Pseudopodoces Research Articles

Sequencing and analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome of Pseudopodoces humilis (Aves, Paridae)

The complete sequence of Pseudopodoces humilis mitochondrial genome was determined by using long PCR and conserved primers walking approaches. The results showed that the entire mitochondrial genome of Pseudopodoces humilis was 16 809 bp in length with 52.9% A+T content, and the 37 genes had the same gene order with that of Gallus gallus. All protein coding genes of the Pseudopodoces humilis mitochondrial genome started with ATG codon, except for COI with GTG. For terminate codon usage, most of genes terminate with codons TAA or TAG, ND1 and ND5 were AGA, COII was AGG, and the COIII and ND4 genes had an incomplete termination codon (T). The secondary structures of 22 tRNA were predicted, all tRNA can form typical secondary structure, except tRNASer ( AGN ) with an absence of DHU arm, and tRNAPhe with an extra nucleotide inserted in the TpsiC arm. The predicted secondary structures of 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA exhibit 47 helics in 3 structural domains and 60 helics in 6 domains, respectively. The control region of Pseudopodoces humilis located between tRNAGlu and tRNAPhe with 1 240 bp in length, and has structure domains found in that of the other birds.

Sex allocation and paternity in a cooperatively breeding passerine: evidence for the male attractiveness hypothesis?

Sex allocation theory predicts that female birds with high-quality mates will benefit from producing more sons, since sons will inherit their father’s superior traits and enjoy a great reproductive success, whereas females with low-quality mates will benefit from producing more daughters, since the variance in reproductive success among daughters is typically lower. The male attractiveness hypothesis may apply to extra-pair paternity (EPP) because socially monogamous females routinely mate with higher quality males outside the pair bond. We test these predictions using the Tibetan ground tit (Pseudopodoces humilis), a sexually monomorphic, socially monogamous, facultatively cooperative breeder. There was greater variation in actual reproductive success among males than females due to EPP. An excess of sons was detected for bi-parental (i.e., non-cooperative) broods wherein EPP was mainly sired by bi-parental males. The pattern was attributed to male-biased sex ratios produced for both EPP and within-pair offspring within the same broods. The reason for the latter case might be a random allocation of more offspring to sons by the potentially EPP-exposed females that have an inability to control fertilization by specific males. In cooperative broods where EPP mostly resulted from within-group helpers of presumed low-quality, as indicated by their failure in acquiring a social mate, there was a non-significant tendency for EPP offspring to be daughters and for within-pair offspring in the same broods to be unbiased. These results support the EPP-related male attractiveness hypothesis especially in terms of the overproduction of sons. Offspring produced through quasi-parasitism was unbiased towards either sex, suggesting a weak female choiceness with respect to the quality of host males.

Survey on Bird Species and Analysis on Bird Diversity in the Central Kunlun Mountains in the Early Winter

The investigation on birds in the central Kunlun Mountains,including 11 valleys in 5 counties of Hotan Prefecture in south Xinjiang,such as Niya(Minfeng),Keriya(Yutian),Qira(Cele),Hotan(Hetian) and Guma(Pishan),and the upper reaches of Andir River,Keriya River,Aksay River,Buzang River,Qira River,Yurungkax River,Karakax River,Duwa River,Sangzhu River,Kang-Azi River,etc.,was carried out in early winter from October 14 to November 21,2008.The survey team climbed to the place over 5 300 m a.s.l.,the surveyed zone(35°55′~37°30′N,77°40′~84°00′E) was 600 km in length from east to west and 100 km in width from south to north,and the surveyed area was larger than 60 000 km2.The total length of the expedition was longer than 5 800 km.About 110 species of birds inhabiting in the study area were recorded in the season.They belong to 74 genera in 33 families and 14 orders,and 14 161 birds were counted(Tab.1).Analysis shows that the main type of Avifauna is the Palaearctic realm,and there are also some Cosmopolitan species,but few of them are from the type of the Oriental realm in the season.Some special species,such as Montifringilla sp.,Tetraogallus sp.and Pseudopodoces humilis,belong to the type of the Tibetan Plateau.A new record of bird from China is Ficedula hypoleuca(18).The analyzed results show that the diversity index is higher than 4.00 in Qira and 3.95 in Pishan(Tab.2).The index of similarity between Qira and Hotan is higher than 0.60(Tab.3).

