Abstract:[Objectives] Embryonic heart rate is an important life history trait in birds. Studying the embryonic heart rate and its correlation to egg mass will provide valuable knowledge to understand life history strategy. However, the information about the embryonic heart rate of tropical birds is still poorly known in China. [Methods] We investigated the embryonic heart rate of four bird species using Buddy Digital Egg Monitor around Nonggang National Nature Reserve in Guangxi, Southern China, from April to July in 2021. We used Independent Sample T-test to analyze the data of embryonic heart rates and fresh egg masses. Pearson correlation analysis was employed to analyze the correlation between daily growth of embryonic heart rates, heart rates at 80% of incubation days, maximum heart rates, and fresh egg masses. In addition, the correlation between daily growth of embryonic heart rates, heart rates at 80% of incubation days, maximum heart rates, and fresh egg masses in interspecific was determined by Power-Function regression analysis. [Results] Our results suggested that embryonic heart rates of Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus), Yellow-bellied Prinia (Prinia flaviventris), and Yellow-bellied Warbler (Seicercus superciliaris) began to appear from the 4th day of incubating. The 4th-day heart rates were 157.9 ± 20.5 beats/min (Fig. 1a), 115.0 ± 48.5 beats/min (Fig. 1b) and 153.0 ± 11.7 beats/min (Fig. 1c), respectively. White-browed Piculet (Sasia ochracea)’s embryonic heart rate began to appear from the 5th day of incubating (152.6 beats/min) (Fig. 1d). With the increase of incubation duration, the embryonic heart rates of the four birds showed an upward trend in general (Fig. 1). Within three species of passerine birds, changes in daily growth of embryonic heart rates, heart rates at 80% of incubation days, and maximum heart rates were not significantly related to fresh egg masses (Table 1 and Fig. 2). There were no significant correlations between daily growth of embryonic heart rates and fresh egg masses among the four bird species (Fig. 3). [Conclusion] To summarize, our findings indicated that there was an interspecies negative correlation between egg mass and maximum embryonic heart rate at 80% of incubation in northern tropical limestone region, however, the intraspecific correlation between egg mass and embryonic heart rate was not significant.

Abstract:[Objectives] China is one of the megadiverse countries with the largest diversity of birds, and the biodiversity in China is facing threats from rapid urbanization and population growth. There are large conservation gaps in eastern China, where most of the populous cities are located. The Yanshan Mountains range is located in the priority area of biodiversity protection, and close to the densely populated Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, with a high diversity of bird species, however, the distribution patterns and conservation status of national key protected birds in the Yanshan Mountains are still unclear. [Methods] In this study, we used FRAGSTATS (version 4.2) to quantify the landscape pattern of habitats in Yanshan Mountains (Fig. 1) using 5 commonly used parameters and selected 40 national key protected birds as indicators (Fig. 2a) to assess the local habitat and biodiversity protection status. We produced species distribution models for every indicator species using a maximum entropy approach. Marxan was used as an effective method of planning protection units that consider conservation cost of different land use on the basis of the indicator species’ potential distribution. [Results] We found that the forest habitat in Yanshan Mountains has the largest proportion (61.5%) with a total of 6 537 km2 (Fig. 2b) and the least fragmentation (Table 1). Grassland habitat was 1 910 km2, accounting for 18.0%. Agricultural land is 1 438 km2, accounting for 13.5%. The wetland habitat is only 345 km2, accounting for 3.3% (Fig. 2c), including Guanting Reservoir, Miyun Reservoir, Huairou Reservoir and other large water bodies. The area of national nature reserve in Yanshan Mountains is 404 km2, 94.6% of which is forest and grassland, while the area of wetland habitat is very small. Forest-Grassland type is the representative habitat in Yanshan Mountains, occupying the majority of habitats and having good connectivity (Table 1). The patch density of wetland is very low with a high degree of dispersion between patches, resulting in further decrease of connectivity. However, it can be seen from (Fig. 2a) that the diversity of the national key protected birds in wetland habitats is similar to that in forest habitats, and the number of wild birds under national first-class key protection is the largest, indicating the importance of wetland habitat types to biodiversity in Yanshan Mountains. The species distribution model predicted that areas with high biodiversity tended to be around water habitats such as Miyun Reservoir, Guanting Reservoir and Yuqiao Reservoir (Fig. 3a), while very small in forest habitats and there were biodiversity hotspots around Yanqing District. Distance from lakes contributes greatly to the simulation of potential distribution areas, especially in the modeling of wetland birds (Appendix 2). Based on Marxan analysis, the optimal solutions of 2 442 km2 of biodiversity hotspots requiring priority conservation were identified (Fig. 3b) with the original national nature reserves accounting for 16.5% of the hotspots. Totally, 33 species reached the conservation target (Appendix 3), with the average protected percentage of the potential distribution increasing from 1.2% to 33.6%. The proportion of forest and grassland in the biodiversity hotspots is 72.3% and 15.2%, respectively. Totally, 56.3% of the total area of wetland in Yanshan Mountains is included in the hotspot areas (196 km2), accounting for 7.9% (Fig. 3c), strengthening the protection of reservoir and other wetland environments. The number of species in every 1 km × 1 km raster of the biodiversity hotspot for prioritized protection in the forest, wetland and farmland are higher than in the overall range of Yanshan Mountains (Fig. 4), showing the hotspot areas were able to cover the major distribution hotspot of the national key protected birds. The habitat in the biodiversity hotspot requiring prioritized protection identified by the Marxan model is more equalized and diversified, with higher conservation efficiency, compared with the existing national nature reserves. [Conclusion] The protected areas of national nature reserves in Yanshan Mountains present a huge conservation gap of wetland habitat, indicating that the construction of more coherent protected areas in this area is of great significance to the protection of national key protected birds in highly urbanized areas. Areas of high landscape heterogeneity exhibited higher biodiversity but a lower proportion of protection with the need for more thorough field investigation. Our approach of conservation gap analysis for threatened birds on a multi-species and multi-habitat scale will be helpful for future conservation planning in densely populated areas.

