Grus Monacha Research Articles

Surveillance of avian influenza viruses in the Izumi plain reveals the role of wild ducks in the introduction of H5N1 HPAIVs during the 2023/24 winter season.

During the 2022-23 winter season, >1,500 endangered cranes, including hooded cranes (Grus monacha) and white-naped cranes (Grus vipio), were found debilitated or dead in the Izumi Plain, Japan. Most of the cranes, particularly those collected in November, were infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses; virus shedding was higher from the trachea than from the cloaca. The isolation rate from the cranes' roost water was not markedly higher than that of previous seasons, suggesting that the viruses might be more effectively transmitted among cranes via the respiratory route than through feces. Most wild bird-derived H5N1 isolates were phylogenetically distinct from viruses isolated on nearby chicken farms, indicating limited relationship between the wild bird and chicken isolates. Serologic analyses suggested that herd immunity had little effect on outbreak subsidence. This study deepens our understanding of the circumstances surrounding the unexpected HPAI outbreaks among these endangered cranes.

Inclusion body disease of cranes (IBDCs) is fatal in many cases and reportedly caused by a herpes-like virus labeled as gruid herpesvirus 1 (GrHV-1). Although GrHV-1 has been isolated from IBDC-affected cranes, it has not been genetically classified because its genome has not been partially or fully sequenced. In this study, we isolated an alphaherpesvirus from hooded cranes (Grus monacha) diagnosed with IBDC in Japan. Next-generation sequencing revealed that this virus isolate was GrHV-1, based on the 99.98% sequence homology with a previously isolated GrHV-1 strain. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of eight conserved herpesvirus genes supported the taxonomic assignment of GrHV-1 to the genus Mardivirus of the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily. Based on these results, GrHV-1 can be more accurately classified and diagnostic tools to investigate suspected cases of IBDC can be developed. Furthermore, GrHV-1 showed effective replication in primary cultured cells derived from duck and chicken embryos and embryo tissues, highlighting the importance of further studies to evaluate its interspecies transmission.

In the context of global warming and intensified human activities, the loss and fragmentation of species habitats have been exacerbated. In order to clarify the trends in the current and future suitable wintering areas for hooded cranes (Grus monacha), the MaxEnt model was applied to predict the distribution patterns and trends of hooded cranes based on 94 occurrence records and 23 environmental variables during the wintering periods from 2015 to 2024. The results indicated the following. (1) The elevation (Elev, 43.7%), distance to major water (DW, 39.5%), minimum temperature of the coldest month (Bio6, 9.7%), and precipitation of the wettest month (Bio13, 2.6%) were dominant factors influencing the wintering distribution of hooded cranes. (2) Under current climate and land use scenarios, highly suitable areas for hooded cranes in China cover approximately 1.274 × 105 km2, primarily located in inland lakes such as Dongting Lake, Liangzi Lake, Poyang Lake, Shengjin Lake, and Caizi Lake in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, as well as in coastal wetlands such as Chongming East Beach, Shandong Peninsula, Bohai Bay, and Liaodong Peninsula. (3) Under future climate and land use scenarios, the suitable habitat areas (high and moderate suitability) for hooded cranes are projected to contract substantially in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and expand slightly in the areas of Shandong Peninsula, Bohai Bay, and Liaodong Peninsula. Under the SSP126 (low emissions), SSP245 (medium emissions), and SSP585 (high emissions) scenarios, the average area reduction percentages were 29.1%, 28.8%, and 31.6%, respectively. (4) The increases in Bio6 and water areas in northern China were the main reasons for the shift of the wintering distribution centroid for hooded cranes toward northeastern China. The minor expansion of suitable habitat in the north covers mainly cultivated land, and this singular foraging habitat could intensify both intraspecific and interspecific competition among waterbirds, thus exacerbating the survival risks for hooded cranes. To more effectively protect the wintering population of hooded cranes in China, the restoration of natural habitats and population monitoring in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River should be strengthened. Additionally, nature reserves or protected areas should be established in the northern expansion regions.

Genetic and pathological analysis of hooded cranes (Grus monacha) naturally infected with clade 2.3.4.4b highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus in South Korea in the winter of 2022.