Bi‐parental vs. cooperative breeding in a passerine: fitness‐maximizing strategies of males in response to risk of extra‐pair paternity?

In socially monogamous species, males that risk cuckoldry more than others might gain inclusive fitness by yielding paternity to relatives. We tested this prediction in the Tibetan ground tit Pseudopodoces humilis, an unusual facultative cooperative breeder wherein most helpers (87% males) join a mated pair shortly before clutch completion. Extra-pair paternity among bi-parental broods occurred less often (26% of broods, 9% of young) compared with cooperative broods (68%, 25%). In the former, most extra-pair sires (88%) were pair breeders unrelated to the cuckolded males, whereas in the latter, sires (87%) were mainly helpers related to the dominant males. Brood productivity did not differ between the bi-parental and cooperative breeders, but helpers' partitioning over group paternity reduced the realized reproductive success of helped males. After taking inclusive fitness into account, however, there was no difference in success of dominant males between the two social systems. One possible explanation for the differences in the rates of cuckoldry in the two systems was body size, because pair-bond males in bi-parental situations were significantly larger than those in cooperative ones. We propose two alternative strategies for males to maximize fitness: breed as a pair if large to avoid cuckoldry from helpers, or breed cooperatively if small but compromise some paternity to relatives. Our results provide an unusual route to the incidence of cooperative groups, based on constraints imposed by low competitive ability of breeding males rather than some external ecological or demographic factors.

Burrow use by Tibetan Ground Tits Pseudopodoces humilis: coping with life at high altitudes

The Tibetan Ground Tit Pseudopodoces humilis is a high‐altitude passerine endemic to the Tibetan Plateau. A 4‐year study in alpine meadows in Northern Tibet at 4300 m asl demonstrated that rather than using Pika Ochotona spp. holes as previously reported, the birds excavated one nest burrow themselves in spring and another after breeding, which they used for roosting in winter. Both the nesting and winter‐roosting burrows comprised a straight tunnel leading to an ellipsoid chamber. There were no significant differences in placement or structural characteristics between the two types of burrows, except that winter‐roosting burrows had a significantly smaller entrance diameter. Most burrows were 100–160 cm long and their chambers 20–40 cm deep. Tibetan Ground Tits tended to maximize the thermal benefits of their burrows by adjusting their spatial and structural characteristics in response to local solar radiation and wind regimes. Burrows tended to be oriented towards the sun and away from prevailing winds, presumably to maintain burrow temperature. Longer tunnels could function to save heat from solar radiation or reduce wind‐disturbance, while shorter tunnels allow chambers to be warmed sooner in situations where wind potentially reduced soil temperatures. The thermal benefits to the birds of burrow architecture are likely to play a crucial role throughout the year in these extreme alpine environments.

Comparative phylogeography of two endemic birds of the Tibetan plateau, the white-rumped snow finch ( Onychostruthus taczanowskii) and the Hume’s ground tit ( Pseudopodoces humilis)

Postglacial colonization has created the main phylogeographical structures in the endemic species of the Tibetan plateau; however, patterns of diversification are species idiosyncratic and indicative of variations in geographic divergence. Here we compare the phylogeographical structures of two endemic birds of the Tibetan plateau, the white-rumped snow finch ( Onychostruthus taczanowskii) and the Hume’s ground tit ( Pseudopodoces humilis), both of which are commonly associated with alpine meadow habitats. Our results suggested that these two species experienced rapid population expansion at times estimated as 0.05–0.16 million years ago (Ma). These expansion periods were congruent with the retreat of the last extensive glacial period (0.5–0.175 Ma). Whereas O. taczanowskii populations were derived from a single more widely distributed refugium that existed along the east margin of the Tibetan plateau, P. humilis expanded from independent refugia that were located within both the northeast and southeast margin of the Tibetan plateau. While both birds experienced similar colonization events, their phylogeographical structures are quite contrasting. No trace of geographical divergence is found in O. taczanowskii, suggesting that considerable gene flow occurred after the postglacial colonization. In contrast, a geographic separation can be detected between two refugia populations of P. humilis, specifically the higher altitude platform and lower altitude edge regional groups. The gene flow between these two regions is restricted ( M = 0.43). We estimate the divergence time as approximately 0.361 Ma, dating to the extensive glacial period. Potential explanations for the different phylogeographical structures of these two sympatric birds may include variance in dispersal ability, altitude specific and independent or semicontinuous refugia. While a combination of high flight ability and semicontinuous refugium may have promoted gene flow in O. taczanowskii populations, weak dispersal coupled with separated refugia may have sufficiently isolated populations such to facilitate genetic divergence in P. humilis.

