Crossoptilon Mantchuricum Research Articles

Foraging-sites and day-roosting selection of <I>Crossoptilon mantchuricum</I> during early breeding period in Huanglong Mountains Nature Reserve, Shaanxi, China

Foraging-sites and day-roosting used by brown-eared pheasant (Crossoptilon mantchuricum) were investigated by using line transects in Huanglong Mountains of Shaanxi province during February and March of 2006.Brown-eared pheasant preferred foraging-sites characterized by lower altitude and slope location,smaller slope degree,nearer distance to trail,gully,fewer variety,density and cover of trees and shrubs,smaller cover and height of grasses,and higher visibility class.Brown-eared pheasant like roosting-sites characterized by half sunny slope,smaller slope degree,farther distance to trail,bigger cover of trees,smaller density and height of shrubs,lower height of grasses and lower visibility class.The overall classification model developed from those five variables was successful to distinguish a habitat from randomly used sites ones at probability of 96.08%.Geographical character,density of trees,density and variety of shrubs and cover of grasses were critical factors to discriminate foraging-sites from random plots.The overall classification model developed from those four variables was successful to distinguish used sites from random ones at probability of 75.64%.Slope degree,slope aspect,distance to trail,and cover of trees were critical factors to discriminate day-roosting from random plots.

A simple and reliable molecular method for sex identification of the Brown-eared pheasant (Crossoptilon mantchuricum) from non-invasively collected samples

Abstract For sex identification of the Brown-eared pheasant (Crossoptilon mantchuricum), one of the critically endangered endemic birds in China, the morphological method of checking the astragalus, an extra tiny bone on the ankle only of male ones is inconvenient and even impossible for wild populations. In this paper, we investigated a simple reliable non-invasive method according to the difference of the sizes of sex-linked genes CHD1-W and CHD1-Z (Griffiths et al., 1996; Ellegren, 1996) to identify the gender of individuals in two captive populations of the Brown-eared pheasant. We extracted DNA from blood and feather samples and amplified the genes by PCR using two pairs of primers P2/P8 (Griffiths et al., 1998) and 2550F/2718R (Fridolfsson et al., 1999). The products amplified with P2/P8 failed to show the sex due to the low resolution of the agarose gel. PCR using the 2550F/2718R primer set amplified two products of different sizes for all known females and a single product for all known males when scored on the 2.0% agarose gel, which indicated that this primer set enabled sex identification. Both blood and feather samples gave identical results although the products amplified from the feather samples were fewer than the blood samples which were taken invasively and acted as control. This is the first time molecular methods was used for sex identifications of the Brown-eared pheasant and will assist their management by means of artificial propagation and allow the study of the ecology and conservation genetics of the Brown-eared pheasant.

Assessment of genetic diversity in Chinese eared pheasant using fluorescent-AFLP markers

The eared pheasant consists of four species: white eared pheasant (Crossoptilon crossoptilon), Tibetan eared pheasant (Crossoptilon harmani), blue eared pheasant (Crossoptilon auritum), and brown eared pheasant (Crossoptilon mantchuricum). These species are found only in China, and are also on the list of the world’s threatened species. In this paper, 74 individuals from the four eared pheasant species were assessed for population genetic diversity by means of fluorescent-AFLP markers. A total of 429 AFLP peaks were amplified by 11 pairs of fluorescent EcoRI/TaqI primer combinations. Out of all markers, 329 AFLPs were polymorphic. Each primer combination produced in reactions from 19 to 72 fragments and the polymorphic peaks percentage ranged from 53.33% to 86.11% with an average of 74.36% polymorphic bands. Genetic distance between species and genetic diversity within species were evaluated using Jaccard’s similarity coefficients (SC) and the corresponding dendrogram. It was found that there was a moderate genetic distance between the four species (SC=0.674–0.832). Brown eared pheasant was genetically closely related to blue eared pheasant (SC=0.832), while white eared pheasant was more closely related to Tibetan eared pheasant (SC=0.812). Genetic diversity was lower in brown eared pheasant (SC=0.913) and Tibetan eared pheasant (SC=0.903) than in white eared pheasant (SC=0.832) and blue eared pheasant (SC=0.853).

