Salt gland function in the common eider duck (Somateria mollissima)

The function of the supra-orbital salt gland was studied in the common eider duck (Somateria mollissima). The maximum salt-secreting capacity was determined in (1) wild ducks which had been living in a marine environment, (2) ducks reared in captivity on fresh water, and (3) ducks from group 2 adapted to salt water. The maximum secreting capacity was found by infusing a solution of NaCl (1000 mosmol·kg^-1) at increasing rates, from 0.691 to 1.671 mosmol·min^-1. Freshwater-adapted ducks secreted at a maximum rate of 0.785 mosmol·min^-1 (1500 mosmol·kg^-1). Adapted to salt water they increased their capacity, and the best duck secreted at a rate of 1215 mosmol·min^-1 (1600 mosmol·kg^-1). The best wild duck secreted at a rate of 1516 mosmol·min^-1. Ducks in group 3 were used to examine the response to a hyperosmotic or an isoosmotic infusion. The amount of salt (NaCl) given per unit time was the same. Given a hyperosmotic solution their salt glands secreted at a high rate: 30 min after the infusion had stopped the ducks had excreted 94% of the sodium infused, 92.9% via the salt gland. Given an isoosmotic solution they secreted at a rate about half the infusion rate: 30 min after cessation of infusion they had excreted 73% of the sodium, 42.9% via the salt gland and the rest by the kidneys.Abbreviations A II angiotensin II - AV I arginine vasotocin - ED freshwater-adapted ducks - FW fresh water - SD saltwater-adapted ducks - SW sea water - WD wild ducks     

板栗“燕山早丰”幼苗光合与碳氮代谢对干旱胁迫的响应

干旱是影响燕山地区板栗树生长和产量的主要因子。为了在整株水平上研究板栗幼苗对干旱胁迫的响应,本试验以盆栽“燕山早丰”板栗幼苗为研究对象,通过模拟自然干旱处理22 d,测定叶片光合特性,根、茎、叶生物量、脯氨酸、丙二醛、碳、氮等生理指标变化。结果表明: 与正常浇水相比,干旱胁迫下幼苗根、茎、叶含水量分别显著下降18.3%、29.0%和62.8%,脯氨酸(355.0%～1586.7%)和丙二醛(41.1%～81.3%)含量显著上升(茎中丙二醛除外),但叶部非光化学淬灭系数和净光合速率分别显著下降49.4%和77.4%;同时,茎和叶中非结构碳水化合物含量分别显著增加21.4%和69.5%,根中增加幅度未达显著差异水平;根和叶中硝态氮含量分别显著增加28.9%和26.8%,茎中增加幅度未达显著差异水平;根、茎、叶中铵态氮含量分别增加了16.2%、12.9%、217.6%,但仅在叶部差异显著。综上,干旱胁迫对燕山早丰板栗幼苗产生了较严重的伤害,显著抑制了其光合性能,但能够通过增强体内碳氮代谢来提高其适应干旱环境的能力。本研究结果可为当地板栗抗旱性资源选育和栽培提供参考。     

Condition and coalition formation by brood-rearing common eider females

Partner choice is important in nature, and partnerships or coalitionswithin which reproduction is shared are the subject of growinginterest. However, little attention has been given to questionsof which individuals are suitable partners and why. Common eider(Somateria mollissima) females sometimes pool their broods andshare brood-rearing duties, and body condition affects caredecisions. We constructed a model in which females, based ontheir body condition and the structure of the joint brood, assessthe fitness consequences of joining a coalition versus tendingfor young alone. We tested the model's predictions by comparingdata on the condition of females in enduring and transient coalitions.Our model showed that the range of acceptable brood arrays ina female coalition decreases with increasing condition of thefemale, so females tending alone should be in better conditionthan multifemale tenders. This prediction is in agreement withprevious data. The model also predicts that females in goodcondition should join coalitions with females in poor conditionand not with other females in good condition. This predictionwas also supported by data: in enduring two-female coalitions,the positive correlation between the better female's conditionand the difference in condition between the two females wasstronger than would be expected by random grouping of females.In contrast, in transient coalitions of females, this correlationdid not differ from the correlation expected under random grouping.Model assumptions seem to fit with eider natural history, andthe model may prove to be a useful way to study brood amalgamationbehavior of waterfowl in general.     

