Using regional wildlife surveys to assess the CRP: scale and data-quality issues

ABSTRACT.   Evidence that the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has resulted in large-scale increases in populations of grassland birds is limited. Detecting large-scale CRP effects is difficult because agricultural landscapes are complex, dynamic systems where many concurrent changes are occurring across space and time, and CRP is only one of many factors influencing wildlife populations. Trying to isolate and quantify the contribution of CRP to large-scale population changes under these conditions is extremely difficult and tenuous. Data-quality issues affecting many large-scale monitoring programs exacerbate the problem. We use a case study of land-use and pheasant-monitoring data in Minnesota from 1974–1997 to illustrate these problems. In our example, roadside counts of Ring-necked Pheasants ( Phasianus colchicus ) were correlated positively with percent of CRP grasslands within 1.6 km of survey routes, but the predicted change in mean pheasant counts (pre-CRP vs. CRP) was negative in three of five regions despite the addition of up to 8% CRP grasslands. We also documented concurrent losses (1.8%–6.1% per year) of alternative reproductive habitats that apparently counteracted the positive association between pheasant counts and CRP abundance. These results illustrate the need for a more comprehensive evaluation of Farm Bill effects on wildlife, including commodity provisions that lead to conversion of pasture, hayland, and small grains to row crops.     

红腹锦鸡和红腹角雉活动节律——基于红外相机监测数据

红腹锦鸡(Chrysolophus pictus)和红腹角雉(Tragopan temmminckii)均为国家Ⅱ级重点保护鸟类。作为两种同域分布的物种,其生态位重叠程度及竞争机制尚不明确。为了探究上述问题我们从2012年7月至2014年11月,在陕西省佛坪国家级自然保护区的9条样线上布设52台红外相机对这两种雉类的集群现象、日活动节律、季节性活动规律和最适活动温区进行研究。研究结果表明:(1)红腹锦鸡和红腹角雉每年8月下旬开始集群,到第二年的3、4月份集群结束,冬季集群最为频繁,而夏季则分散在其各自活动区单独活动。(2)二者皆为昼行性鸟类,活动高峰均出现在清晨和傍晚,但时间生态位存在明显分化:红腹锦鸡有两个活动高峰,分别为7:00时和17:00时;红腹角雉活动高峰为6:00时、9:00时和18:00时。(3)对两种雉类活动频次的季节性差异分析发现,春季活动最频繁,其后依次是秋季、夏季和冬季。(4)红腹锦鸡和红腹角雉选择在接近当月平均气温的时间段出来活动,红腹锦鸡活动的温度范围在﹣4℃到19℃,红腹角雉的活动温度范围是﹣1℃到22℃;但不同季节间略有差异,两种雉类在秋冬季大多选择在高于当月平均气温的时间段出来活动,而在夏季的活动温度则要略低于当月平均气温。观测数据证实了两种雉雉类有通过错峰活动减少生态位重叠导致的竞争的现象,但并未见到二者间有明显的适应性温区分化。     

笼养雌性褐马鸡的静止代谢率(RMR)

利用“中型陆生动物呼吸仪”,在不同季节的不同温度下,测定了笼养雌性褐马鸡(Crossoptilon mantchuricum)的静止代谢率(resting metabolic rate,RMR)。RMR与环境温度(Ta)之间可用等式RMR=A BTa CTa^2进行拟合,得到了不同季节下的特定温度(special temperature)：春季22.6℃,夏季25.9℃,秋季22.2℃,冬季20.7℃。同时得到以下结论：笼养雌性褐马鸡的RMR在冬季最高,夏季最低,春季与秋季介于二者之间。     

一种从雉类孵化卵壳中提取DNA的方法

从鸟类已孵化的卵壳中提取DNA属于一种非损伤性取样技术,在鸟类分子生态学研究中具有广阔的应用前景。本实验以河南董寨自然保护区白冠长尾雉(Syrmaticus reevesii)和环颈雉(Phasianuscolchicus)已孵化的卵壳为材料,利用红细胞破碎液、蛋白酶K及RNA酶等试剂,对卵壳膜内的总DNA进行了提取,建立了一种提取高质量DNA的新方法。琼脂糖凝胶电泳检测显示,采用新改进的方法提取出的DNA条带清晰。同时,利用聚合酶链式反应(PCR)技术成功地从总DNA中扩增出两种雉类的线粒体DNA控制区(CR)片段,测序后与GenBank中同一物种的CR序列进行比对,结果证实了PCR产物的真实性。文中利用卵壳膜提取出的DNA,对一窝环颈雉的雏鸟进行了性别鉴定,其结果与根据形态特征进行鉴定的结果完全一致,均为3雄4雌,从而证实了从卵壳膜中提取DNA的真实性。该种DNA提取方法在雉类研究中将具有广泛的应用。     

