Syrmaticus Reevesii Research Articles

Home Range, Daily Movements and Site Fidelity of Male Reeves's Pheasants Syrmaticus reevesii in the Dabie Mountains, Central China

Reeves's pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii is a threatened species endemic to China. During April 2000 ‐ August 2003, we studied home range size, daily movements and site fidelity of 17 male Reeves's pheasants at Dongzhai National Nature Reserve in central China. Average annual home range size was 44.9 ± 24.6 ha (minimum convex polygon) and 23.8 ± 13.7 ha (95% fixed kernel estimation). The average annual core area determined by 60% fixed kernel estimator was 4.2 ± 3.5 ha. Home range size was generally smaller in winter than in spring, whereas the size of the core area remained stable through all seasons. Conifer‐broadleaf mixed forests occupied a very large part of home ranges and core areas. Male pheasants exhibited strong site fidelity among seasons and years. Our results provide baseline data for habitat management, habitat restoration and reintroduction of the Reeves's pheasant.

Polymorphic microsatellites in the Reeves's pheasant developed by cross-species amplification

Cross-species microsatellite amplification is an effective way of obtaining microsatellite loci for closely related taxa in bird species. The Reeves's pheasant, Syrmaticus reevesii, is a vulnerable species endemic to China. To improve population genetics and parentage analysis studies in this species, we obtained nine polymorphic microsatellite markers, in addition to the nine markers previously isolated, from the cross-species amplification of 52 markers. The number of alleles per locus varied between two and 12 with expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.298 to 0.714 (n = 107). The success rates of simulated paternity tests using CERVUS software improved at different confidence levels after adding these markers to the previous ones.

Characterization of nine microsatellite loci for a globally vulnerable species, Reeves’s Pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii)

Reeves’s Pheasant, Syrmaticus reevesii, is an endemic species of China. Due to habitat loss, poaching and human disturbance, its wild population has been decreased drastically and it is listed as a globally vulnerable species by IUCN/BirdLife/WPA (IUCN 2008). Here, we report nine new polymorphic microsatellite markers isolated from the Reeves’s Pheasant. The number of alleles per locus varies between four and fourteen, with expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.349–0.776 (n = 90). These polymorphic loci provide a valuable tool for future population studies that relate to the conservation of this pheasant.

Home range and habitat use of Reeves's Pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii in the protected areas created from forest farms in the Dabie Mountains, central China

AbstractMany recently designated or expanded nature reserves in China were forest farms that ceased operations in the aftermath of the catastrophic Yangtze River floods of 1998. Although the vegetation in many of these areas has been altered significantly during forestry operations, there is now an opportunity to reduce, or even reverse, habitat loss for wildlife species that inhabit these forests. One such species is the globally threatened Reeves's Pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii that is endemic to the forested mountains of central and south-west China. From April 2000 to August 2003, the habitat use by 14 male Reeves's Pheasants was studied by radio-tracking at Dongzhai National Nature Reserve in the Dabie Mountains, central China. Conifer-broadleaf mixed forest was used preferentially in all seasons at the study area scale, as were mature fir plantations and shrubby vegetation. Moreover, young fir plantations were used preferentially during the breeding season at the scale of the home range. Surveys recorded the pheasant in 13 other protected areas in the Dabie Mountains, and indicated that broadly similar habitat types were available in all of them. Furthermore, Reeves's Pheasant were found in habitats similar to those used preferentially at Dongzhai National Nature Reserve. It seems likely that a mosaic of habitats is crucial to meet the various requirements of male Reeves's Pheasants throughout the year and management should therefore concentrate on maintaining this mosaic. It is now important to identify the habitats that produce the most young pheasants so that nesting and brood-rearing habitats can be clearly identified. Further studies on the habitat mosaic would be useful, both at a local scale and also at a larger, landscape scale.