Abstract:[Objectives] Research on subadults can provide a more comprehensive understanding of a species and a more effective protection work. To adequately protect the Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis), a threatened wetland bird on the Tibetan Plateau, according to Johnson's research, we conducted a survey in the Danghe wetland in Yanchiwan (Fig. 1) from early July to mid-August 2020 to study the home range and microhabitat scale habitat selection of subadult Black-necked Cranes. [Methods] The kernel density estimation was used to estimate the home range, then home range scale selection was studied using Manly selection ratio design III, and the area of each habitat type and the locations of Black-necked Cranes were obtained using remote sensing image interpretation and satellite tracking, respectively. The microhabitat scale selection was performed by selecting utilization and control samples and then comparing the data of samples using the one sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, χ2 test, independent samples t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test. [Results] In the third-order selection, river (?i = 5.12, CI was 2.92﹣7.32) was preferred, lake (?i = 0.00) was not being used, gobi (?i = 0.16, CI was 0.00﹣0.35) and swamp meadow (?i = 0.64, CI was 0.51﹣0.78) were rejected, and swamp (?i = 0.83, CI was 0.58﹣1.09) was neither selected nor rejected by subadults (Table 2), and the subadults are wandering around the river (Fig. 2). In contrast, adults selected lake (?i = 3.11, CI was 1.80﹣4.43) without using river (?i = 0.00), while adults rejected gobi (?i = 0.05, CI was 0.03﹣0.06), mountain (?i = 0.07, CI was 0.01﹣0.14), swamp meadow (?i = 0.21, CI was 0.10﹣0.32) and salinization meadow (?i = 0.18, CI was 0.01﹣0.35), and neither selected nor rejected swamp (?i = 1.22, CI was 0.92﹣1.53) (Table 2). In the microhabitat scale selection, microhabitats with an average vegetation cover of 57.07% ± 4.53% (Table 3), matrix type of peat (χ2 = 10.248, df = 1, P < 0.05), intermediate matrix (χ2 = 22.483, df = 2, P < 0.05), and dominant vegetation (χ2 = 19.419, df = 5, P < 0.05) of Carex atrofusca were selected by subadults. Harder matrix (χ2 = 9.875, df = 2, P < 0.05), closer to road and further from house, river, mountain and lake were the habitats selected by subadults compared to adults (Table 4). [Conclusion] The habitat selection of subadults is mainly affected by factors such as habitat quality, habitat resources limitation and habitat selection of adults. Under the influence of these factors, the separation of ecological niche and the differentiation of habitat selection occurred between subadults and adults. This differentiation is beneficial to both subadult survival and adult reproduction, avoiding ineffective intraspecific conflict and competition, and facilitating increased fitness of subadults and adults. Habitat protection of Black-necked Cranes needs to consider the habitat selection of subadults and their survival.