Survival of Breeding Pacific Common Eiders on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta,Alaska

ABSTRACT Populations of Pacific common eiders (Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) breeding in Alaska, USA, have declined markedly over the past 40 years. We studied survival of adult female Pacific common eiders using capture—recapture of nesting hens at 3 sites on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD), Alaska from 1994 to 2004. We used data consisting of 268 recapture events from 361 uniquely marked individuals to investigate temporal, geographic, and environmental variation in adult female survival. Our results suggest apparent annual survival of adult eiders from the YKD was high (0.892, SE = 0.022) and spatially and temporally invariant (σ² = 0.005), a pattern consistent with other long-lived marine birds. Moreover, our results suggest adult survival may be functionally fixed for Pacific common eiders, and at the present, adult survival may be relatively unresponsive to environmental or management perturbations. Our data did not support hypothesized variation in survival relative to mortality factors such as predation on breeding grounds, physiologic costs of reproduction, and wintering conditions. Although changes in adult survival likely have a large potential effect on prospective population growth, our results suggest viable management actions aimed at increasing survival may be extremely limited.     

Eider females form non-kin brood-rearing coalitions

Kin selection is a powerful tool for understanding cooperation among individuals, yet its role as the sole explanation of cooperative societies has recently been challenged on empirical grounds. These studies suggest that direct benefits of cooperation are often overlooked, and that partner choice may be a widespread mechanism of cooperation. Female eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) may rear broods alone, or they may pool their broods and share brood-rearing. Females are philopatric, and it has been suggested that colonies may largely consist of related females, which could promote interactions among relatives. Alternatively, shared brood care could be random with respect to relatedness, either because brood amalgamations are accidental and nonadaptive, or through group augmentation, assuming that the fitness of all group members increases with group size. We tested these alternatives by measuring the relatedness of co-tending eider females in enduring coalitions with microsatellite markers. Females formed enduring brood-rearing coalitions with each other at random with respect to relatedness. However, based on previous data, partner choice is nonrandom and dependent on female body condition. We discuss potential mechanisms underlying eider communal brood-rearing decisions, which may be driven by the specific ecological conditions under which sociality has evolved in this species.     

中国板栗EST-SNP和抗栗疫病候选基因分析及同源比对

从壳斗科基因组数据库下载中国板栗的Unigene序列和基于这些Unigene序列开发获得的EST-SNP数据,分析发现,中国板栗EST-SNP的发生频率为4个/kb,在碱基置换类型上,C-T置换发生的频率最高,C-G置换发生频率最低,转换和颠换的比值为1.74∶1.对211个在中国板栗健康组织和感染栗疫病的染病组织中差异表达的基因进行基因注释和蛋白质结构域分析,结果表明,参与蛋白质代谢、对胁迫、生物和非生物刺激发生响应的基因所占的比例较多,并发现了大量的跨膜结构、信号肽、卷曲螺旋和蛋白激酶相关结构域.对这211个中国板栗抗栗疫病相关的候选基因和其Unigene序列进行同源比对,统计整理定位在具有同源性的Unigene序列上的EST-SNP,共有3023个EST-SNP标记.这批EST-SNP标记可为今后开展基于候选基因途径的中国板栗抗栗疫病居群基因组学研究和关联作图研究奠定重要的基础.     