Phylogeography of ground tit (Pseudopodoces humilis) based on mtDNA: Evidence of past fragmentation on the Tibetan Plateau

Pseudopodoces humilis, a long misclassified terrestrial tit, is the only species of parid whose distribution is limited to treeless terrain and endemic to the Tibetan Plateau. We revealed the phylogeographic structure of the species by using mitochondrial control region, as well as comparing morphological characters. The distinct geographic distributions of two major clades suggest spatial and temporal separations that coincide with important climatic and paleogeographic changes following the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. Population expansion was inferred for the population at the platform of the Plateau 0.17 million years before present (Ma B.P.), and restricted gene flow with isolation by distance was detected within this region, congruent with expansion occurring after the extensive glacial period. A significant decrease in body size with decreasing altitude was found, possibly indicating selection for larger-sized birds at higher altitude.

Phylogeny of Titmice (Paridae): II. Species Relationships Based on Sequences of the Mitochondrial Cytochrome-B Gene

AbstractWe present a phylogenetic hypothesis for 40 species in the bird family Paridae, based on comparisons of nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene. Parids, including tits and chickadees, are an older group than their morphological stereotypy suggests. The longest cytochrome-b distances between species reach 12% in uncorrected divergence. With the exception of one thrasher-like terrestrial tit species of the Tibetan plateau (Pseudopodoces humilis), morphological and ecological stasis have prevailed since the initial parid radiation in the Old World during the mid-Tertiary.All trees support monophyly of the family Paridae, which includes Parus (sensu lato) and the monotypic Oriental genera Sylviparus, Melanochlora, and Pseudopodoces. Within the clade of chickadees and gray tits (Parus, subgenus Poecile), three Old World species, Parus lugubris of the eastern Mediterranean and Balkan regions, P. superciliosus of high elevations in the Himalayas of western China, and P. varius of the Orient are sisters to all other species. The Eurasian crested titmice (subgenus Lophophanes) and North American crested titmice (subgenus Baeolophus) are sister groups. Our data suggest two colonizations of the New World by parids in the late Tertiary. The ancestor of modern Baeolophus colonized North America 4 mya, and the ancestor of all North American chickadees colonized North America 3.5 mya.Phylogénie chez la mésange (Paridés): II. Relations entre les espèces basées sur des séquences du gène mitochondrial cytochrome-b

PHYLOGENY OF TITMICE (PARIDAE): II. SPECIES RELATIONSHIPS BASED ON SEQUENCES OF THE MITOCHONDRIAL CYTOCHROME-B GENE

We present a phylogenetic hypothesis for 40 species in the bird family Paridae, based on comparisons of nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene. Parids, including tits and chickadees, are an older group than their morphological stereotypy suggests. The longest cytochrome-b distances between species reach 12% in uncorrected divergence. With the exception of one thrasher-like terrestrial tit species of the Tibetan plateau (Pseudopodoces humilis), morphological and ecological stasis have prevailed since the initial parid radiation in the Old World during the mid-Tertiary. All trees support monophyly of the family Paridae, which includes Parus (sensu lato) and the monotypic Oriental genera Sylviparus, Melanochlora, and Pseudopodoces. Within the clade of chickadees and gray tits (Parus, subgenus Poecile), three Old World species, Parus lugubris of the eastern Mediterranean and Balkan regions, P. superciliosus of high elevations in the Himalayas of western China, and P. varius of the Orient are sisters to all other species. The Eurasian crested titmice (subgenus Lophophanes) and North American crested titmice (subgenus Baeolophus) are sister groups. Our data suggest two colonizations of the New World by parids in the late Tertiary. The ancestor of modern Baeolophus colonized North America 4 mya, and the ancestor of all North American chickadees colonized North America 3.5 mya. Phylogénie chez la mésange (Paridés): II. Relations entre les espèces basées sur des séquences du gène mitochondrial cytochrome-b

Chemistry of the uropygial gland secretion of Hume’s ground jay Pseudopodoces humilis and its taxonomic implications

Hume's ground jay (Pseudopodoces humilis), a species living in the high altitude steppes of the Qinghai- Tibet-Plateau (China), was traditionally thought to be a ground jay related to the genus Podoces (Corvidae). Recently, however, based on three independent datasets (comparative osteology, nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences), this species was discovered to be a member of the Paridae. Here, we reinvestigate the sys- tematic position of Pseudopodoces humilis using the chemical composition of uropygial gland secretions, which have previously been shown to be phylogeneti- cally informative in birds, including Corvidae and Paridae. We found strong similarities in the fatty acid composition of uropygial gland secretions between Pseudopodoces humilis and parids, but clear differences from corvids. This result supports the parid affinites of Pseudopodoces, but stands in contrast to behavioural and vocal characteristics which are clearly more similar to corvids than to parids.