Abstract:[Objectives] The wild population of Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) is currently only distributed in Yangxian County and its nearby counties such as Chenggu, Xixiang, Nanzheng, Hantai, Mianxian, Ningqiang, Liuba and Hanyin in Shaanxi Province, with its population size gradually recovering to more than 2500 individuals. A total of 362 injured wild Crested Ibises were found and rescued in Hanzhong Crested Ibis National Nature Reserve during the patrol and monitoring from 2016 to 2019. In recent 20 years, the wild population of Crested Ibis is increasing and dispersing steadily, however, the injury and rescue of wild population have not been reported. [Methods] In our study, we summarized the case sources, age structure, seasonal difference, rescued dates, injury situation and treatment effects of the rescued Crested Ibises by two-way ANOVA test. [Results] We found that the number of young birds in rescued Crested Ibis was significantly higher than that of adults, and the young birds were mainly rescued in summer and adults in winter. Starvation, trauma, fracture, disease, falling from nests and disability were the most common reasons for rescued Crested Ibis. Rescued birds with starvation, trauma and falling from nests had significant higher recovery rate, however, disease and fracture caused significant higher mortality. [Conclusion] The rescued Crested Ibis increased annually with seasonal differences. We suggest to improve the rescue capacity of the rescue center, and to establish the Crested Ibis rescue network system for improving the wildlife protection work.

Abstract:[Objectives] The small-island effect (SIE), which challenges the understanding of the traditional species-area relationship (SAR), has become one of the hot topics in the field of island biogeography and habitat fragmentation. However, the existing researches have neglected to explore the SIE in fragmented urban habitats with high intensity of human disturbance. Our study examined SIE in bird assemblages on 30 fragmented woodlots (0.25﹣290.40 hm2) in Huaxi University Areas, Guizhou, Southwestern China (Fig. 1). [Methods] We downloaded Google imagery of the study area and used ArcGIS 10.7 to outline the boundaries of the 30 woodlots and calculate the area of each woodlot. We used the line-transect method to survey breeding birds on the 30 fragmented woodlots during the breeding seasons from 2017 to 2021, with the length of line-transects established (82.5﹣7 073.7 m) roughly proportional to the woodlots’ area. We employed package “sars” in R to construct four key regression models (i.e., the left-horizontal with one-threshold model, the continuous with one-threshold model, the linear model and the null model) to predict species-area relationship, and used the Akaike’s information criterion corrected for small sample size (AICc) to determine the most plausible model. [Results] Totally, we surveyed each line transect 11 times and recorded 98 bird species belonging to 11 orders and 41 families. Excluding high-flying birds, non-forest dwelling birds, and species that were recorded only once, the number of bird species recorded in different woodlots ranged from 12 to 49, with an average of 24 species per woodlot. Among the four key regression models we constructed, the left-horizontal with one threshold regression model, which had the lowest AICc value, was the best model for predicting species-area relationship, and the difference in AICc value between it and the next best model was more than 2 (Table 1). The results indicated the left-horizontal with one threshold regression model was the most plausible model for predicting species-area relationship. The model showed that above the area threshold of 1.16 hm2, the species richness increased with the woodlot’s area (Fig. 2), consistent with the area effect proposed by the traditional island biogeography. Whereas, below the area threshold of 1.16 hm2, species richness did not change significantly with the area (Fig. 2), suggesting a SIE. [Conclusion] In conclusion, our study revealed the existence of SIE in bird assemblages in Huaxi University Areas, Guizhou. We speculate that the emergence of SIE in bird assemblages may be related to the unique karst environment, food resources, and ecological function of “transfer station” and “stepping stone”. Although further studies that target at examining the underlying mechanisms for the SIE are needed, we suggest that habitats protection and fragmentation greenways as strategies in urban planning and construction and that protecting small woodlots with important ecological value should not be neglected while giving priority to the protection of large woodlots.