Winter foraging habitat selection of brown-eared pheasant ( Crossoptilon mantchuricum) and the common pheasant ( Phasianus colchicus) in Huanglong Mountains, Shaanxi Province

The foraging habitat selections of brown-eared pheasant ( Crossoptilon mantchuricum) and the common pheasant ( Phasianus colchicus) were studied in Huanglongshan Nature Reserve Shaanxi, China. Foraging habitat characteristics were measured on the basis of expected differences between species at 183 sites from November to December 2006 and January 2007. The results showed that both species selected foraging habitats with altitude (<1200 m), conifer forest, half sunny and half shady slope, sunny slope, density of trees (<5 individuals/100 m 2), cover of shrub (>50%), visibility class (<10%) and distance to water source (<300 m). However, the brown-eared pheasant selected habitats with cover of trees (30–50%), middle or lower slope location, distance to edge of woods (<300 m) and human disturbance (<500 m), and the selection on density of shrub was not observed, compared to the selections on cover of trees (<30%), lower slope location, distance to edge of woods (<500 m) and human disturbance (<300 m), and density of shrub (>500 individuals/100 m 2) for common pheasant. We also found that the common pheasant avoid predators by concealment whereas brown-eared pheasant evade predations by running away strategy.

Seasonal changes in the ranging area of Brown-eared pheasant and its affecting factors in Huanglong Mountains, Shaanxi Province

A study on the seasonal changes in the ranging area of Brown-eared pheasant and its affecting factors was conducted in the Huanglongshan Nature Reserve, Huanglong County, Shaanxi Province, China, from March 2006 to January 2007. Forty used sites and forty random plots were selected along 8–9 transects crossing the study area. Fifteen factors related to the changes of altitude were measured in each site. The results showed that the altitude of home range of Brown-eared pheasant varied with seasons: the highest home range was found in summer, and the lowest one was found in winter, while the home range in autumn was higher than that in spring. According to the frequency of occurrences of Brown-eared pheasant in different seasons, we found that its home range occurred mainly at an altitude below 1400 m in spring, above 1500 m in summer, between 1200 m and 1500 m in autumn and below 1300 m in winter. The possible reason that Brown-eared pheasants preferred to live at lower altitude in spring was to have access to water sources and the abundance of food, correlated to the slope locations, number of trees and number of shrubs; in summer, they tended to appear at highest altitude, and the average height of shrubs, average height of grasses, sheltering class and distance to edge of woods, and human disturbance were affecting factors; in autumn, they appeared at higher altitude which was correlated with the covers of trees, shrubs and grasses, and ultimately related to the abundance of food; in winter, they lived at lowest altitude, which was correlated to the distance from the edge of woods, cover of trees and sheltering class, and ultimately related to the abundance of food and shelter.

ANNOTATED CATALOGUE OF THE TACHINIDAE (INSECTA: DIPTERA) OF CHINA

ANNOTATED CATALOGUE OF THE TACHINIDAE (INSECTA: DIPTERA) OF CHINA

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers from Brown Eared-pheasant (Crossoptilon mantchuricum)

The Brown Eared-pheasant (Crossoptilon mantchuricum) is an endangered species endemic to China. Here we developed eight microsatellite loci using a modified biotin-capture method. In the analyses of 28 individuals sampled, the number of alleles per locus ranged from four to nine. The expected (HE) and observed (HO) heterozygosities were 0.466-0.825 and 0.619-0.847, respectively. Results that eight microsatellite loci were highly polymorphic indi- cated that these markers are sufficiently powerful to address such questions as genetic diversity and population genetic structure of C. mantchuricum.