Factors Influencing Nesting Success of King Eiders on Northern Alaska's Coastal Plain

Abstract: King eider (Somateria spectabilis) populations have declined markedly in recent decades for unknown reasons. Nest survival is one component of recruitment, and a female's chance of reproductive success increases with her ability to choose an appropriate nesting strategy. We estimated variation in daily nest survival of king eiders at 2 sites, Teshekpuk and Kuparuk, Alaska, USA, 2002–2005. We evaluated both a priori and exploratory competing models of nest survival that considered importance of nest concealment, seclusion, and incubation constancy as strategies to avoid 2 primary egg predators, avian (Larus spp., Stercorarius spp., and Corvus corax) and fox (Alopex lagopus). We used generalized nonlinear techniques to examine factors affecting nest survival rates and information-theoretic approaches to select among competing models. Estimated nest survival, accounting for a nest visitation effect, varied considerably across sites and years (0.21–0.57); however, given our small sample size, much of this variation may be attributable to sampling variation (s̀²_process = 0.007, 95% CI: 0.003–0.070). Nest survival was higher at Kuparuk than Teshekpuk in all years; however, due to the correlative nature of our data, we cannot determine the underlying causes with any certainty. We found mixed support for the concealed breeding strategy; females derived no benefit from nesting in areas with more willow (Salix spp.; measure of concealment) except that the observer effect diminished as willow cover increased. We suggest these patterns are due to conflicting predation pressures. Nest survival was not higher on islands (measure of seclusion) or with increased incubation constancy but was higher post-fox removal, indicating that predator control on breeding grounds could be a viable management option. Nest survival was negatively affected by our nest visitations, most likely by exposing the nest to avian scavengers. We recommend precautions be taken to limit the effects of nest visits in future studies and to consider them as a possible negative bias in estimated nest survival. Future models of the impacts of development within the breeding grounds of king eider should consider the influence of humans in the vicinity of nests.     

Habitat-specific clutch size and cost of incubation in eiders reconsidered

The energetic incubation constraint hypothesis (EICH) for clutch size states that birds breeding in poor habitat may free up resources for future reproduction by laying a smaller clutch. The eider (Somateria mollissima) is considered a candidate for supporting this hypothesis. Clutch size is smaller in exposed nests, presumably because of faster heat loss and higher incubation cost, and, hence, smaller optimal clutch size. However, an alternative explanation is partial predation: the first egg(s) are left unattended and vulnerable to predation, which may disproportionately affect exposed nests, so clutch size may be underestimated. We experimentally investigated whether predation on first-laid eggs in eiders depends on nest cover. We then re-evaluated how nesting habitat affects clutch size and incubation costs based on long-term data, accounting for confounding effects between habitat and individual quality. We also experimentally assessed adult survival costs of nesting in sheltered nests. The risk of egg predation in experimental nests decreased with cover. Confounding between individual and habitat quality is unlikely, as clutch size was also smaller in open nests within individuals, and early and late breeders had similar nest cover characteristics. A trade-off between clutch and female safety may explain nest cover variation, as the risk of female capture by us, mimicking predation on adults, increased with nest cover. Nest habitat had no effect on female hatching weight or weight loss, while lower temperature during incubation had an unanticipated positive relationship with hatching weight. There were no indications of elevated costs of incubating larger clutches, while clutch size and colony size were positively correlated, a pattern not predicted by the ‘energetic incubation constraint’ hypothesis. Differential partial clutch predation thus offers the more parsimonious explanation for clutch size variation among habitats in eiders, highlighting the need for caution when analysing fecundity and associated life-history parameters when habitat-specific rates of clutch predation occur.     

中国板栗居群间等位酶基因频率的空间分布

中国板栗21个自然群间等位酶遗传变异的空间自相关分析及F－统计分析结果表明：其多数等位基因频率在居群间呈随机分布模式,缺乏一定的空间结构;而部分等位基因表现为渐变或双向渐变的非随机分布模式,又具有特定空间结构。中国板栗遗传变异空间结构模式的形成可能是长距离基因流、自然气候、人类活动、地理距离隔离等诸因素综合作用的结果。文中还就居群等位基因分布格局的成因进行了讨论：在第四纪冰川后,中国板栗以长江流域中下游的孑遗中心为起点,等位基因分别沿着向北和向南的不同方向迁移形成现在的居群结构;季风气候和人类活动干扰是削弱居群分化的主要因素,而基于环境梯度的选择,是形成由北向南渐变分布的原因。