Abstract:[Objectives] Nesting is a widespread activity of animals, where birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, and insects laying their eggs and/or raising offspring. For most nesting birds, how to build a nest quickly and efficiently is particularly important for their breeding success. It is shown that females who spending less energy on nesting could spend more time on hatching eggs and feeding their chicks. However, little is known about the speculative and speed of nesting behavior in passerine birds. For this reason, we made video observation on the nesting behavior of some passerine birds. [Methods] From June to August 2021, we studied the nesting behavior of Oriental Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis) and Black-browed Reed Warbler (A. bistrigiceps) in Zhalong National Nature Reserve, Heilongjiang Province. After finding a nest, we would arrange a video camera system about 1m away from the nest to monitor the nest 24 hours per day. The equipment consists of a miniature infrared camera (JWD dv-58g, JWD Inc., Shenzhen, China) and a battery with a capacity of 20 Ah. [Results] We observed the nesting behavior of 57 nests of Oriental Reed Warbler and 15 nests of Black-browed Reed Warbler through videos, in which 4 cases of Black-browed Reed Warbler stealing the nest materials of Oriental Reed Warbler were recorded. In our study area, two species of reed warblers use similar materials to build nests, which creates the antecedent conditions for the occurrence of kleptoparasitism about nest materials (Fig. 1). According to the video records and field observations, we preliminarily described the whole process of Black-browed Reed Warbler’s stealing behavior (Fig. 2). [Conclusion] The behavior of Black-browed Reed Warbler stealing nest materials of Oriental Reed Warbler was recorded for the first time. At the same time, through literature review, we counted the kleptoparasitism of some reported passerine birds for the nest materials (Table 1). The results provide basic information for the study of this behavior and the prevalence of nest material theft of passerine birds.

Abstract:[Objectives] Migration stopover is an important process in the life history of waterbirds. Changes in hydrology and anthropogenic factors directly affect the sustainable use of migration stopovers by waterbirds. [Methods] We counted the stopover number and duration during migration season of Oriental Stork (Ciconia boyciana) in Longfeng Lake Wetland Provincial Nature Reserve, Changling County, Jilin Province from 2015 to 2020, and recorded water level and human disturbance types, then analyzed the impacts of habitat factors on the migration dynamics of Oriental Stork by means of correlation analysis, differential analysis and general linear model. [Results] The results show that Longfeng Lake Wetland Provincial Nature Reserve is an important stopover site for Oriental Stork, the stopover duration (Z = 17.500, P = 0.937) and number (Z = 0.890, P = 0.580) in spring and autumn are basically same (Table 1); the increased water area resulted in the decrease of stopover duration of Oriental Stork (F = 5.119, P = 0.038); the effect of tourism activities on Oriental Stork’s stopover number was significantly greater than vehicle (Z =﹣2.783, P = 0.005) and photography (Z = 1.679, P = 0.007) disturbance, which indicated the former have more disturbance more than the latters for waterbirds. [Conclusion] This study suggest that the managers of waterbird stopovers adjust the hydrologic changes reasonably, reduce the interference of human activities, which is significant to strengthen the management and protection of endangered waterbirds such as Oriental Storks.

Abstract:[Objectives] The Chinese Ferret Badger (Melogale moschata) is an animal of the order Carnivora, and the family Mustelidae. It is widely distributed and has a rich population in China; however, there has been relatively little research into the ecology of the Chinese Ferret Badger. [Methods] To understand the activity patterns of the Chinese Ferret Badger and the factors that influence them, camera trapping was used to monitor the Ferret Badgers in the Taohongling Sika Deer National Nature Reserve (hereafter Taohongling), Jiulingshan National Nature Reserve (hereafter referred to as Jiuling Mountain), and Qiyunshan National Nature Reserve (hereafter referred to as Qiyun Mountain) in Jiangxi Province from February 2017 to February 2019. The number of cameras in each reserve was 60. [Results] The results showed that: (1) The cumulative number of days with working cameras in the Taohongling, Jiuling Mountain, and Qiyun Mountain nature reserves were 14 902, 24 498, and 13 063 respectively. The number of cameras that captured Chinese Ferret Badgers were 30, 32, and 53. The number of effective, independent photos of Chinese Ferret Badgers were 252, 196, and 598, respectively (Table 1). (2) The photographic rate was highest in Qiyun Mountain (4.58 photos per day), followed by Taohongling (1.69 photos per day), and Jiuling Mountain (0.80 photos per day) was the lowest. (3) The months with the most and least signs of activity in the three protected areas were Taohongling (January and December), Jiuling Mountain (March, April and September) and Qiyun Mountain (March and November). There was no significant monthly trend in the number of occurrences of Chinese Ferret Badgers (P > 0.05) (Fig. 2). (4) The peak time periods for activity in the three protected areas were all concentrated between 0:00﹣05:00 and 19:00﹣23:00, which indicates that the animals are nocturnal, and there was no significant seasonal change (Fig. 3). (5) There was no significant difference in the daily activity patterns between Taohongling and Qiyun Mountain in different seasons, but there was a significant difference between spring and autumn in Jiuling Mountain (Table 2). [Conclusion] The results of this study help us to further understand the activity patterns (and their seasonal changes) of the Chinese Ferret Badger, to further understand the ecological habits of the Chinese Ferret Badger in its natural habitat, and they provide scientific and technological support for the protection and management of this species.