The novel primers for sex identification in the brown eared‐pheasant and their application to other species

We designed a pair of primers for sex identification in the brown eared-pheasant (Crossoptilon mantchuricum) based on the mechanism of PCR amplification of CHD fragments, and identified the number of products. The new primers were considered to have more sensitivity than P2/P8, and cross-species application indicated that they can also be used for sex identification in other species of Phasianidae and Passeriformes.

Habitat selection of breeding brown eared-pheasants (Crossoptilon mantchuricum) in Xiaowutaishan National Nature Reserve, Hebei Province, China

From April to July of 2003–2005, we investigated habitat selection of breeding brown eared-pheasants (Crossoptilon mantchuricum) in the Xiaowutaishan National Nature Reserve, Hebei Province. Our results show that brown eared-pheasants preferred deciduous-coniferous mixed or deciduous forests with altitudes ranging from 1600 to 2200 m, steep gradients of slopes and medium or high positions on slopes. Moreover, they preferred habitats with more tree species, larger diameters at the breast height, more density and cover of trees and habitats with more types of grasses, high density and cover of grasses, but with fewer types of shrubs and lower density and cover of shrubs. They had larger territories in the early breeding stage than in the late breeding stage. There were significant differences in diameters at the breast height of trees, average height of trees, cover of trees, density of shrubs, cover of shrubs, aspect, distance to path, distance to water, distance to forest edge (P < 0.01, respectively), density of trees, type of shrubs, height of shrubs, type of grasses, density of grasses and proportion of bareness (P < 0.05, respectively). The result of the principal component analysis suggested that the principal components among the 23 habitat factors were the average height of trees, density of trees, diameters at the breast height of trees, density of shrubs, cover of shrubs and density of grasses. The differences in habitat selection of brown eared-pheasants between early breeding and late breeding stages may correlate with the dynamics of ambient environmental conditions, the reproductive behavior and energy requirements in their sub-stages of breeding.

Habitat factors influencing the population density and flock size of brown eared pheasant

Habitat factors influencing the population density and flock size of brown eared pheasant

Effects of iron mine exploitation on the population of brown eared pheasant

Brown eared pheasant, Crossoptilon mantchuricum, is a globally threatened species of pheasant that is native to China. Following research in 1997, effects of iron mine exploitation on this species were studied again in Wulushan Nature Reserve of Shanxi Province in the spring of 2000, aiming at further un- derstanding the current status of habitats and population dynamics. Before exploitation, brown eared pheasants were observed in all three buffer zones, i. e. 50 m, 50 - 100 m, 100 m. Early after ex- ploitation began, the species was not found in the 50 m buffers, and there was a small decrease on number in the 50 - 100 m buffers, and an increase in the 100 m buffers. The results indicate that iron mine exploitation caused brown eared pheasants in the 50 m and 50 - 100 m buffers to move to the 100 m buffers. After 3 years, brown eared pheasants did not occur in either the 50 m or the 50 - 100 m buffers. Compared with early after exploitation began, there was also a decrease in 100 m buffers. At the beginning of exploitation, because there were few iron mines, the effects on activities of brown eared pheasants were not great and population density did not change markedly. However, with increase in the number of iron mines and long-term exploitation many feeding sites were damaged, and this, com- bined with the effect of noise and explosives from mining, restricted normal feeding activities directly. Consequently population density and ranging pattern changed greatly. The results indicate that iron mines are an important factor determining habitat use by brown eared pheasants. The species has not accommo- dated to habitat change caused by iron mine exploitation.

