Abstract:Tibetan macaque (Macaca thibetana), a rare primate to Shaanxi Province, has exhibited a rapid population decline throughout its range in recent decades. This study conducted from August to December 2013 that aimed to described the distribution, and age composing of this species in Micangshan National Nature Reserve, we choose special area as sample place by interviewed, and then starting to investigate by V-shaped transect route survey. When a group was observed, counting all individuals and recording the age and sex of group members, as well as the height at which the group members were observed, the habitat structure at that location. our survey revealed that one group of Macaca thibetana was living at deciduous broad-leaved forest in lower edge of the middle of mountain around Chayuan village (107°38′～107°39′E, 32°62′N, Height: 1 424 m～1 589 m, Figure 1), including about 35 individuals, which were composed of 46% adults (the exterior character of adult individual is identical to the photo in Figure 2) and the remainder (54%) un-adults, and the sex ratio of adults in the group was 2.4. Depend on this age composing, we deduced that the trend of this group was increasing. It was first time found that Macaca thibetana was distributed around the village of Chayuan, and perhaps to be slowly increased in Micangshan National Nature Reserve.

Abstract:The mammalian age determination is one of the basic aspects in the study of animal population ecology, while the method of rodent age determination has great significance in the prediction and control of rodents in practice. Although ecology, disease, evolution of Northern Three-toed Jerboa (Dipus sagitta) have been investigated in great detail, few studies have focused on its age determination.125 samples of Dipus sagitta (43 females and 82 males) in Hunshandake Sandy Land in Inner Mongolia from 2002 to 2003, were used to make age estimation according to carcass weight as a major indicator. We recorded Dipus sagitta samples of each capture the body length, body weight, carcass weight, propagation characteristics. The data on male and female individual carcass weight were analyzed by using t-test. Results show that the difference of male and female Dipus sagitta weight is not obvious (P>0.05) (Table 1). Using body weight without viscera as the standard, according to characteristics of the frequency distribution and the appearing time (month) (Figure 1), the Dipus sagitta can be divided into 3 natural age groups: group I (0-1 years old): body weight without viscera≤71g; group II (1-2 years old): 7190g. By inter-group differences t-test, adjacent difference between the two groups was significant (P<0.01)(Table 2). And as population age growth, the carcass weight increased, indicating that this division standard for the identification of Dipus sagitta age, with statistical significance. According to carcass weight as the division standard for each age group body weight, the data of body length are shown in table 3. Dipus sagitta in group I and II have a rapid growth in body length and body weight, while in group II and III, the body length growth rate decreased obviously. The method of identification Dipus sagitta age by carcass weight is relatively simple and accurate.

Abstract:To explore the effects of X-ray on Pancreatic tissue structure,content of serum insulin and serum pancreatic amylase activity of mice．Adult mice were randomly allocated to 1 Gy,3 Gy,5 Gy group and 0 Gy control group (20 mice in each group),each group of mice were given corresponding dose of X-ray radiation． The changes of the pancreas tissue structure were observed by optical microscope,the changes of serum insulin content and pancreatic amylase enzyme activity were determined with double antibody clip art and colorimetric method． Results showed that the X-ray radiation causes pancreatic tissue swelling,the nucleus get bigger,cell degeneration necrosis in mice;1 Gy radiation insulin levels were increased to different degree compared with the control group mice, significant or extremely significant difference;3 Gy and 5 Gy radiation mice insulin levels decreased compared with control group, significant or extremely significant difference;3 Gy radiation group amylase activity were increased to different degree than the control group in mice, significant or extremely significant difference;5 Gy radiation group amylase activity in mice decreased compared with the control group,the extremely significant difference．Results showed that the X-ray effect in pancreas organization structure and the content of serum insulin and serum pancreatic amylase activity of mice．