以mtDNA细胞色素b基因探讨斑翅山鹑的分类地位

以线粒体DNA细胞色素b(mtDNA Cytb)基因作为分子标记,提取鸡形目雉科10个属18个样本的DNA,PCR扩增自动测序,获得序列长度828bp。将山鹑属中的斑翅山鹑(Perdix dauuricae)与其近缘属排序对比,分别以角叫鸭(Anhima cornuta)和海龟(Kachuga dhongoka)为外群,用邻接法、最大简约法和最小进化法构建分子系统发生树。邻接法构建的系统树显示斑翅山鹑与雉聚类,核苷酸序列差异值斑翅山鹑与环颈雉为15．2％,与石鸡为16．1％。分析认为在雉科中斑翅山鹑与雉类更接近,而与真正的鹑亲缘关系较远。同时以mtDNA分析鸟类系统发生时海龟更适合作为外群。以角叫鸭为外群加入西方松鸡(Tetrao urogallus)时,则斑翅山鹑的分类地位不能确定,这可能与鸡形目的适应辐射有关。     

白鹇的人工养殖研究

白鹇是我国南方山区有人工养殖前景的羽肉型经济野禽。本文总结了８年多养殖结果,证实白鹇能在人工条件下顺利生长、繁殖。种群产卵期延长至３个半月,个体平均产卵达到１９．５枚,卵的量衡度明显增加,受精率达到９１．４％,孵化率达到８７．３％,１月龄雏成活率达到９３．７％。本文还提供了规范化养殖技术。     

白鹇距长与年龄关系的人工神经网络模型

注意到白鹇雄鸟距长在一定时期内随年龄增长的事实,运用人工神经网络的一典型模型──“反向传播”模型的改进形式,依据确知年龄和估计年龄的部分样本,建立了白鹇龄估计的神经网络模型,用此模型可以以实测距长初步估计标本和野外采集到的白鹇个体的年龄。     

陕西黄龙山林区褐马鸡春季觅食地选择

2006年4～5月,在陕西黄龙山林区采用样带法对褐马鸡(Crossoptilon mantchuricum)春季觅食地选择进行了研究.共测定了9条样带上的54个随机样方和54个栖息地利用样方的20个生态因子.结果表明,褐马鸡春季觅食期间偏好利用针阔混交林,避免针叶林和阔叶林;偏向于下坡位,避免上坡位和中坡位;偏向于中等坡度的山坡(10～20°),避免坡度较大和较小的山坡;对坡向没有明显的选择性.对利用样方和随机样方进行比较,发现利用样方具有海拔较低、与林间小路和水源较近、乔木种类较少、乔木密度较小、乔木最大胸径较大、乔木最大高度较高、灌木种类较少、灌木密度较小、食物丰富度较大、灌木层植物盖度较小、乔木层植物盖度较大、隐蔽级较小等特征.逐步判别分析表明,乔木密度、与水源距离、灌木密度、灌木种类、乔木最大高度、海拔具有重要作用,由这6个变量构成的方程在对繁殖季节觅食地利用样方和对照样方进行区分时,正确判别率可以达到97.22%.褐马鸡春季觅食地选择主要与食物条件、隐蔽条件和水源有关.     

Molecular and biological aspects of early germ cell development in interspecies hybrids between chickens and pheasants

Interspecific hybrids provide insights into fundamental genetic principles, and may prove useful for biotechnological applications and as tools for the conservation of endangered species. In the present study, interspecies hybrids were generated between the Korean ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) and the White Leghorn chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus). We determined whether these hybrids were good recipients for the production of germline chimeric birds. PCR-based species-specific amplification and karyotype analyses showed that the hybrids inherited genetic material from both parents. Evaluation of biological function indicated that the growth rates of hybrids during the exponential phase (body weight/week) were similar to those of the pheasant but not the chicken, and that the incubation period for hatching was significantly different from that of both parents. Primordial germ cells (PGCs) of hybrids reacted with a pheasant PGC-specific antibody and circulated normally in blood vessels. The peak time of hybrid PGC migration was equivalent to that of the pheasant. In late embryonic stages, germ cells were detected by the QCR1 antibody on 15 d male gonads and were normally localized in the seminiferous cords. We examined the migration ability and developmental localization of exogenous PGCs transferred into the blood vessels of 63 h hybrid embryos. Donor-derived PGCs reacted with a donor-specific antibody were detected on 7 d gonads and the seminiferous tubules of hatchlings. Therefore, germ cell transfer into developing embryos of an interspecies hybrid can be efficiently used for the conservation of threatened animals and endangered species, and many biotechnological applications.