Spatial pattern and habitat selection of brown eared pheasant in Wulushan Nature Reserve, Shanxi Province

The spatial patterns of birds are closely related to the structure of habitats where they live and variations of habitat structure in different seasons may affect avian spatial use. Brown eared pheasant, Crossoptilon mantchuricum, is a world threatened species of pheasant that is native to China. From 1997 to 1998, the spatial pattern and its variations in this species in winter and breeding seasons, as well as its relation to habitat structure, were studied in Wulushan Nature Reserve of Shanxi Province, China. According to Poisson tests and χ 2 tests, the spatial pattern of brown eared pheasant had a clustered distribution both in winter and in the breeding season, but most obviously in the wintering period. The comparisons of habitat availability with habitat utilization among the five types of habitat in winter and breeding seasons revealed remarkable differences in habitat selection. Brown eared pheasants avoided deciduous forests in winter. In the breeding season, they preferred to select deciduous forests and shrubs, while the utilization of coniferous forests and coniferous-deciduous mixed forests decreased in the study area. The results of discriminant analysis on habitat samples and control samples indicated that the amount of grasses, height of grasses, and diameter and height of trees were the main factors affecting habitat selection of brown eared pheasant in winter and breeding seasons. The results also indicated that the population spatial patterns of brown eared pheasant varied with seasonal changes of habitat structure and resource distribution. In winter, due to snow cover and cold temperatures, grasses were withered and the coverage in deciduous forests was very poor, which limited the activities of brown eared pheasants. In such harsh conditions, brown eared pheasants prefered to inhabit coniferous forests and coniferous-deciduous mixed forests, and they often aggregated in large flocks and fed together in habitats with good cover. In the breeding season, as the coverage in deciduous forests improved and the richness of grasses in the forests and shrubs increased, flocks of brown eared pheasant dissolved and most individuals lived in pairs. The tendency for clustered distributions of brown eared pheasant was generally decreased during this time. However, brown eared pheasant showed strict selection of habitats, which led to most breeding pairs concentrating in certain specific ranges with higher quality of habitats to defend territories and build nests. Thus the population of brown eared pheasant still lived in a clustered pattern on a large scale.

Pheasants for Coverts and Aviaries

ANY work on animals which appeals to so many different human weaknesses as the Pheasants, must be popular if the least effort has been made to do the subject justice. The one before us has merits which make it peculiarly acceptable. It is by the hand of an author who has devoted his life to the careful study of the natures and habits of the Gallinaceous birds and Pigeons, and who has long since made himself well known by works on some of the genera, which have become the standard literature of the points on which they treat. In the handsome volume before us Mr. J. W. Wood's excellent and truthful illustrations add greatly to its value, though the absence of coloration has made it more than difficult in some cases to produce an approach to the gorgeous appearance of some of the species depicted. Among those that suffer most from this deficiency, are the Japanese Pheasant (Phasianus versicolor), whose chief beauty consists in the richness and delicacy of the shades of its plumage, and the Golden Pheasant (Thaumelia picta), with its ally, the Amherst Pheasant (T. amnerstiæ), whose resplendent hues even the best artist finds it difficult to represent. The Reeves' Pheasant (P. reevesii), and the Eared Pheasant (Crossoptilon mantchuricum), however, form excellent and most truthful pictures, colours in them not being such important features. Mr. Tegetmeier, besides describing each of those species which are the love of the sportsman and the pride of the aviary, devotes the earlier part of his work to the discussion of points of great practical interest. After a short history of the Pheasants as a family, from which it is clear that they were introduced into this country from Asia Minor, the native home of the common Pheasant (P. colchicus), as early as the reign of King Harold, and probably by the Romans, a series of chapters is given on the management of the bird in preserves and in confinement, together with an account of the diseases to which it is most liable. These are replete with practical detail that must be most valuable to the many who spend such large sums on preserving game, and to those who have the actual superintendence of the coverts themselves. Particular attention is drawn to the great difference between birds, like the common Fowl (Callus bankiva), which are capable of domestication in the true sense of the word, and the Pheasants, which, though individuals are frequently known to become tame, can never be really domesticated; even the young ones taking to the woods on the earliest opportunity, whilst the opposite inherent peculiarities of the poultry have given rise to the proverb— “Curses, like chickens, come home to roost.” Altogether this work supplies a long-felt want, and its perusal will well repay anyone who takes it up.