Abstract:Food resources are the most important material foundation and energy source for animal to survive. The Study of the food selection and utilization of birds in different periods, is of great importance for us to understand the plasticity and the ecological adaptability of feeding behavior of birds. In this study, we investigated the food composition and consumption of Varied tit(Parus varius) by observation, video recording and food provisioning experiment during April 2012 to October 2013. The results showed that the feeding habits of varied tit are significant differences between breeding and non-breeding seasons, and the Varied tit mainly eat arthropods in breeding season, but eat a wealth of vegetation and a small amount of arthropods during non-breeding season. In breeding season, the adults mainly eat arthropds including Lepidoptera, spiders, Coleoptera, and they also eat a small amount of Orthoptera, Heteroptera and Hymenoptera; while the diet of young chicks are mainly Lepidoptera larvae(67.86%), followed by spiders, Lepidoptera imago, Hymenoptera , Coleoptera larvae, and a small amounts of Orthoptera. We thought there ware significant differences in diet between nesting and adults, especially in the proportion of Lepidoptera larvae, in which the nestlings’ diet has a extremely high proportion. In non-breeding season, the diet was made up of plant seed(48.91%)and berries(51.09%), the reasult of 16 kinds of potential food applies a higher percentage of berries too. The differences between the food composition and the plasticity of diets may be due to the seasonal changes of the food supply and energy consideration, but the impact of the seasonal variation in the abundance of food resources in the natural habitats on the food choice of Varied tits is still needed further research.

Abstract:The No.264 Important Bird Area (IBA) situates at Mengzi Basin, Yunnan. However, the data on avian diversity is deficient. From 2006 to 2014, bird surveys had been conducted around three lakes (the Changqiaohai, the Datunhai, and the Sanjiaohai Lake) in Mengzi Basin, southeast Yunnan, during late January and early February. During the study period, waterbird monitoring by direct census was conducted by the same team at 12 sites around the three lakes. The number of waterbird species, density, Anseriformes birds, Ciconiformes birds and coot were applied to Man-Kendall (MK) test to reveal the trends over the study period. The Shannon-Wiener, Pielou and Dominance indices of the waterbirds in each lake were calculated. 63 species of water birds belonging to 33 genus of 12 families had been recorded in totall. There were 1 species of 1st class national protected animals (Ciconia nigra), 2 species of 2nd class national protected animals (Platalea leucorodia and Plegadis falcinellus), 1 Critically Endangered species (Aythya baeri), and 4 Near-Threatened species. The Changqiaohai Lake accommodated the most numerous species and the largest number of individuals, but the Shannon-Wiener index value is low and the Dominance Index value is high. The Sanjiaohai Lake accommodated numerous species, and the Shannon-Wiener index value is high and the Dominance Index value is low. Few water birds occurred at the Datunhai Lake. The results of MK test revealed that no significant change occurred to the species number and density of individual waterbird in the three lakes, while the number of Anseriformes birds showed a slight downwards trend and the number of Ciconiformes birds showed a significant downwards trend. The number of coot showed no obvious trend. Considering the protected species and large flocks of ciconiformes birds occurring at the Sanjiaohai Lake, the range of No. 264 IBA should be extended.

Abstract:Basal metabolic rate (BMR, seen as the body’s physiological maintenance cost) is thought to be a major hub of physiological mechanisms connecting life history characteristics, and evaporative water loss (EWL) is a physiological indicator used to measure water relations in inter– or intraspecific studies of birds. In this study, we examined body temperature (Tb), metabolic rate (MR) and EWL at ambient temperatures (Ta) between 5 and 35 ?C in summer–acclimatized Chinese bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis) that were captured in Wenzhou . Experiments were carried out in July 2011. Body mass was determined immediately upon capture with a balance, and the mean body mass was 29.6 ± 1.7 g. Animals were transported to the laboratory and caged for 1 week (50 cm × 30 cm × 20 cm) outdoors under natural photoperiod and temperature. Birds’ metabolic rates were measured with an open–circuit respirometry system. A ‘U’ tube (containing silica gel) was connected in series behind the respiratory chamber and weighed (±0.1mg). The amount of evaporative water lost by each bird was absorbed by the silica gel and could therefore be measured by reweighing the U tube at the end of the measurement. We found that mean Tb was 40.7±0.1?C and average minimum thermal conductance (C) was 0.15 ml O2 g-1 h-1 ?C-1. The thermal neutral zone (TNZ) was 25.0~32.0?C and BMR was 3.67±0.03 ml O2 g-1 h-1. Below the lower critical temperature of the TNZ, MR increased linearly with decreasing Ta according to the relationship: MR (ml O2 g-1 h-1) = 5.296–0.068 Ta. EWL increased with Ta according to the relationship: Log EWL (mg H2O h-1) =1.563 0.021 Ta which exceeded metabolic water production at Ta > 16.4?C. Chinese bulbuls had lower levels of BMR and high levels of thermal conductance, compared with the predicted values based on their body masses, and it also had wide TNZ. It suggests that EWL plays an important role in thermoregulation