Abstract:[Objectives] Amphibians and reptiles are good environmental indicator. Recently, multiple endemic new species were discovered in Eastern Tibet, China, however their habitat is under threat. It is important to have adequate knowledges about the regional herpetological biodiversity and spatial distribution for biodiversity protection. [Methods] In order to obtain these information, we conducted a series of field surveys in Basu, Zuogong, and Mangkang Counties of eastern Tibet from August 2019 to July 2020. Within the altitude range of 2 270﹣4 610 m, a total of 155 transects with a length of 100﹣500 m were investigated (Fig. 1). There are 42 transects in Basu, 49 in Zuogong and 64 in Mangkang. Species, individual number, vegetation types and elevation of each transects were recorded. Shannon - Weiner index of different vegetation types, encounter rate and dominance for species were analyzed. [Results] There are eight amphibians species belonging to five genera and four families, seven reptile species belonging to four genera and three families were recorded in the surveyed region area (Table 1). Detailed geographical distribution maps for amphibians and reptiles were drawn and shown in Fig. 2 & 3 respectively. The results of Shannon - Weiner index among the five vegetation types indicates that the order of biodiversity is bush > coniferous forest > broad-leaved forest > mixed coniferous broad-leaved forest > meadow (Table 2). The elevational distribution range of amphibians is 2 280﹣4 350 m, while that of reptiles is 2 270﹣3 470 m (Fig. 4). The fauna of amphibians and reptiles in the survey area of eastern Tibet are quite different. Most amphibians are distributed in both Palaearctic and Oriental realms, but the majority of reptiles are Oriental. There are three species Diploderma vela, D. batangense, and D. laeviventre listed Garde II in the National Key Protected Wild Animal List. In addition, we report a new record of reptilian fauna of Tibet Autonomous Region, Protobothrops xiangchengensis. [Conclusion] The longitudinal valleys and rivers in the surveyed region in eastern Tibet are possible explanations for the differences of amphibian and reptile fauna. It is suggested that the dry-hot valley should be considered in the planning and construction of the nature reserve, where all the three species listed in Garde II in the List of National Key Protected Wild Animals are distributed.

Abstract:[Objectives] Mesocentrotus nudus is a key species in maintaining the stability of the kelp ecosystem and a valuable economic sea urchin species in northern China. However, little researches focus on its population ecology, and the factors impacting the population dynamics are still not clear. Gaetice depressus, Hemigrapsus sanguineus, Portunus trituberculatus and Charybdis japonica are four common crab species off the coast of China and are potential predators of M. nudus. In order to explore the predation strategies and predation intensities of four crab species and the predation selectivities of C. japonica on different sizes of M. nudus, three different groups of body sizes of M. nudus individuals, e.g., small sized (12﹣15 mm), medium sized (19﹣22 mm) and large sized (30﹣33 mm in diameter) were selected as the research objects. [Methods] Two sets of experiments were conducted in the laboratory. In the predation strategies and predation intensities experiment, each species of crabs was divided into two groups separately containing small and medium sized sea urchins, while the predation selective experiment contains a C. japonica and three sizes of urchins in a single experimental group. The data was analyzed using Excel and Spss16.0, and the significance was inspected using one-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis in both sets of experiment, and Ivlev indexes were calculated to examine the predation selectivity of C. japonica on small and medium sized sea urchins. [Results] The results showed that four crab species could prey on the small sized sea urchin individuals, of which, the P. trituberculatus and C. japonica showed higher predation intensity on sea urchins (8.67 ± 1.53 and 9.33 ± 1.15, respectively, Table 2); whereas only P. trituberculatus and C. japonica consumed the medium sized sea urchins (Table 2). As for the predation strategies, four crab species presented diverse kinds of strategies on different sizes of sea urchins but showed similar predation behavior when encountering difficulties of crushing the urchins (Fig. 1). The predation and selection pattern of C. japonica belong to a kind of passive selection, and the selectivity was closely related to the size of its cheliped. Crabs with smaller cheliped had relatively high selective feeding index on small sized sea urchins (Fig. 2), while individuals with bigger cheliped showed no significant differencein predation rate for small and medium size sea urchins (one-way ANOVA, P > 0.05) (Fig. 2). [Conclusion] This study reveals that G. depressus, H. sanguineus, P. trituberculatus and C. japonica are all potential predator of sea urchin M. nudus. Moreover, they can adapt their hunting strategies according to the preys with different body size, predation capacity is a key factor to the prey selectivity of C. japonica.

