Individuals may gather information about environmental conditions when deciding where to breed in order to maximize their lifetime fitness.They can obtain social information by observing conspecifics and heterospecifi...Individuals may gather information about environmental conditions when deciding where to breed in order to maximize their lifetime fitness.They can obtain social information by observing conspecifics and heterospecifics with similar ecological needs.Many studies have shown that birds can rely on social information to select their nest sites.The location of active nests and the reproductive success of conspecifics and heterospecifics can provide accurate predictions about the quality of the breeding habitat.Some short-lived species can facultatively reproduce two and/or more times within a breeding season.However,few studies have focused on how multiplebrooding individuals select nest sites for their second breeding attempts.In this study,we use long-term data to test whether the Japanese Tit(Parus minor)can use social information from conspecifics and/or heterospecifics(the Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea,the Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus and the Yellow-rumped Flycatcher Ficedula zanthopygia)to select a nest site for the second breeding attempt.Our results showed that the nest boxes occupied by tits on their second breeding attempt tended to be surrounded by more breeding conspecific nests,successful first nests of conspecifics,and fewer failed first nests of conspecifics than the nest boxes that remained unoccupied(the control group).However,the numbers of breeding heterospecific nests,successful heterospecific nests,and failed heterospecific nests did not differ between the nest boxes occupied by tits on their second breeding attempt and the unoccupied nest boxes.Furthermore,the tits with local successful breeding experience tended to choose areas with more successful first nests of conspecifics than those without successful breeding experience.Thus,we suggest that conspecifics'but not heterospecifics'social information within the same breeding season is the major factor influencing the nest site selection of Japanese Tits during second breeding attempts.展开更多
Background: Birds produce alarm calls to convey information about threats. Some Passerine alarm calls consist of several note strings, but few studies have examined their function. Previous studies have shown that Jap...Background: Birds produce alarm calls to convey information about threats. Some Passerine alarm calls consist of several note strings, but few studies have examined their function. Previous studies have shown that Japanese Tits(Parus minor) can alter the calling rate and number and combination of notes in response to predators. We previously found the combinations of note types in Japanese Tit alarm calls to be significantly different in response to the Sparrowhawk(Accipiter nisus) and Common Cuckoo(Cuculus canorus).Methods: Through playback experiments, we tested whether the note strings in Japanese Tit alarm calls to the Common Cuckoo have different functions in conveying information. The note strings of selected alarm calls were divided into the categories of C and D, and different calls were then constructed separately based on the two note string categories. Original alarm calls(C–D), C calls and D calls were played back to male Japanese Tits during the incubation period.Results: Male Japanese Tits had a significantly stronger response to C calls than to C–D calls, and they showed a significantly stronger response to both C and C–D calls than to D calls, suggesting that Japanese Tits discriminated between the C and D calls.Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that the C-and D-category note strings of Japanese Tit alarm calls to the Common Cuckoo have different functions, which supports the previous finding that different note strings in an alarm call can provide different information to receivers. However, the exact meanings of these note strings are not yet known, and further investigation is therefore required.展开更多
Background:Brood parasitic birds such as cuckoos(Cuculus spp.)can reduce their host’s reproductive success.Such selection pressure on the hosts has driven the evolution of defense behaviors such as egg rejection agai...Background:Brood parasitic birds such as cuckoos(Cuculus spp.)can reduce their host’s reproductive success.Such selection pressure on the hosts has driven the evolution of defense behaviors such as egg rejection against cuckoo parasitism.Studies have shown that Cinereous Tits(Parus cinereus)in China have a good ability for recognizing foreign eggs.However,it is unclear whether egg spots play a role in egg recognition.The aims of our study were to investigate the egg recognition ability of two Cinereous Tit populations in China and to explore the role of spots in egg recognition.Methods:To test the effect of eggshell spots on egg recognition,pure white eggs of the White-rumped Munia(Lonchura striata)and eggs of White-rumped Munia painted with red brown spots were used to simulate experimental parasitism.Results:Egg experiments showed that Cinereous Tits rejected 51.5%of pure white eggs of the White-rumped Munia,but only 14.3%of spotted eggs of the White-rumped Munia.There was a significant difference in egg recognition and rejection rate between the two egg types.Conclusions:We conclude that eggshell spots on Cinereous Tit eggs had a signaling function and may be essential to tits for recognizing and rejecting parasitic eggs.展开更多