Recent advances in DNA sequencing technology have dramatically improved our understanding of the gut microbiota of various animal species. However, research on the gut microbiota of birds lags behind that of many other vertebrates, and information about the gut microbiota of wild birds such as migratory waterfowl is particularly lacking. Because the ecology of migratory waterfowl (e.g., lifestyle, diet, physiological characteristics) differs from that of other birds, the gut microbiota of migratory waterfowl likely also differs, but much is still unknown. The hooded crane (Grus monacha) is an important representative migratory waterbird species and is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List of Threatened Species. In this study, we analyzed the bacterial and viral microbiota in the gut of hooded cranes by using deep sequencing data from fecal samples of hooded cranes that winter on the Izumi plain in Japan, and found that Cetobacterium, Clupeiformes, and Pbunavirus were clearly present in the fecal samples of hooded cranes. These findings advance our understanding of the ecology of hooded cranes.

The host's physiological well-being is intricately associated with the gut microbiota. However, previous studies regarding the intestinal microbiota have focused on domesticated or captive birds. This study used high-throughput sequencing technology to identify the gut bacterial communities of sympatric bean geese, hooded cranes, and domestic geese. The results indicated that the gut bacterial diversity in domestic geese and hooded cranes showed considerably higher diversity than bean geese. The gut bacterial community compositions varied significantly among the three hosts (p < 0.05). Compared to the hooded crane, the bean goose and domestic goose were more similar in their genotype and evolutionary history, with less difference in the bacterial community composition and assembly processes between the two species. Thus, the results might support the crucial role of host genotypes on their gut microbiota. The gut bacteria of wild hooded cranes and bean geese had a greater capacity for energy metabolism compared to domestic geese, suggesting that wild birds may rely more on their gut microbiota to survive in cold conditions. Moreover, the intestines of the three hosts were identified as harboring potential pathogens. The relative abundance of pathogens was higher in the hooded crane compared to the other two species. The hooded crane gut bacterial community assemblage revealed the least deterministic process with the lowest filtering/selection on the gut microbiota, which might have been a reason for the highest number of pathogens result. Compared to the hooded crane, the sympatric bean goose showed the least diversity and relative abundance of pathogens. The intestinal bacterial co-occurrence network showed the highest stability in the bean goose, potentially enhancing host resistance to adverse environments and reducing the susceptibility to pathogen invasion. In this study, the pathogens were also discovered to overlap among the three hosts, reminding us to monitor the potential for pathogen transmission between poultry and wild birds. Overall, the current findings have the potential to enhance the understanding of gut bacterial and pathogenic community structures in poultry and wild birds.

A novel Eimeria Schneider, 1875 species is described from an Australian pied oystercatcher Haematopus longirostris Vieillot, in Western Australia. The pied oystercatcher was admitted to the Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (KWRC), Perth, Western Australia in a poor body condition, abrasion to its right hock and signs of partial delamination to its lower beak. Investigation into potential medical causes resulted in a faecal sample being collected and screened for gastrointestinal parasites. Unsporulated coccidian oocysts were initially observed in the faeces and identified as Eimeria upon sporulation. The sporulated oocysts (n = 20) are ellipsoidal, 20–21 × 12–13 μm in shape and have thick bi-layered walls which are c.2/3 of the total thickness. Micropyle is present, robust and protruding, and occasionally has a rounded polar body attached to the micropyle. Within the oocyst, a residuum, in addition, two to five polar granules are present. There are four ellipsoidal sporocysts 9–11 × 5–6 μm with flattened to half-moon shaped Stieda bodies. Sub-Stieda body and para-Stieda body are absent. The sporocysts contain sporocyst residuums composed of a few spherules scattered among the sporozoites. Within the sporozoites, anterior and posterior refractile bodies are present, but the nucleus is indiscernible. To further characterise the novel Eimeria species from H. longirostris, molecular analysis was conducted at the 18S ribosomal RNA locus, using PCR amplification and cloning. Two cloned sequences from the novel Eimeria were compared with those from other Eimeria spp. with the highest genetic similarity of 97.6% and 97.2% from Clone 1 and 2, respectively with Eimeria reichenowi (AB544308) from a hooded crane (Grus monacha Temminck) in Japan. Both sequences grouped in a clade with the Eimeria spp. isolated from wetland birds, which include Eimeria paludosa (KJ767187) from a dusky moorhen (Gallinula tenebrosa Gould) in Western Australia, Eimeria reichenowi (AB544308) and Eimeria gruis (AB544336) both from hooded cranes. Based on the morphological and molecular data, this Eimeria sp. is a new species of coccidian parasite and is named Eimeria haematopusin. sp. after its host H. longirostris.