Abstract:The avian eggshell provides a protective barrier for the developing embryo, its traits such as eggshell thickness and porosity are known to be ecologically important. This paper studied characteristics of eggs and eggshells of 7 passerine species breeding in alpine meadow, Qinghai-Tibetan plateau: Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris), Oriental Skylark (Alauda gulgula), Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola), Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus), Rosy Pipit (Anthus roseatus), Twite (Carduelis flavirostris) and Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) from May to August in 2013, to explore the potential correlation between those characteristics across species and how different species adapt to the alpine environment from the aspect of eggs. For each egg, we weighed its fresh mass, then measured its length and width to an accuracy of 0.01mm, followed by dividing the whole egg into three circular observation regions (the pointed end, the equator and the blunt end), a sample the area of 0.25 cm2 was taken from each region, and calculated the mean of three samples’mass of each egg, thickness was also measured on three shell samples. The shell samples were processed and then placed under a digital microscope, the pores were counted and recorded respectively. Pores were photographed to measure diameters. We then investigated differences in egg size, egg mass, shell thickness, pore density, pore diameter and porosity between different female body masses, nest types and clutch sizes, and examined the influence of these traits on incubation period as well as regional differences of shell thickness across species, indicating the primary effect of heredity across species. We found significant interspecies variation (except between Oriental Skylark and Horned Lark) in all traits except in egg elongation and pore diameter, suggested that in two closely related species that have a similar nest environment, there was a convergence in their egg’s evolution. We conducted Linear Regression and found that shell thickness, egg size were unrelated to pore density (P = 0.11，P = 0.09)，egg mass and egg size were positively related to shell thickness (r2 = 0.46，P ＜ 0.001；r2 = 0.44，P ＜ 0.001); egg size, egg mass and eggshell thickness were positively related to female body mass (r2 = 0.66，P = 0.03；r2 = 0.92，P ＜ 0.01), suggesting that across species, heavier females lay larger eggs with thicker shells; Linear Regression of 6 species (we were unable to obtain Rosy Pipit’s clutch size data) showed eggshell thickness and porosity were negatively related to clutch size (r2 = 0.64，P = 0.056；r2 = 0.87，P ＜ 0.01), suggesting besides the hereditary side, different calcium content of food sources across species might also affect shell thickness, also supported that larger clutch size needed to reduce porosity to keep the rate of water loss and nest humidity remain constant; Linear Regression of 6 species (we were unable to obtain Tree Sparrow’s nest – cup volume data) showed porosity was unrelated to nest - cup index or nest type (P = 0.49，P = 0.435), this result may be due to small sample size or the intercorrelation of egg mass and egg size. Principal Component Analysis showed egg surface area and total pores per egg explained 87% of interspecies variation of porosity, in contrast to our expectation, egg size and porosity were failed to explain interspecies variation of incubation period (P = 0.77). However, it could be expected that differences in average shell thickness across all regions were mostly insignificant due to the unique shell structure of Passeriformes and porosities were significantly lower than the predicted porosities as the adaption to alpine habitat. We also found that porosity were significantly lower than predicted porosity in all 7 species (P＜0.001). To conclude, our findings indicated that, hereditary factors such as body mass and clutch size decided most of interspecies eggshell traits variation, but different species might apply the same adaptation like reduced porosity to the cold and hypoxia environment. In addition, egg (egg size and porosity) alone could not determine incubation period among our studied species, with combined effects of incubation behavior might explain more of species – specific incubation period.