Background:For secondary cavity-nesting bird species that do not add lining materials to nests,the presence of old nest material or organic remains that have accumulated within nest cavities from previous breeding eve...Background:For secondary cavity-nesting bird species that do not add lining materials to nests,the presence of old nest material or organic remains that have accumulated within nest cavities from previous breeding events may be a cue of nest-site quality.These materials potentially contain information about past breeding success in con-and heterospecifics and may improve the thermal insulation of eggs during incubation.However,few studies have addressed whether the presence of old nest materials serves as a cue for cavity-nesting raptors when choosing specific nest sites.Methods:We conducted a 9-year nest box experiment to test whether old nest materials from con-and heterospecifics serve as informative cues to the European Kestrel(Falco tinnunculus)when making nest selection decisions,as this species uses nest boxes without adding nesting material.Results:The presence of old nest materials and entrance size best discriminated nest boxes occupied by European Kestrels from unoccupied boxes.Nest boxes containing conspecific organic remains,artificial dry leaf and branch material,and material left behind by Great Tits(Parus major)were reused at higher rates,especially those containing conspecific nest material,than nest boxes containing true or simulated nest materials from predators.In 2010,no single nest box was occupied by the same banded individual that occupied the box in the previous year(10 females and 2 males were banded in 2009).Conclusions:European Kestrels preferred nest boxes containing old nest material over empty boxes,which is consistent with previous findings that they exploit con-and heterospecific cues when deciding where to settle and breed,as old nest or organic material provides substrate for incubating females.Kestrels may be able to assess the predation risks associated with a specific nest site based on experience or the presence of prey remains.The repeated use of nest boxes across breeding seasons by kestrels cannot be entirely ascribed to philopatry.This study provides evidence that old nest materials are potentially used as informative cues when making nest-site selection decisions in European Kestrels.展开更多
The reproductive behaviors of birds are mainly controlled by the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axis.Many studies have shown that reproductive hormones are tightly linked to the breeding sub-stages.However,only a few st...The reproductive behaviors of birds are mainly controlled by the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axis.Many studies have shown that reproductive hormones are tightly linked to the breeding sub-stages.However,only a few studies have examined the temporal trend of hormone levels among different reproductive stages in multiple brooded species.We investigated the changes in plasma luteinizing hormone(LH)and prolactin(PRL)concentrations during different reproductive stages of the facultative double-brooded Great Tit(Parus major).We found that the concentrations of LH and PRL in females were significantly higher than those in males.Females had significantly higher LH and lower PRL concentrations in the pre-breeding period than in the first/second brooding periods,and there were no significant changes between the first and second brooding periods.The concentrations of LH and PRL in males had no significant difference between the pre-breeding period and the first brooding periods,while LH and PRL concentrations in the second brooding period were significantly higher than those in the first brooding period.We conclude that there are sex-based differences between LH and PRL at different stages of reproduction.The changes in LH and PRL in both males and females should be related to their physiological functions.Especially for males,individuals with higher levels of LH and PRL are more likely to maintain second clutches.展开更多
Verifiable secret sharing mainly solves the cheating behavior between malicious participants and the ground control center in the satellite network.The verification stage can verify the effectiveness of secret shares ...Verifiable secret sharing mainly solves the cheating behavior between malicious participants and the ground control center in the satellite network.The verification stage can verify the effectiveness of secret shares issued by the ground control center to each participant and verify the effectiveness of secret shares shown by participants.We use a lot of difficult assumptions based on mathematical problems in the verification stage,such as solving the difficult problem of the discrete logarithm,large integer prime factorization,and so on.Compared with other verifiable secret sharing schemes designed for difficult problems under the same security,the verifiable secret sharing scheme based on the Elliptic Curve Cryptography(ECC)system has the advantages of less computational overhead and shorter key.At present,the binary polynomial is a single secret scheme and cannot provide effective