Recognizing a "True" Tit

ORNITHOLOGY Even novice birdwatchers have little trouble distinguishing between members of the families Corvidae (jays and crows) and Paridae (tits and chickadees). The former are medium to large in size, have strong feet and stout bills, and have predominantly black or blue plumages. The latter are small, have short, conical bills, and usually have black or brown caps and throats or short crests. Although clearly not typical, Hume's ground jay ( Pseudopodoces humilis ), a drab bird of the rocky steppes of the Tibetan Plateau, has long been recognized as the smallest corvid. Two previous anatomical studies have questioned this classification, and James et al. present phylogenetic analyses of comparative osteology, the nuclear c -myc gene, and the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Together, these data identify Pseudopodoces as a parid. Its taxonomic position has been obscured by adaptations to a treeless habitat (including pale, cryptic plumage, a long, decurved beak for probing in the ground, and long legs for hopping locomotion). This result confirms the continuing need for careful phylogenetic work even in such intensely studied taxa as birds.— ShJS Ibis 145 , 185 (2003).

Pseudopodoces humilis, a misclassified terrestrial tit (Paridae) of the Tibetan Plateau: evolutionary consequences of shifting adaptive zones

Pseudopodoces humilis (Hume's Ground‐Jay) is a small passerine bird that inhabits the high rocky steppes of the Tibetan (Qinghai–Xizang) Plateau. Although it was long classified as a small species of ground jay (Podoces), two previous anatomical studies cast doubt on its assignment to the Corvidae (crows and jays). We studied the evolutionary relationships of Pseudopodoces using three independent datasets drawn from comparative osteology, the nuclear c‐myc gene, and the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. All three datasets agree on the placement of Pseudopodoces in the family Paridae (tits and chickadees). The cytochrome b data further suggest that Pseudopodoces may be closest to the Great Tit Parus major species group. Pseudopodoces is the only species of parid whose distribution is limited to treeless terrain. Its evolutionary relationships were long obscured by adaptations to open habitat, including pale, cryptic plumage; a long, decurved bill for probing in crevices among rocks or in the ground; and long legs for terrestrial locomotion. Despite these accommodations to a novel adaptive zone, its evolutionary affinity with the Paridae is clearly expressed in comparative osteology and genetics, and is supported by its habit of nesting in cavities.

Keystone status of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae): Effect of control on biodiversity of native birds

The plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) of the Qinghai–Xizang (Tibetan) plateau, People's Republic of China, has been considered a pest because it putatively competes with native livestock for forage and contributes to rangeland degradation. As a result the plateau pika has been poisoned across vast areas of the high alpine meadows of the plateau. The plateau pika has also been considered a keystone species for biodiversity on the plateau. As one test of the keystone species hypothesis, we investigated the effects of poisoning plateau pikas on avian species richness and abundance. We conducted standardized censuses of birds on a number of sites across the alpine grassland of Qinghai province on which pikas either had or had not been poisoned. Avian species richness and abundance were higher on non-poisoned sites, in particular for species that nest in pika burrows such as Hume's groundpecker (Pseudopodoces humilis) and six species of snowfinch (Montifringilla spp., Pyrgilauda spp.), and species that prey on pikas (upland buzzard, Buteo hemilasius; black-eared kite, Milvus lineatus). The plateau pika thus appears to be both an allogenic engineer and a keystone species. Poisoning pikas reduces biodiversity of native species on the Qinghai–Xizang plateau, therefore management decisions concerning plateau pikas should reflect caution and careful assessment.