Purpose: This study creates a dance and puppet play about overcoming the hardships and adversity of a hooded crane, tries to lead local students to look back on the ecological environment while enjoying it, and finds contextual meanings that contribute to the educational community through performances.&#x0D; Methods: As part of an implementation study, scripts, photos, and videos related to the creation and performance of the Hooded Crane Play puppet play, which were conducted in 2019 and 2021, were collected and analyzed.&#x0D; Results: In the case of &lt;Hooded Crane Play Puppet Play&gt;, 'participatory play-based performance by students', 'play based on the story of the Hooded Crane', and 'relationship with the local community' were found.&#x0D; Conclusion: As a result of examining the hooded crane play puppetry and performance from the viewpoint of creative artists/researchers/educators, the elements of student participation-type performances were highlighted as important and could contribute to healthy learning for students.

Comparison of the gut fungal communities among Hooded crane (Grus monacha), Greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons), and Bean goose (Anser fabalis) at Shengjin Lake, China

Poyang Lake wetland in the middle and lower Yangtze River floodplain provides important wintering sites for migratory waterbirds. Extreme climatic events and human activities have resulted in the degradation and redistribution of habitat over the last few decades. However, the effects of habitat changes on the abundance of waterbirds remain unclear. We used long-term waterbird monitoring data and Landsat remote-sensing data to characterize changes in abundance and the relationship between habitat variation and abundance. A total of 113 waterbird species were recorded in the wintering period between 1999 and 2021, including 23 globally threatened species. Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons), Swan Goose (Anser cygnoides), Bean Goose (Anser fabalis), and Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) were the dominant species. A total of 46 species with more than 6 annual surveys and average abundance &gt;100 were recorded between 1999 and 2021. For most species, the mean abundance across all sub-lakes was higher in the first year than in the last year, and no obvious changes were observed over the last 20 years. The mean abundances of the vulnerable species Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) and White-naped Crane (Grus vipio) significantly declined between 1999 and 2021. No significant changes in the mean abundance of all foraging groups were observed. The area of water bodies increased, and the area of mudflats decreased. For most species with significant changes in abundance, habitat change did not greatly contribute to variation in mean abundance. The reduction in the area of mudflats greatly contributed to declines in the mean abundance of the gray heron (Ardea cinerea) and gadwall (Anas strepera).

Driven by habitat loss from anthropogenic activities, wintering migratory birds forage together with poultry in paddy fields, and thus impose risks of cross transmitting pathogens. To date, there is little evidence for such risks of pathogen transmission between wild birds and poultry. Using the high‐throughput sequencing, we report on detected potential pathogens of both wild hooded cranes Grus monacha and sympatric domestic geese Anser anser domesticus during the wintering period, and infer the possibility of cross‐species pathogen transmission. The results revealed that the number of shared amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) of potential pathogens between the gut microbiota of the two species was low during the early wintering stage (17.2%; 5 ASVs shared) but increased to 56.3% (18 ASVs shared) during the late wintering stage. That is, potential pathogens in the gut microbial communities of the two species became more similar through co‐foraging in paddy fields, supporting cross transmission of pathogens between hooded cranes and domestic geese during the wintering period. Importantly, transmission appeared to be largely from wild hooded cranes to domestic geese, although some potential pathogens may have become specialized to the domestic goose in the late wintering stage. Humans are also face the risks of contracting these potential pathogens from migratory birds through their frequent contacts with domestic poultry. It is, therefore, necessary to closely monitor this pathway of pathogen transmission from wild birds to domestic animals and even to humans.

Prediction of overwintering crane population in Poyang Lake wetland based on RS and regression Model, China

Changes in wintering Hooded Cranes and their habitats at Chongming Dongtan over the past 20 years

Characteristics of cross transmission of gut fungal pathogens between wintering Hooded Cranes and sympatric Domestic Geese