verification.Therefore,based on a Protected Verifiable Synchronous Multi Secret Sharing(PVS-MSS)scheme,this paper is designed based on bivariate asymmetric polynomials.The advanced verifiable attribute is introduced into the Protected Secret Sharing(PSS)scheme.This paper extends the protected synchronous multi-secret sharing scheme based on bivariate polynomial design.The ECC system constructs the security channel between the ground control center and participants and constructs the verification algorithm.Through the verification algorithm,any participant can verify the consistency and effectiveness of the secret shadow and secret share received from other participants or presented by the secret distribution center.Therefore,no additional key agreement protocol is required;participants do not need to negotiate the session key for encryption;the secret share polynomial can generate the session key between participants and speed up the secret reconstruction process.The verification stage has lower computational complexity than the verifiable scheme constructed by Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA) and other encryption methods. Chinese Remainder Theorem (CRT)is used to update the secret shadow. The secret shadow does not need to beupdated with the change of the scheme shared secret, and the public valueupdate efficiency is higher. Reduce the complexity of sharing secret updatesin a synchronous multi-secret sharing scheme.展开更多
Background:For cavity-nesting birds,the nest entrance plays an important role in preventing predators from accessing nests.Several species of nuthatches use mud to narrow the entrance of cavities.In theory,the smaller...Background:For cavity-nesting birds,the nest entrance plays an important role in preventing predators from accessing nests.Several species of nuthatches use mud to narrow the entrance of cavities.In theory,the smaller the entrance hole size,the more effective it is against predators;however,few studies have tested whether narrowing the entrance hole size can affect the estimation of threat levels from nest predators in cavity-nesting birds.Methods:Using dummy experiments,we tested whether Eurasian Nuthatches(Sitta europaea,narrow the entrance hole of cavities)and Cinereous Tits(Parus cinereus,do not narrow the entrance hole,as a control)perform different nest defence behaviours against Common Chipmunks(Tamias sibiricus,small nest predator)and Red Squirrels(Sciurus vulgaris,larger nest predator).Results:Both nuthatches and tits exhibited stronger response behaviours(high dummy response scores)against chipmunks than against squirrels.Compared with tits,nuthatches exhibited more aggressive behaviours to chipmunks,but their responses to squirrels were similar.Conclusions:Nest defence behaviours of nuthatches to chipmunks differed from tits,and the results suggested that nuthatches might estimate threat levels of nest predators according to their narrowed entrance-hole size.展开更多
Background:Genes of the major histocompatibility complex(MHC)are an important component of the vertebrate immune system and play a significant role in mate choice in animal populations.However,the MHC genetic targets ...Background:Genes of the major histocompatibility complex(MHC)are an important component of the vertebrate immune system and play a significant role in mate choice in animal populations.However,the MHC genetic targets of female mate choice have not been clearly identified,and whether female mate choice is based on neutral genetic characteristics remains an open question.Here,we focus on the effects of morphological traits and genetic similarity among individuals in MHC class IIB(MHC IIB)exon 2 on mating in a sexually dimorphic songbird that exhibits social monogamy with extra-pair paternity(EPP).Methods:We sequenced 64 parent-offspring triads sampled over a 3-year period using two MHC class II loci to detect disassortative mating in the Yellow-rumped Flycatcher(Ficedula zanthopygia).Results:We found that MHC similarity in social pairs was lower than that in random pairs.Extra-pair mate choice according to MHC IIB was observed,in which females’extra-pair mates had fewer MHC alleles than their within-pair mates,but there was no significant band-sharing between extra-pair sires and potential extra-pair mates.However,the interaction between the MHC diversity of females and that of the social males affected the occurrence of EPP.Conclusions:Our results support the“optimality hypothesis”of MHC-based social and extra-pair choice.Female choice probably maintains a certain level of MHC diversity in offspring in the Yellow-rumped Flycatcher.展开更多