Abstract:[Objectives] Bufotes taxkorensis is endemic to China and mainly distributes in Pamirs Plateau at an altitude of 2 900﹣3 150 m. This species is one of the few anurans that can inhabit saline environments. To investigate the adaptive features of B. taxkorensis to the extreme environment, we conducted qualitative and quantitative analyses on the histological structures of its skin, kidney and liver. [Methods] Three males and three females of B. taxkorensis were used for study (Table 1). The histological structures of their skins, livers and kidneys were observed using paraffin and hematoxylin-eosin staining. The total thickness, epidermis thickness, dermis thickness and relative gland number of the trunk and tibia’s skin, and the corpuscular density, relative filtration area of renal glomerulus, relative filtration area of kidney, relative diameter of proximal and distal tubules of the kidney were measured. The independent sample t-test was used to compare differences in these measurements utilizing software SPSS 25.0. [Results] (1) The skin, comprising of the epidermis and dermis, was rough and wrinkled (Fig. 1). Skin thickness varied considerably in different regions of the body (Table 2). Both sexes displayed thicker total thickness and dermis thickness in the dorsal truncal and tibial regions than in the ventral truncal and tibial regions (P < 0.05). Both sexes displayed thinner epidermis thickness in the dorsal truncal region than in the ventral truncal regions (P < 0.05). The epidermis of the tibial region was significantly thicker dorsally than ventrally in males (P < 0.05), while the epidermis thicknesses were not significantly different between the dorsal and ventral tibial region in females (P > 0.05). The mucous glands and granular glands distributed in stratum spongiosum, with the former in dorsal-ventral skin and the latter in dorsal skin (Fig. 1). Chromatophores were found in the stratum spongiosum and presented in irregular web shape, which were richer dorsally than ventrally. Some skin glands were surrounded by discontinuous pigment layers (Fig. 1 e, m). There were rich capillary vessels in the dermis, and some of them protruded into the epidermis (Fig. 1 j, m, n). (2) The renal corpuscles mostly distributed centrally in kidney (Fig. 2). In some renal corpuscles, the glomeruli were smaller and the Bowman’s capsule was broader (Fig. 2 b, e). The number of the distal tubules was more than that of the proximal tubules (Fig. 2 b, c, e, f). The peritubular capillaries densely distributed (Fig. 2). The relative diameter of proximal segment in male was significantly greater than that in female (P < 0.05), other measurements showed no significant differences between two sexes (P > 0.05) (Table 3). (3) There were no clear boundaries between adjacent hepatic lobules because of less connective tissues in the liver. The hepatocytes contained prominent vacuoles or spaces, with nuclei mostly on the side. The liver parenchyma contained numerous melanin masses (Fig. 3). [Conclusion] Our study indicates that the thicker epidermis, rich pigment cells and capillary vessels of B. taxkorensis make this species adapt to the strong ultraviolet radiation, low temperature and hypoxia of the Pamirs Plateau at high altitude. Its wider Bowman's capsule as well as the relative kidney filtration area between aquatic and terrestrial anurans present adaptations to the dry and saline habitat. Its liver contains plentiful pigment cells, which reflects adaptation to the low temperature of the living environment.

