitated samples was generally similar, but there were significant differences. Two of 130 treated migrants died soon after treatment. Recapture frequency for treated birds was less than half that for untreated birds, but it is not clear whether this difference was due to treatment‐related mortality or emigration. Each treated bird that we recaptured had lost mass and this suggests a deleterious effect because untreated migrants tended to gain mass. In captivity, 18 Dark‐eyed Juncos were treated with emetic: 6 with the full mass‐specific recommended dose, 6 with half the recommended dose, and the final 6 with one quarter the recommended dose. All were alive 15–20 min posttreatment (recommended release time), but 17 of 18 died within 30 min after receiving the emetic. Together, our data suggest that although the emetic technique may be slightly more information‐rich in assessing diet, it is more harmful than previously reported especially in certain species and should be used only after adequate consideration of the immediate mortality and short‐term physiological effects on birds to be studied.     

中国特有蕨属扇蕨属（水龙骨科）的系统学研究

扇蕨属（Neocheiropteris）为中国蕨类植物4个特有属之一。自Christ建属以来,不同的分类学者对本属的范畴以及系统位置一直存有争议。本研究对扇蕨属和盾蕨属进行了形态解剖观察,并对扇蕨属及其近缘类群共14个种的4个叶绿体DNA片段：rbcL、rpS4 ＆ rpS4-trnS IGS、trnL intron ＆ trnL-trnF IGS以及atpB ＆ atpB-rbcL IGS进行测序,应用最大简约法（Maximum-parsimony）、最大似然法（Maximum-likeli-hood）和贝叶斯推断（Bayesian inference）对序列进行联合矩阵分析,并构建系统树。该研究从形态学和分子系统学方面都提出了支持扇蕨属和盾蕨属分立的证据。形态学研究显示扇蕨属和盾蕨属叶片分裂方式、叶被和侧脉特征迥异,支持扇蕨属和盾蕨属的分立;但两属根状茎鳞片的共同特征则反映了两属问的紧密联系。分子系统学研究表明扇蕨属与毛鳞蕨属和鳞果星蕨属构成姐妹群,其集合与盾蕨属构成姐妹群。综合形态学和分子系统学的证据,对扇蕨属的系统位置以及范畴进行了深入探讨,扇蕨属包括扇蕨和三出扇蕨,结合形态学和分子系统学证据对三出扇蕨的系统位置进行了初步探讨。     

Resource partitioning between ungulate populations in arid environments

Herbivores are major drivers of ecosystem structure, diversity, and function. Resilient ecosystems therefore require viable herbivore populations in a sustainable balance with environmental resource availability. This balance is becoming harder to achieve, with increasingly threatened species reliant on small protected areas in increasingly harsh and unpredictable environments. Arid environments in North Africa exemplify this situation, featuring a biologically distinct species assemblage exposed to extreme and volatile conditions, including habitat loss and climate change‐associated threats. Here, we implement an integrated likelihood approach to relate scimitar‐horned oryx (Oryx dammah) and dorcas gazelle (Gazella dorcas) density, via dung distance sampling, to habitat, predator, and geographic correlates in Dghoumes National Park, Tunisia. We show how two threatened sympatric ungulates partition resources on the habitat axis, exhibiting nonuniform responses to the same vegetation gradient. Scimitar‐horned oryx were positively associated with plant species richness, selecting for vegetated ephemeral watercourses (wadis) dominated by herbaceous cover. Conversely, dorcas gazelle were negatively associated with vegetation density (herbaceous height, litter cover, and herbaceous cover), selecting instead for rocky plains with sparse vegetation. We suggest that adequate plant species richness should be a prerequisite for areas proposed for future ungulate reintroductions in arid and semi‐arid environments. This evidence will inform adaptive management of reintroduced ungulates in protected environments, helping managers and planners design sustainable ecosystems and effective conservation programs.     

Montane Refugia for Endemic and Red Listed Dragonflies in the Cape Floristic Region Biodiversity Hotspot

One of the features of many endemic organisms is that they are highly spatially restricted, and habitat specialists. The Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve (KBR) is a major centre of plant endemism within a global hotspot, the Cape Floristic Region (CFR). Dragonflies in this botanical hotspot have a range of habitat specialization from narrow-range specialists to widespread generalists, with an unusually strong bias towards the specialists. A huge 53% of dragonfly individuals and 26% of taxa recorded are national endemics, and three species are Red Listed. Thus, a group of predatory insects, which are largely not dependent on plant composition, mirrors the level of habitat specialization and restricted distributions of the plants at the spatial scale of the whole reserve. Although some studies caution the use of one taxon as a surrogate for another, the results here show that at the reserve scale in this global hotspot there can be remarkable concordance, suggesting further studies on other taxa should be carried out to determine the full extent of taxonomic concordance in this irreplaceable area.     

Seasonal and between-sex differences in the diet of Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix

Capsule Dietary differences between sexes and seasons reflected diversity in plant availability and habitat preferences.

Aims To analyse Black Grouse diet through the identification of plant and invertebrate material found in the crop.

Methods Crops were dissected and the content categorized into plant species and components (i.e. leaf, stem, flower, fruit and seed). Multivariate analysis was used to test for seasonal, sex- or location-related differences in the diet.

Results Plant fragments accounted for 98% of the diet and included 53 plant species or taxa. Invertebrates made up the remaining 2%. Diet varied significantly between seasons and sexes. Both sexes ate more ericaceous shrubs in autumn and winter, with females eating more than males. The plant parts eaten varied seasonally. In summer, fruits, flowers and seeds were favoured over leaves, which dominated in winter.

Conclusions With few trees, birds were reliant upon Heather in autumn and winter.     

Utility of NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase for species-level evolutionary inference in angiosperm phylogeny: a case study in Saltugilia

NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase is a low-copy nuclear gene family. We have sequenced two regions from an idh gene (idhB) near the 3' terminal end. The first fragment encodes 4 exons and 3 introns and is between approximately 600 and 950 bp in length. The second fragment includes three additional exons and introns and is between approximately 1200 and 1500 bp in length. The phylogenetic utility of the two sequence regions was evaluated in Polemoniaceae with a focus on Saltugilia, an incipient species complex that lacks phylogenetic resolution among these same taxa based on nuclear ribosomal ITS and chloroplast trnL. Multiple sequences from several individuals, multiple individuals from several populations, and multiple populations from all Saltugilia species were sampled to evaluate the taxonomic level at which idhB was useful as a phylogenetic marker in this clade. Phylogenies based on idhB sequences were compared with topological resolution and clade composition in ITS and trnL phylogenies. Phylogenies based on idhB and idhB in combination with ITS and trnL are better resolved than any other phylogenies for Saltugilia published to date, and character evolution within Saltugilia is explored.