Behavioral divergence among populations is common across taxonomic groups,still we know very little about anti-predator behaviors.Animal exposure to predation risk is variable in different ecological contexts.In addit...Behavioral divergence among populations is common across taxonomic groups,still we know very little about anti-predator behaviors.Animal exposure to predation risk is variable in different ecological contexts.In addition,reproduction value of animals in different geographical regions usually varies.In this study,we tested whether cinereous tits Parus cinereus in different populations exhibited nest defense behaviors similar to those of nest or adult predators and whether their nest defense behaviors showed geographical variation.By using field dummy experiments,we observed tits’nest defense behavior in nest predator common chipmunk Tamias sibiricus and red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris,adult predator Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus and nonthreatening species Oriental turtle dove Streptopelia orientalis in the ZJ(44°N),DZ(31°N),and DLS(18°N)populations,respectively.The response scores varied significantly across the 4 dummies in ZJ-tits and DLS-tits but did not in DZ-tits.When facing the chipmunk,ZJ-tits showed the highest response score and DZ-tits showed the lowest response score.When facing the squirrel,ZJ-tits showed a higher response score than tits in the other 2 populations.However,tits among the 3 populations responded similarly to a sparrowhawk or dove with slight response behaviors.In addition,response scores to nest predators were positively correlated with brood size across the 3 populations,but no trend was found for sparrowhawks or doves.Our results indicated that the nest defense behaviors of cinereous tits have evolved in response to large-scale geographical variation in ecological contexts and reproduction value.展开更多
Hole-nesting tits Parus spp.have been classified as"unsuitable"hosts for cuckoo parasitism because cuckoos cannot enter a cavity if the entrance is too small.However,Chinese tits could re-ject alien eggs and...Hole-nesting tits Parus spp.have been classified as"unsuitable"hosts for cuckoo parasitism because cuckoos cannot enter a cavity if the entrance is too small.However,Chinese tits could re-ject alien eggs and egg ejection rate increased with the local diversity of parasitic cuckoo species.Antiparasitic behavior among Chinese tits may have evolved due to greater size variation among sympatric cuckoo species.This raises the question of whether differently sized parasitic cuckoos pose different threats to Chinese tits.A green-backed tit Parus monticolus population that is sym-patric with Asian emerald cuckoo Chrysococcyx maculatus(eme-cuckoo,small-sized parasite)and common cuckoo Cuculus canorus(com-cuckoo,large-sized parasite),and a cinereous tit P.cinereus population that is only sympatric with com-cuckoo were chosen as study organisms.We observed behavioral response and recorded alarm calls of the 2 tit species to eme-cuckoo,com-cuckoo,chipmunk Tamias sibiricus(a nest predator)and dove Streptopelia orientalis(a harm-less control),and subsequently played back alarm calls to conspecific incubating females.In dummy experiments,both tit species performed intense response behavior to chipmunk,but rarely responded strongly to the 3 avian species.In playback experiments,both tit species responded strongly to conspecific chipmunk alarm calls,but rarely responded to dove alarm calls.The inten-sity of response of incubating female green-backed tits to eme-cuckoo and com-cuckoo alarm calls were similar to that of chipmunk alarm calls,while the intensity to eme-cuckoo alarm calls was higher than the intensity to dove alarm calls which was similar to that of com-cuckoo alarm calls.In contrast,few female cinereous tits responded to eme-cuckoo and com-cuckoo alarm calls.These findings indicated that the threat level of eme-cuckoo was slightly greater than that of com-cuckoo for sympatric green-backed tits,but not for allopatric cinereous tits.展开更多
Acoustic signals play an important role in animal communication systems,and these signals can transfer diverse and meaningful information from a signaler to a receiver(e.g.,Yu et al.2019).Animal signals tend to be hon...Acoustic signals play an important role in animal communication systems,and these signals can transfer diverse and meaningful information from a signaler to a receiver(e.g.,Yu et al.2019).Animal signals tend to be honest;however,deception can occur when it is beneficial for receivers to send dishonest signals,such as by mimicking alarm calls to steal food from other individuals(Flower et al.2014).In birds,vocal mimicry is a widespread phenomenon that has 2 major functional explanation categories:intraspecific and interspecific communications(Dalziell et al.2015).Vocal mimicry in intraspecific communication mainly involves sexual selection and social affiliation(Dalziell et al.2015).In interspecific communication,studies on vocal mimicry are mostly related to predator–prey interactions(Dalziell et al.2015).Mimics could mimic calls of predators to scare off other predators or competitors.For example,some species of hole-nesting birds produce a snakelike hissing call to drive nest predators away(e.g.,Dutour et al.2020).Receiver should be particularly sensitive to the deceptive vocals of mimics if failing to respond to an actual model sound is costly.Therefore,the mimics could derive an advantage from mimicking the calls of predators of the receivers.A recent experimental study suggested that the bubbling calls of female common cuckoo Cuculus canorus mimic those of Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus,and they primarily serve to distract regular hosts after laying eggs(York and Davies 2017).However,Xia et al.(2019)found that female cuckoo calls have other functions,including attracting mates and repelling rivals.展开更多
基金financed by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31971402 to H.Wang,32001094 to J.Yu,31870368 to K.Zhang)the High-level Startup Talents Introduced Scientific Research Fund Project of Baotou Teacher's College,China(No.BTTCRCQD2024-C34)。