Hooded Cranes (Grus monacha) rely on wetlands for the majority of their life cycle and respond to the environmental conditions during the wintering period. Future conservation planning should be driven by an understanding of how cranes respond to environmental factors at degraded wetland sites and the changes in their spatio-temporal distribution. In recent years, the spatial and temporal distribution of waterbirds and determinant factors have become a research focus. However, research on the specific factors influencing the relative abundance of Hooded Cranes from multiple perspectives in the different habitat patches at Shengjin and Caizi Lakes is lacking. Therefore, from 2021 to 2022, we investigated the quantity and distribution of Hooded Cranes in the upper part of Shengjin and Baitu Lake part of Caizi Lakes. We considered multiple habitat variables, including patch size, food biomass, food availability, and human disturbance, and analyzed the dynamic changes in the distribution of the population in different wintering periods. We used model selection and averaging to select the best model and identify key variables. During different wintering periods, the spatio-temporal distribution of the crane population differed in the upper part of Shengjin Lake, but the crane was mainly distributed in the northern part of the Baitu Lake part of Caizi Lake. The model that included food biomass and patch size was the best for predicting the relative abundance of Hooded Cranes. Cranes foraged in areas with large patches and abundant food resources. Therefore, we suggest reserving patch integrity and availability in the current habitats and protecting and restoring the main food resources to provide high-quality habitat patches and plentiful food resources for wintering populations of Hooded Cranes.

The intestinal microbiota play vital roles for health of wild birds in many ways. Migratory birds with unique life history might increase the risk of pathogenic transmission across the regions. However, few studies have clarified the fungal community structure and inferred the potential pathogens in guts of migratory birds. The high-throughput sequencing method was applied to analyze the fungal community structure and detect the potential fungal pathogens in guts of hooded cranes among different wintering stages. Significant differences were found in gut fungal community composition of hooded cranes among three wintering stages, with the lowest fungal diversity in the late wintering stage. In the late stage, hooded cranes harbored higher relative abundance of plant saprotroph, contributing to food digestion for hosts. Hooded cranes were associated with the lowest diversity and relative abundance of animal pathogens in the late wintering stage. There was an increasing trend of deterministic process for gut fungal community assembly, suggesting that hosts interaction with their fungal communities changed by enhanced gut selection/filtering along wintering periods. Hooded crane was associated with the strongest gut selection/filtering to obtain defined gut fungal community with retaining probiotics (i.e., plant saprotroph) and exclusion of certain pathogens in the late wintering stage. Overall, these results demonstrated that hooded cranes might regulate their gut microbiota to enhance digestion and decrease gut pathogens in preparation for long-term migration.

Effect of Anthropogenic Disturbance Intensity on the Vigilance Mode of Wintering Hooded Crane (Grus monacha)

The classical niche theory supports the idea that stable coexistence requires ecological differences between closely related species. However, information on waterbirds coexistence in the entirely landlocked freshwater system of Poyang Lake is not well understood, especially when the available biomass of their food in the area decreases. In this study, we tested the ecological segregation mechanisms in the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 wintering periods among eight herbivorous waterbirds (including the Siberian crane Grus leucogeranus, hooded crane Grus monacha, white‐naped crane Grus vipio, common crane Grus grus, greater white‐fronted goose Anser albifrons, bean goose Anser fabalis, swan goose Anser cygnoides, and tundra swan Cygnus columbianus) at Poyang Lake. Using field observations and species niche and foraging habitat selection models, we investigated the abundance, distribution, and food sources of these eight waterbird species to quantify and compare their habitat use and ecological niches. Our results showed that niche segregation among the waterbirds, with respect to food types, time, and spatial location, allow them to coexist and use similar resources. The water level gradually receded in the sub‐lakes of the Poyang Lake, which could provide food sources and various habitats for wintering herbivorous waterbirds to coexist. We demonstrated that the differences in habitat use could mitigate interspecific competition, which may explain the mechanism whereby waterbirds of Poyang Lake coexist during the wintering period, despite considerable overlap in the dietary niches of herbivorous waterbirds.

Bird bones from the Late Pleistocene (31-24 kyr) Ikhine-2 site (Central Yakutia), one of the key Upper Paleolithic sites in northeastern Siberia, have first been studied. This is the northernmost and the oldest bird association in the Pleistocene of Eastern Siberia. Among the bone materials available, the coracoids of the extinct Dyuktai goose (Anser djuktaiensis) and the hooded crane (Grus monacha) are of particular interest. Dyuktai goose is a large representative of the mammoth fauna, originally described from younger deposits (12-13 kyr) in southeastern Yakutia. This is the second find of this species in Russia, which significantly expands our understanding of the geography and time of its distribution. The hooded crane, a rare modern species with a limited habitat area, has first been found in paleontological record. This find indicates the northern distribution of this species during the Late Pleistocene Karginian interstadial. Bones of Anas crecca and Larus canus have also been found at the site.