Abstract:The upper reaches of the Yangtze River posses many endemic and rare species of fish. It is one of the key regions of biodiversity protection in China. Coreius guichenoti is an endemic species in the upper Yangtze River, and is a common migratory species between the lower and the upper reaches of the channel. In relatively recent years, the construction of large hydroelectric projects may have impeded the migratory route taken by C. guichenoti. This has led to concern about how the population dynamics of the species could be affected. In order to better understand the population abundance and distribution of C. guichenoti, investigations were performed on fishing and catch composition in Jiangjin and Yibin sections of the Yangtze River in 2007–2009. The annual yields were analyzed based on the catch per unit effort, and the stocks of C. guichenoti were assessed by length–structure Virtual Population Analysis in the software package of FiSAT. The results showed that the total annual yield in Jiangjin section in 2007, 2008 and 2009 was 267 850、689 975 and 586 575 individuals and that in Yibin section was 485 100, 108 075 and 169 950 individuals, respectively. The annual yield of C. guichenoti in Jiangjin section was 56 932, 98 323 and 100 620 individuals and that in Yibin section was 66 099, 16 952 and 32 812 individuals, respectively. The catch was dominated by individuals of 80~220mm in length. From 2007–2009 the evaluated annual abundance of C. guichenoti in Jiangjin section of the Yangtze River was 319 416, 905 715 and 1 124 470 individuals respectively, and the annual average value was 783 200 individuals. The annual weight was 25.33, 129.72 and 244.48 t. The average value over these three years was 133.18 t. The annual abundance of C. guichenoti in Yibin section over the same time period was 469 395, 191 207 and 200 197 individuals, and the annual average value was 286 933 individuals; the annual weight was 60.18, 43.11 and 15.14 t, and the annual average value was 39.48 t. It was concluded that the stock of C. guichenoti in Jiangjin section was much larger than that in Yibin section, and the stock showed a decreasing trend in Yibin section but an increasing trend in Jiangjin section during 2007–2009.

Abstract:This experiment studied the escapement behavior of black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) . The rapid escapement behavior of tested fish triggered by electric shock was analyzed qualitatively, and the acceleration, maximum acceleration and deceleration during sprinting were analyzed quantitatively. The experiment was conducted in natural light condition with water temperature of 20 ± 1 ℃. The tested fish were categorized to 3 groups according to body length: Young fish (9.21 ± 1.89) cm (n=30), Juvenile fish ( 17.83 ± 2.67 ) cm (n=30), Sub-adult fish ( 61.45 ± 0.80 ) cm (n=10). The results showed that the maximum absolute escape speeds of tested fish corresponding to 3 different size groups were 1.261 ± 0.279 m/s, 1.542 ± 0.280 m/s and 2.292 ± 0.567 m/s, the time to reach the highest sprinting speed were (0.249±0.089) s, (0.293±0.067) s and (0.216±0.024) s, the maximum relative escape speeds(Multiple to length to fish swimming distance in per second) were (13.694 ± 3.032) BL/s, (8.648 ± 1.571) BL/s and (3.729 ± 0.923) BL/s. Fish slowed down to coast with the body kept steady (no tail-beat) when test fish reached the best sprinting speed. One-way ANOVA. difference analysis showed that the absolute sprinting speed of tested fish increased as body length increased and Sub-adult fish (61.45±0.80 cm) had a faster absolute sprinting speed than Young fish (9.21±1.89 cm) (P < 0.05) (Fig.2); while the relative sprinting speed of tested fish decreased as the body length increased, presenting significant difference in the maximum relative sprinting speed among the 3 tested groups (P < 0.05)(Fig.4); the value of absolute coast deceleration of the Sub-adult fish significantly higher than that of the Young fish and Juvenile fish (17.83±2.67 cm) (P < 0.05) (Fig.5); there is no significant difference in the relative coast acceleration among the 3 tested groups (P>0.05) (Fig.5).

Abstract:Osbeck"s grenadier anchovy(Coilia mystus),an important economic species, migrates with short distance between river and sea in the western Pacific Ocean．To understand the energy source during ovary development, the process of ovary development, feeding, and crude fat content in hepatopancreas, muscle and ovary of spawning groups of female Coilia mystus in the estuary of Yangtze River were analyzed. The results showed that：(1)Oogenesis in Coilia mystus was not synchronous. In the early period of reproduction(in late May),87% of the female individuals were in phase III and IV. The number of mature female individuals was gradually larger. By the end of the spawning period (in August), individuals of phase V accounted for 44.27%.(2)77% of phase III individuals, 90% of phase IV, and all phase V, VI had nothing food in the stomach and gut. In contrast, 93% of phase II individuals were at fullness of degree 1 and 2, indicating that Coilia mystus fed nothing in the spawning period and began to take food soon after spawning.(3)The muscle fat content of female individuals with phase III oogenesis was only 1.92% (wet weight, by chloroform-methanol extraction, although ovary gathered 62.43% of the total crude fat of the whole body. Thus, Coilia mystus allocated most energy to propagative organ, possibly this is why small fish is difficult to spawning migration for long distance.(4)In total, fat content in muscle and hepatopancreas decreased by 12.5% and 14.35% from phase III to VI respectively. Thereinto, fat content in muscle and hepatopancreas decreased by 7.29% and 3.65% from phase III to IV respectively, in comparison with decrease of 4.49% and 8.63% from phase IV to V respectively．This result suggests that the nutrition stored in the muscle mainly supplies for the migration and the early multiplication, while nutrition in hepatopancreas could boost energy supply for the subsequent spawning process.