The Parental Investment Strategy of an Avian Cooperative Breeder Differs between a Fragmented and an Unfragmented Landscape

Previous articleNext article No AccessThe Parental Investment Strategy of an Avian Cooperative Breeder Differs between a Fragmented and an Unfragmented LandscapeGary W. Luck, and Associate Editor: Allen J. MooreGary W. LuckCenter for Ecosystem Management, School of Natural Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 100 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Western Australia 6027, Australia*Present address: Center for Conservation Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, 371 Serra Mall, Stanford, California 94305‐5020; e‐mail: [email protected]. Search for more articles by this author , and Associate Editor: Allen J. Moore Search for more articles by this author Center for Ecosystem Management, School of Natural Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 100 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, Western Australia 6027, AustraliaPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The American Naturalist Volume 160, Number 6December 2002 Published for The American Society of Naturalists Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/343881 Views: 38Total views on this site Citations: 7Citations are reported from Crossref HistoryReceived March 20, 2002Accepted June 11, 2002 Keywordsparental investmentcooperative breedinghabitat fragmentationreproductive successbirdsnestling provisioning© 2002 by The University of Chicago.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:K.J. MacLeod, L. Brouwer Social context-dependent provisioning rules in red-winged fairy-wrens do not vary with signals of increased chick need, Animal Behaviour 143 (Sep 2018): 105–111.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.07.010Stephanie A.J. Preston, James V. Briskie, Ben J. Hatchwell Adult helpers increase the recruitment of closely related offspring in the cooperatively breeding rifleman, Behavioral Ecology 13 (Jun 2016): arw087.https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arw087Xin Lu, Tonglei Yu, Dianhua Ke Helped ground tit parents in poor foraging environments reduce provisioning effort despite nestling starvation, Animal Behaviour 82, no.44 (Oct 2011): 861–867.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2011.07.024Juan Carranza, Vicente Polo, Juliana Valencia, Concha Mateos, Carlos de la Cruz How should breeders react when aided by helpers?, Animal Behaviour 75, no.44 (Apr 2008): 1535–1542.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.10.006Rebecca L. Boulton, Yvan Richard, Doug P. Armstrong Influence of food availability, predator density and forest fragmentation on nest survival of New Zealand robins, Biological Conservation 141, no.22 (Feb 2008): 580–589.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2007.12.007A.F Russell, N.E Langmore, J.L Gardner, R.M Kilner Maternal investment tactics in superb fairy-wrens, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 275, no.16301630 (Oct 2007): 29–36.https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2007.0821Juliana Valencia, Carlos De La Cruz, Juan Carranza, Concha Mateos Parents increase their parental effort when aided by helpers in a cooperatively breeding bird, Animal Behaviour 71, no.55 (May 2006): 1021–1028.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.06.021

The price of eggs: increased investment in egg production reduces the offspring rearing capacity of parents

Understanding the selective pressures shaping the number of offspring per breeding event is a key area in the study of life-history strategies. However, in species with parental care, costs incurred in offspring production, rather than rearing, have been largely ignored in both theoretical and empirical studies until relatively recently. Furthermore, the few experimental studies that have manipulated production costs have not yet teased apart effects that operate via the parental phenotype from effects on the quality of the resulting young. To examine whether increased egg production influences parental brood rearing capacity independently of effects operating via egg quality, we experimentally increased egg production in gulls and then examined their capacity to rear a control clutch. We found that the capacity of parents to rear the control brood was substantially reduced solely as a consequence of having themselves produced one extra egg. The paradox that, in many species, parents apparently aim for fewer young per breeding event than the experimentally and theoretically demonstrated optimum, has partly arisen from the failure to take into account the constraints imposed by production costs.

Helping is costly to young birds in cooperatively breeding white-winged choughs

Cooperative breeding among birds is at its most extreme in white-winged choughs ( Corcorax melanorhamphos ). Choughs have never been observed to breed successfully without helpers, and reproductive success increases linearly across all group sizes (maximum = 16). Further, helpers contribute to every aspect of reproduction, including nest building and incubation. Here we show that the contribution of young helpers (one year old and less) to incubation depends on the group in which they live. In small groups (3-5 birds), young helpers contribute as much to incubation as older birds, but in large groups they contribute little. In large groups, help increases sharply with age. Old birds contribute equally, regardless of group size. Although choughs generally do not lose body mass over incubation, young helpers lose mass in proportion to the amount of incubation they perform, independent of any effect of group size. This provides evidence that helpers in cooperatively breeding birds suffer costs from providing help additional to the costs incurred from remaining philopatric. It also demonstrates that the needs of the group influence whether young birds provide help.