文摘Individuals may gather information about environmental conditions when deciding where to breed in order to maximize their lifetime fitness.They can obtain social information by observing conspecifics and heterospecifics with similar ecological needs.Many studies have shown that birds can rely on social information to select their nest sites.The location of active nests and the reproductive success of conspecifics and heterospecifics can provide accurate predictions about the quality of the breeding habitat.Some short-lived species can facultatively reproduce two and/or more times within a breeding season.However,few studies have focused on how multiplebrooding individuals select nest sites for their second breeding attempts.In this study,we use long-term data to test whether the Japanese Tit(Parus minor)can use social information from conspecifics and/or heterospecifics(the Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea,the Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus and the Yellow-rumped Flycatcher Ficedula zanthopygia)to select a nest site for the second breeding attempt.Our results showed that the nest boxes occupied by tits on their second breeding attempt tended to be surrounded by more breeding conspecific nests,successful first nests of conspecifics,and fewer failed first nests of conspecifics than the nest boxes that remained unoccupied(the control group).However,the numbers of breeding heterospecific nests,successful heterospecific nests,and failed heterospecific nests did not differ between the nest boxes occupied by tits on their second breeding attempt and the unoccupied nest boxes.Furthermore,the tits with local successful breeding experience tended to choose areas with more successful first nests of conspecifics than those without successful breeding experience.Thus,we suggest that conspecifics'but not heterospecifics'social information within the same breeding season is the major factor influencing the nest site selection of Japanese Tits during second breeding attempts.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31272331 and 31470458 to HW,31472013 and 31772453 to WL)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(2412016KJ043)the Open Project Program of Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization(130028685)
文摘Background: Birds produce alarm calls to convey information about threats. Some Passerine alarm calls consist of several note strings, but few studies have examined their function. Previous studies have shown that Japanese Tits(Parus minor) can alter the calling rate and number and combination of notes in response to predators. We previously found the combinations of note types in Japanese Tit alarm calls to be significantly different in response to the Sparrowhawk(Accipiter nisus) and Common Cuckoo(Cuculus canorus).Methods: Through playback experiments, we tested whether the note strings in Japanese Tit alarm calls to the Common Cuckoo have different functions in conveying information. The note strings of selected alarm calls were divided into the categories of C and D, and different calls were then constructed separately based on the two note string categories. Original alarm calls(C–D), C calls and D calls were played back to male Japanese Tits during the incubation period.Results: Male Japanese Tits had a significantly stronger response to C calls than to C–D calls, and they showed a significantly stronger response to both C and C–D calls than to D calls, suggesting that Japanese Tits discriminated between the C and D calls.Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that the C-and D-category note strings of Japanese Tit alarm calls to the Common Cuckoo have different functions, which supports the previous finding that different note strings in an alarm call can provide different information to receivers. However, the exact meanings of these note strings are not yet known, and further investigation is therefore required.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.31772453 and 31970427 to WL,No.31672303 to CY and No.31770419 to HW)
文摘Background:Brood parasitic birds such as cuckoos(Cuculus spp.)can reduce their host’s reproductive success.Such selection pressure on the hosts has driven the evolution of defense behaviors such as egg rejection against cuckoo parasitism.Studies have shown that Cinereous Tits(Parus cinereus)in China have a good ability for recognizing foreign eggs.However,it is unclear whether egg spots play a role in egg recognition.The aims of our study were to investigate the egg recognition ability of two Cinereous Tit populations in China and to explore the role of spots in egg recognition.Methods:To test the effect of eggshell spots on egg recognition,pure white eggs of the White-rumped Munia(Lonchura striata)and eggs of White-rumped Munia painted with red brown spots were used to simulate experimental parasitism.Results:Egg experiments showed that Cinereous Tits rejected 51.5%of pure white eggs of the White-rumped Munia,but only 14.3%of spotted eggs of the White-rumped Munia.There was a significant difference in egg recognition and rejection rate between the two egg types.Conclusions:We conclude that eggshell spots on Cinereous Tit eggs had a signaling function and may be essential to tits for recognizing and rejecting parasitic eggs.