Abstract:To study the characteristics of the peripheral hematocytes in the endangered fish Onychostoma rara, the hematocytes of the species were inspected, classified and counted, with the routine methods based on the blood samples of 21 individuals of O. rara collected from the Qingshui River (in the Yuanjiang River system located in the middle Yangtze River), Guizhou, China. The results showed that the erythrocytes as well as five types of leukocytes, including lymphocytes, thrombocyte, monocytes, neutrophils and eosinophils, were detected on the Wright-Giemsa's stained smears of peripheral blood in O. rara. The counts of erythrocyte and leukocyte in the blood of the species were (1.75±0.44)×106 cells/L and (4.91±1.95)×105 cells/L respectively. Also, The microscopic characetristics of peripheral hematocytes in the blood smears was recorded, and the long and short diameters of the blood cells were measured and the quantity proportion of each type of the leukocytes in total leukocytes was calculated respectively. The five types of leukocytes were much different from one another in quantity proportion and cell size in O. rara. The quantity proportions of the five types of leukocytes in the blood were: lymphocytes > thrombocyte > neutrophils > monocytes > eosinophils, and the sizes of them were: monocytes > neutrophils > eosinophils > lymphocytes > thrombocyte. The leukocyte count of O. rara was much more than that of most of the other fishes studied, and the erythrocyte was abundant and small in the blood of the species, which is probably the results of adaption of the species to the river environment.

Abstract:Abstract : Mucus plays an important role in protecting fish against pathogen invasion, signaling events, regulating osmotic pressure and so on. As mucins are the important skeleton components of the mucus, the researches on fish mucins have catch wide attention. However, few studies have been reported on fish mucin gene characteristic and expression pattern. In this study, Megalobrama amblycephala Muc5b mRNA(3895 bp length) was cloned and its tissues expression was analyzed by qRT-PCR. The result showed that sequence of M. amblycephala Muc5b had high homology with other vertebrates, and its N-terminal of predicted amino acid sequence contained several non-PTS region domains: three VWD domains, three C8 domains and two TIL domains(Fig.2). Gene expression indicated that relatively higher expression of Muc5b in gills and skin, lower expression in brain, spleen, kidney, almost no expression in liver and intestine(Fig.4). In addition, variation of Muc5b expression was detected in gills and skin after catching stress. Muc5b expression was significantly reduced in the gills (t-test, P < 0.05) at 1h after catching-stress, and recovered to initial level at 24h; On the contrary, Muc5b expression was increased in the skin at 4h(t-test, P < 0.05), then recovered to the initial level(Fig.6). Thus, the Muc5b expression can be influenced by catching-stress.

Abstract:This study was carried out to determine the effect of starvation on body appearance,muscle composition and blood biochemistry of the Coilia nasus which were cultivated with the indoor condition in 20 days. The experimental groups were sampled on 0 day (control), 2 days, 5 days, 10 days and 20 days. The results showed: there was a significant(P<0.05) trend to decline for hepatosomatic index and andviserosomatic index in the 2_nd day, while the effect of obese relative and body weight were not different(P＞0.05)in the 20_th day. There was a significant (P< 0.05) trend to decline for the crude fat in the body muscle of the Coilia nasus for 5.99% on the 5_th day, while the trend of body contents of crude protein declined in the 15_th day. During the period of starvation ,there was a significant(P<0.05) trend to increase for contents of moisture in the 10th day while content of crude ash does not change significantly(P＞0.05). With the starvation time extending, serum total protein, globulin, cortisol and cholesterin present a trend of increasing,then decreasing while serum triglycerides and glucose fell sharply and maintain a certain level which triglycerides decrease significantly in the 2_nd day (P<0.05) and blood glucose decrease significantly in the 2_nd day (P<0.05).The experiment illustrated that the Coilia nasus body appearance had changed,and with the prolongatin of starvation, the muscle fat was decompose to exploit first, the muscle protein then to be used, at the same time, the body biochemical of the Coilia nasus was changed to be fit for the starvation condition．