Abstract:[Objectives] In this study, fourteen specimens collected from East China Sea to South China Sea (including Zhejiang, Guangzhou and Hainan province) in recent years were preliminarily identified as Psettina filimana (Li & Wang, 1982) of Psettina in Bothidae according to Fauna Sinica, Osteichthyes, Pleuronectiformes, but the specimens were also found to have the main characters of P. tosana (Amaoka, 1963). Therefore, it is necessary to identify the species of our samples and clarify the relationship between the collected specimens, P. filimana and P. tosana. [Methods] In order to accurately identify these specimens collected from three regions, comparison of morphological characteristics combined with K2P genetic distances based on COI sequences between our specimens and the two type species were used in this study. [Results] Twenty-nine morphological characters of our specimens were compared with 21 or 25 characters in the original descriptions of P. filimana and P. tosana respectively, and 18 characters of the type specimens of the latter two species were also compared to each other. The results showed that the meristic, morphometric and qualitative features of P. tosana were overlapping with, inclusive of or consistent with those of our specimen and P. filimana, respectively. Moreover, the K2P genetic distances of COI sequences of our five specimens with the third fin ray of the left pectoral fin produced to filament or not (the distinguished characters between the two species used by Li & Wang, 1982) were 0.000 0﹣0.004 7; the K2P genetic distances of our sequences aligned with those of P. tosana from GenBank were 0.002 3﹣0.007 0. Based on the criterion for species identification which the interspecific genetic distance usually is greater than 0.02 proposed by Hebert in 2003, the molecular results of this study showed that there were no interspecific differences between our specimens that tentatively identified as P. filimana and P. tosana. [Conclusion] In summary, the comparison of morphological characters and COI barcoding in this study indicated that our specimens, P. tosana and P. filimana were the same species. According to the priority principle in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, P. filimana should be the junior synonym of P. tosana. It is the first time for P. tosana to be reported along the coastal waters of the Chinese mainland, so it is a new record species. A redescription of P. tosana was given based on the data of morphological characters in this and previous studies.

Abstract:[Objectives] Three species of moss dwelling ciliates (3 genera, 2 families) were isolated from moss in Tibet and were identified by using morphological study. [Methods] The ciliates were studied morphologically using living observation and protargol staining methods. Morphological characters of three ciliates were counted for comparison with similar species, and phylogenetic trees were constructed for molecular identification. [Results] The morphological characteristics of Tetmemena pustulata (Fig. 1), Sterkiella sp. (Fig. 2) and Gonostomum sp. (Fig. 3) were described, respectively. The morphological characters of the Tibetan population of Tetmemena pustulata remain consistent with previous descriptions, but both Sterkiella sp. and Gonostomum sp. differ from known species. The SSU rDNA gene sequences of the three ciliates were amplified and phylogenetic analysis was conducted based on these sequences (Fig. 4). These three moss dwelling ciliates in this study were found in Tibet for the first time. The results of the phylogenetic analysis showed that the Tibetan population of T. pustulata clustered with the sequence of this species sequences from GenBank, the Tibetan population of Sterkiella sp. clustered with Sterkiella paratricirrata (MN191544), and the Tibetan population of Gonostomum sp. with G. sinicum (KY475614) and Gonostomum sp. (MG603605) clustered together as one branch, but by morphological comparison, the Tibetan population of Sterkiella sp. and S. paratricirrata showed obvious different characters of morphology, and the morphological characters of Tibetan population of Gonostomum sp. also differed significantly from those of G. sinicum. [Conclusion] Based on morphological studies and phylogenetic analysis, these three ciliates are finally identified as T. pustulata, Sterkiella sp. and Gonostomum sp. This study enriches the species diversity and ecological distribution of ciliates, providing further information of ciliate protozoans biogeography. Furthermore, this study obtains three moss ciliate resources, which will provide basis for mining and usage of ciliates germplasm and genetic resources.

Abstract:[Objectives] The establishment of three-dimensional (3D) visual model of the skull of Saiga Antelope (Saiga tatarica) could be helpful in studying its anatomical features and further enhancing the accuracy of disease diagnosis as well as the effectiveness of species protection through “digital specimen”. [Methods] This study took the S. tatarica which is identified as an endangered species by State Forest Administration Gansu Protection Centre of Threatened Species as the research object. Cone-beam CT scanning and 3D reconstruction techniques were utilized to scan and reconstruct the skull of S. tatarica for morphological study. A total of 26 morphological parameters of the skull model were measured digitally with the measuring tool of the Mimics20.0 (Fig. 2), where the data were presented in the form of Mean ± SD. These results were compared with physical measurements obtained by vernier caliper and t-test between them was performed (Fig. 3). [Results] The high-precision 3D digital model of the skull of S. tatarica was successfully reconstructed. The reconstructed digital skull model could realize scaling and rotation, multi-angle cutting and measurement, and could better reflect the external characteristics, internal and three-dimensional structure of the head structure. The results showed that all the indexes (n = 8) had no significant difference from those obtained by physical measurements (P > 0.05). For example, for the full lengths of the skull obtained by vernier caliper and the digital model were 227.147 ± 10.646 mm and 227.130 ± 10.638 mm, respectively, similar between the “digital skull” and the dry skull (Table 1, P = 0.635). [Conclusion] This study has obtained the digital 3D model of the skull of S. tatarica, and compared the morphological characteristics of the skull using CT scanning and 3D reconstruction technology, which can provide the help for the diagnosis and treatment of head diseases as well as protection of this species. At the same time, it provides a theoretical basis for the clinical application and related research of CT scanning and 3D reconstruction in wild animals.