Ultrastructure and elemental composition of the eggshell of Reeve’s pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii)

The eggshell of Reeve’s pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) collected from the Dongzhai National Nature Reserve in Henan Province, China was studied. By using scanning electron microscopy and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectrometry, the ultrastructure and elemental composition of the eggshell was determined. The study showed that the average thickness of the surface layer of crystals, the palisade and cone layer, and the eggshell membrane were 20.8, 220.8 and 62.5 μm, respectively, accounting for 6.8%, 72.6% and 20.6% of the total thickness of the eggshell. There were many vesicular holes in the palisade layer with an average diameter of 0.32 ± 0.08 μm (n = 30). The function of these holes might be significant to air exchange. The shape of the eggshell pore on the surface layer of crystals is round or elliptical. The fracture surface of the pore is funnel-shaped. Some granules filled the upper part of the eggshell pores. The content of 21 elements in the eggshell of wild and captive Reeve’s pheasants was compared and presented. It indicated that among the elements that made up the eggshell of the wild pheasant, the content of Ca, Mg, P and S was much higher, ω > 1 mg/g, with ω (Ca) being higher than 40% of the eggshell. The contents of Na, Si, Sr, K and Al were ω = 0.1–1 mg/g, while Fe, Zn, Pb, Mn, Cu, V and Ti had lower concentrations (ω = 1–100 μg/g). The ω of Ni, Cr, Co, Se, Cd were lower than 1 μg/g. The elemental composition in the eggshell of the captive Reeve’s pheasant kept in the Dongzhai National Natural Reserve was significantly different from that of the wild species, with a difference of over 20% on S, Cu, Fe, Al, Mn, Si, Sr, Se and Cr. The lower intake of Fe, Mn, Si and Sr on the one hand and the higher intake of S, Cu, Al and Cr on the other hand might be responsible for the low fertility of captive Reeve’s pheasants in the Dongzhai National Nature Reserve. In order to ensure that the pheasants are receiving the proper amount of nutrition and to improve their breeding success, the amount of certain elements in the food should be adjusted.

Multi-scale analysis on wintering habitat selection of Reeves's Pheasant ( Syrmaticus reevesii) in Dongzhai National Nature Reserve, Henan Province, China

Reeves's Pheasant ( Syrmaticus reevesii), endemic to China, is an endangered species of pheasants. The wintering habitat selection by the species was investigated at three scales (10, 115 m and 250 m) in Dongzhai National Nature Reserve from 2000 to 2002. At each scale, a range of habitat variables were compared between the used and the control sites. At the smallest scale (10 m), the variables influencing wintering habitat selection were slope, tree cover, and the interaction between the cosine of slope aspect and the shrub height. At the mid-scale (115 m), the area of shrub, the area of broad-leaved forest, and the area of conifer forest were the key factors. At the largest scale (250 m), broad-leaved and conifer forest coverages and their interaction were the key factors. According to the lowest AIC and AIC c values at the mid-scale, the characteristics at this scale were stated as the ultimate factors influencing the habitat selection of the bird. When a range of habitat variables at all scales within a multivariate regression were considerred, the most important variables were conifer forest coverage at the mid-scale, broad-leaved forest coverage, and the interaction between the conifer forest and shrub coverages at the large-scale, and the distance to beach and farmland. These results highlight the importance of multiscale analyses when habitat selection by pheasants are considerred.

Home range and habitat use of male Reeves’s pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) during winter in Dongzhai National Nature Reserve, Henan Province, China

Home range and habitat use of male Reeves’s pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) were studied during winter of 2001∼2002 and 2002∼2003 in the Dongzhai National Nature Reserve, Henan Province. Results from five individuals of Reeves’s pheasant with over 30 relocations, indicated that the average size of home range was 10.03 ± 1.17 hm2 by Minimum Convex Polygon method, 8.60 ± 0.35 hm2 by 90% Harmonic Mean Transformation method, and 9.50 ± 1.90 hm2 by 95% Fixed Kernel method. It was observed that the winter range is smaller than that in the breeding season. The mean core area of the home range was found to be 1.88 ± 0.37 hm2. Although the habitat composition of the core area varied greatly for individuals, a large part of the habitats used were composed of confier and broadleaf mixed forests, masson pine forests, fir forests, and shrubs. Habitat use within the study area was non-random, while habitats within home ranges were randomly used. Habitat use was dictated by tree diameter at breast height, shrub height and coverage at 2.0 m. The proximity between forests and shrubs were also found to be important in providing refuge for the birds during winter. Recommendations for conservation management include protecting the existing habitats in Dongzhai National Nature Reserve, increasing suitable habitat for Reeves’s Pheasant through artificial plantations (e.g. firs), and restoring some parts of the large shrub area into forests.

Home range and habitat use of male Reeves’s pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) in winter in Dongzhai National Nature Reserve, Henan Province

Home range and habitat use of male Reeves’s pheasant (Syrmaticus reevesii) in winter in Dongzhai National Nature Reserve, Henan Province