Abstract:The experiment was conducted to study the activities of fatty acid synthase,acetyl-CoA carboxylase and arnitine palmitoyltransferases and effects of glucose and vitamin c on them during yolk-sac larva development of Carassius auratus.The characteristics of fatty acid synthase,acetyl-CoA carboxylase and arnitine palmitoyltransferases activities during yolk-sac larva development of C. auratus were analyzed by the method of enzymology. The results showed that:In the group of control and vitamin c,the acitvity of atty acid synthase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase were increasing, and arnitine palmitoyltransferases activities were showed wave-like carves down-up during yolk-sac larva development of C. auratus.while the acitvity of three kinds of enzymes were increasing in the group of glucose,and they significantly higher than that of control group during yolk-sac larva development(P<0.05). In the vitamin c group, the activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase was significantly higher than that of control group in endogenous nutrient stage, the activity of fatty acid synthase was significantly higher than that of control group between mixed nutrient stage and exogenous nutrient stage, the activity of arnitine palmitoyltransferases was significantly higher than that of control group in endogenous nutrient stage and exogenous nutrient stage,respectively.The research showed that: Fatty acid synthase,acetyl-CoA carboxylase and arnitine palmitoyltransferases play an important role in maintaining the dynamic balance of lipid metabolism during yolk-sac larva development of Carassius auratus.Glucose solution(15g/L) could regulate lipid metabolism enzyme activity form new levels of lipid metabolism to meet the needs of growth and development, and vitamin c solution( 30mg/L) has play an important role in maintaining the normal lipid metabolism. during the development of larva.

Abstract:The growth models of the diameter, wrist length and weight of the moon jellyfish medusa in Yantai waters were studied in this present study, and the development of radial canals was observed in details for the first time. Our results showed that the cultured moon jellyfish (15-150mm of the umbrella-part diameter) displayed a power function growth equation between weight and diameter, and a linear relationship between the wrist length and diameter. The growth curve equation of diameter of Aurelia aurita is Dt = 4×10-6t4- 0.0014t3 0.1087t2 0.5079t 9.428 (R2=0.9993). The perradial canals and interadial canals appeared in the newly released ephra. The adradial canals formed in the 3-day ephyra. And the Ring canal formed in the 11-day ephyra with the divergences. The number of convergences and divergences increases with the development of the moon jellyfish medusa diameters. Moreover, the maximum number of convergences and divergences in 1/4 umbrella of mature moon jellyfish medusa was 66 and 32, respectively.

Abstract:The Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) used to be regarded as vagrant in China. During a waterbirds monitoring survey, one Sandhill Crane was detected at Huanzidong Reservoir Wetland, Faku County, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province on March 29th, 2013. Up to now, this species has been recorded in most of the provinces on the crane migration route of eastern China including Heilongjiang, Jilin, Beijing, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Shanghai. Based on the reguler observations of wintering records in recent years, we suggest the Sandhill Crane is a rare winter visitor rather than vagrant in China.

Abstract:Cryogenic preservation of semen is a useful technology for maximizing fertility and genetic diversity when breeding endangered species in captivity. In order to explore the technology of semen cryopreservation and the way to use it for artificial insemination of rare crane in captivity, a semen cryopreservation research on Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus) was undertaken at Beijing Zoo from 2003 to 2005. The semen of Siberian Crane was collected then preserved by freezing, the frozen semen was used subsequently for insemination. From fifteen times of semen collections, thirty-six 0.2 ml samples were frozen. Frozen semen was thawed for AI sixteen times, The Beltsville Poultry Semen Extender was used, adjust pH to 7.8, and the osmotic pressure to 300 mosm/L (773 kPa) with distilled water, with 12% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) as the freezing solution to protection the sperms during cryopreservation. Semen is diluted with (3.2±1.1) times the volume of crane extender when it was collected. DMSO was added in the lab, the quantity of 12%DMSO was half volume of the diluted ejaculate, DMSO and diluted ejaculate were be at the same temperature (0-4℃) when they mixed. The ejaculate was equilibrated with DMSO for 15 min at 0-4℃ in the freezer. The samples were put into 0.2 ml each in freezing tubes for cryopreservation. Frozen semen was kept in the liquid nitrogen following three temperature-fall steps: 4℃--20℃,-20℃--80℃,-80℃--196℃. Frozen semen was thawed into 0-4℃ water for 3-5 min, and the semen was inseminated immediately after thawing. The rate of living sperms after thawing was (29.3±15.5)%(n=16). Insemination of the Siberian crane with frozen semen was undertaken each day during egg laying period, and insemination within four hours after each laying egg as soon as possible, using the equivalent of two to four ejaculates for each insemination to make up the loss of sperms during freezing. Experament of Artificial insemination by frozen semen was undertook for two eggs of each cluth in 2004 and 2005, One egg was fertile from five eggs laid in two years, with one chick was bred successfully from frozen semen.