Abstract:[Objectives] The total DNA from fecal samples of endangered Oriental White Storks (Ciconia boyciana) was extracted in the present study by five methods (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) method, sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) method, Tiangen kit method, Qiagen kit method, and guanidine isothiocyanate (GuSCN) method) in order to provide the suitable reference for both gender identification and DNA barcoding identification of this endangered species. [Methods] We compared the DNA concentration and purity (i.e. A260/A280 values) obtained by five extraction methods under the influence of variations in temperature which were controlled by water bath (wall breaking). Then, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop sequencing which was widely used to identify and distinguish species, was selected as the target fragment for PCR amplification to test whether the obtained sequence belonged to the Oriental White Stork. The sequences were aligned by Clustal X and then used to construct a phylogenetic tree performed by Neighborhood-Joining method in MEGA 7.0, in order to identify whether the measured sequence belonged to the Oriental White Stork and analyze its evolutionary relationship with other birds. [Results] Genomic DNA could be extracted from fecal samples via each method. The DNA concentration and A260/A280 value were quite different due to the influence of water bath (wall breaking) time (Table 2). The total fecal DNA extracted by the five methods showed no obvious DNA bands in the gel electrophoresis test (Fig. 1). By comparing the DNA concentration values though Nano Drop 2000, it proved that the GuSCN method was the most efficient with the highest DNA yields reaching 90 mg/L and the purity of about 1.8 (Table 3). However, DNA yields obtained with the SDS was the lowest one. PCR analysis was performed to evaluate the quality of the extracted DNA using GuSCN method under water bath (wall breaking) time of 1 h, and the obtained specific PCR products, using D-loop primers confirmed the existence of Oriental White Storks DNA in fecal samples (Fig. 2). The sequence belonged to the Oriental White Stork from the same family gathered together from the evolutionary tree (Fig. 3), and could be distinguished from species of the same family by sequence alignment analysis (Fig. 4). [Conclusion] On the whole, the GuSCN method was proved to be the most effective one for DNA extraction from fecal samples due to its simplicity, reliability, and affordability.

Abstract:Reptiles are ectotherms whose body temperature is impacted by ambient temperatures. We selected the toad-headed lizard (Phrynocephalus przewalskii) as our research objects and collected their activity body temperatures, ground temperatures and air temperatures in the field from September 28 to October 5, 2005 (Table 1). Statistical analysis showed that there was no significant difference in activity body temperatures between ages and genders. Lizards began to be active when the ambient temperature was higher than 20 ℃, and the body temperature of lizards increased gradually with time from 8:40 to 12:00 (Fig. 1). However, after 12:00 pm, the body temperature of lizards was lower than the ground temperature and remained at a high level (Fig. 1). The body temperature of lizards during the activity period was significantly correlated with the ground temperature and air temperature (Fig. 2). Lizards could quickly adjust their body temperature to a higher level in a short period and at a low ambient temperature, which is of great ecological significance to ensure their sufficient predation time, effective escape from natural enemies as well as efficient digestion.

Abstract:Three specimens of the family Ranidae were collected from Shidun Villadge, Jiaocheng District, Ningde, Fujian Province. Through morphology comparison (Table 1), they are identified as Odorrana tormota (Anura, Ranidae), which is the first discovery of this species in Fujian Province. O. tormota is native to China and its distribution was restricted to Huangshan Mountains in Anhui, Jiande, Tiantai and Anji counties in northern Zhejiang, Wuyuan in Jiangxi and Yixing in Jiangsu. The latitudinal distribution of O. tormota ranges from 29° N to 31° N and it is extended to 26°47′ N in this survey.

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