Abstract:This research aimed at study the influence from fins amputation to the fish swimming ability to assess if it’s a feasible means to the Tanichthys albonubes marking and recapture experiment in the wild. The dorsal fins, anal fins, caudal fins and pectoral fins of the T.albonubes were respectively fully amputated. Under each fins amputation, six durations (Δt), which were respectively 5 min, 10 min, 15 min, 20 min, 25 min and 30 min, were set up to calculate the Absolute critical swimming speed(Uacrit) . All the observed value were analyzed with One-way ANOVA and Two-way ANOVA. The results showed that the critical swimming speeds slowed with the duration extension. Fish with intact fins (BL = 24 ± 1 mm) had absolute critical swimming speed(Uacrit) from 251.98 ± 11.04 mm/s to 333.78±12.44 mm/s under different durations. In the same condition, amputating the dorsal fins or anal fins did not significantly influence the Ucrit(P＞0.05), but amputating the caudal fins or pectoral fins significantly did(P＜0.01). The removal of caudal fins and pectoral fins decreased absolute critical swimming speeds of 47.20% and 22.98% respectively, and they are in highly significant differences with each other（Fig.2）. The experimental conclusion of this research is that fully amputating the dorsal fins was a feasible means to mark the T.albonubes in marking and recapture experiments in the wild.

Abstract:Researchers have found that extra-pair paternity prevails among socially monogamous birds and this phenomenon challenges traditional views of mating system by using molecular technology. Contrary to prior expectations, birds are very rarely sexually monogamous since extra-pair offspring has been found in approximately 90% of species. Even among socially monogamous species, over 11% of offspring are, extra-pair paternity on average. Extra-pair paternity arises when female birds engage in extra-pair copulations with males other than their social mates, frequently resulting in broods with multiple paternity which contain offspring sired by the social male and offspring sired by extra-pair males. A large and solid body of evidence has impressively demonstrated that extra-pair paternity is the rule rather than the exception in birds (especially in passerines), and a number of synthetic contributions have reviewed this field with its various ramifications over the last decade. Extra-pair paternity is widespread in avian species so that the reason for the occurrence of extra-pair paternity and the influence has become the focus researches in the behavioral ecology of avian species. Based on the researches about avian extra-pair paternity over the past decade, this paper reviews the research progress and summarizes two major aspects on causes and effects of extra-pair paternity. Investigating the causes of extramarital paternity includes: 1, we explore the different sexes in the evolution of reproductive strategies from gender perspective. Male reproductive strategies designed to increase their output; Female strategies are proposed to ensure that female fertility hypothesis, the food supply hypothesis, the hypothesis of genetic benefits, etc., but still controversial.2, The genetic benefit hypothesis ("good genes" hypothesis, "genetic compatibility" hypothesis, the hypothesis of genetic diversity) proposes that extra-pair sires provide alleles of superior quality and/or better compatibility compared to the social mate, resulting in offspring of higher reproductive value. One frequently adopted approach to test this idea is to compare the performance of maternal half-siblings in broods with multiple paternity. However, results did not come to a conclusion, some studies failed to reveal any systematic differences in maternal half-sibling performance, even in the same or in closely related species. Furthermore, application of identical experimental protocols (e.g. the phytohemagglutinin test of cellular immunocompetence) in different species with similar extra-pair mating systems produced mixed results. The inconsistencies of results across extra-pair paternity studies may be caused by methodological challenges and/or reflect true and meaningful differences in the respective study systems. 3, Non-genetic benefit-maternal effects influence the evolution of extrapair paternity. Some studies indicated that genetic quality, such as weight, body size, survival and immune responses, etc may be effected by maternal effects.We also summarize environmental factors affecting the occurrence of extra-pair paternity include reproductive synchrony, breeding density, habitat, etc. Different species have different environmental pressures resulting in the difference of extrapair paternity rate. Finally, we make prospects for the future research. Despite nearly a decade of researches to further explain the phenomenon of extra-pair paternity in birds, an certain reason is still unknown. Experimental operation and the improvement of the theory are keys reach a more comprehensive solution to these problems.

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