基金financed by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.31770419,31272331,30970375,30400047 to HW)the Postdoctoral Program of Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Center in North-east China(No.150482 to WO)
文摘Background:For secondary cavity-nesting bird species that do not add lining materials to nests,the presence of old nest material or organic remains that have accumulated within nest cavities from previous breeding events may be a cue of nest-site quality.These materials potentially contain information about past breeding success in con-and heterospecifics and may improve the thermal insulation of eggs during incubation.However,few studies have addressed whether the presence of old nest materials serves as a cue for cavity-nesting raptors when choosing specific nest sites.Methods:We conducted a 9-year nest box experiment to test whether old nest materials from con-and heterospecifics serve as informative cues to the European Kestrel(Falco tinnunculus)when making nest selection decisions,as this species uses nest boxes without adding nesting material.Results:The presence of old nest materials and entrance size best discriminated nest boxes occupied by European Kestrels from unoccupied boxes.Nest boxes containing conspecific organic remains,artificial dry leaf and branch material,and material left behind by Great Tits(Parus major)were reused at higher rates,especially those containing conspecific nest material,than nest boxes containing true or simulated nest materials from predators.In 2010,no single nest box was occupied by the same banded individual that occupied the box in the previous year(10 females and 2 males were banded in 2009).Conclusions:European Kestrels preferred nest boxes containing old nest material over empty boxes,which is consistent with previous findings that they exploit con-and heterospecific cues when deciding where to settle and breed,as old nest or organic material provides substrate for incubating females.Kestrels may be able to assess the predation risks associated with a specific nest site based on experience or the presence of prey remains.The repeated use of nest boxes across breeding seasons by kestrels cannot be entirely ascribed to philopatry.This study provides evidence that old nest materials are potentially used as informative cues when making nest-site selection decisions in European Kestrels.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.31770419 and 31971402 to HW,32001094 and 31870368 to JY)
文摘The reproductive behaviors of birds are mainly controlled by the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axis.Many studies have shown that reproductive hormones are tightly linked to the breeding sub-stages.However,only a few studies have examined the temporal trend of hormone levels among different reproductive stages in multiple brooded species.We investigated the changes in plasma luteinizing hormone(LH)and prolactin(PRL)concentrations during different reproductive stages of the facultative double-brooded Great Tit(Parus major).We found that the concentrations of LH and PRL in females were significantly higher than those in males.Females had significantly higher LH and lower PRL concentrations in the pre-breeding period than in the first/second brooding periods,and there were no significant changes between the first and second brooding periods.The concentrations of LH and PRL in males had no significant difference between the pre-breeding period and the first brooding periods,while LH and PRL concentrations in the second brooding period were significantly higher than those in the first brooding period.We conclude that there are sex-based differences between LH and PRL at different stages of reproduction.The changes in LH and PRL in both males and females should be related to their physiological functions.Especially for males,individuals with higher levels of LH and PRL are more likely to maintain second clutches.
基金This work is supported by The State Key Laboratory of Integrated Services Networks,Xidian University(ISN22-13).
文摘Verifiable secret sharing mainly solves the cheating behavior between malicious participants and the ground control center in the satellite network.The verification stage can verify the effectiveness of secret shares issued by the ground control center to each participant and verify the effectiveness of secret shares shown by participants.We use a lot of difficult assumptions based on mathematical problems in the verification stage,such as solving the difficult problem of the discrete logarithm,large integer prime factorization,and so on.Compared with other verifiable secret sharing schemes designed for difficult problems under the same security,the verifiable secret sharing scheme based on the Elliptic Curve Cryptography(ECC)system has the advantages of less computational overhead and shorter key.At present,the binary polynomial is a single secret scheme and cannot provide effective verification.Therefore,based on a Protected Verifiable Synchronous Multi Secret Sharing(PVS-MSS)scheme,this paper is designed based on bivariate asymmetric polynomials.The advanced verifiable attribute is introduced into the Protected Secret Sharing(PSS)scheme.This paper extends the protected synchronous multi-secret sharing scheme based on bivariate polynomial design.The ECC system constructs the security channel between the ground control center and participants and constructs the verification algorithm.Through the verification algorithm,any participant can verify the consistency and effectiveness of the secret shadow and secret share received from other participants or presented by the secret distribution center.Therefore,no additional key agreement protocol is required;participants do not need to negotiate the session key for encryption;the secret share polynomial can generate the session key between participants and speed up the secret reconstruction process.The verification stage has lower computational complexity than the verifiable scheme constructed by Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA) and other encryption methods. Chinese Remainder Theorem (CRT)is used to update the secret shadow. The secret shadow does not need to beupdated with the change of the scheme shared secret, and the public valueupdate efficiency is higher. Reduce the complexity of sharing secret updatesin a synchronous multi-secret sharing scheme.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.31870368 to KZ,No.31770419 and No.31971402 to HW,No.32001094 to J.Yu)the Science and Technology Project Program of Jilin Provincial Department of Education(JJKH20190281KJ to J.Yu)。
文摘Background:For cavity-nesting birds,the nest entrance plays an important role in preventing predators from accessing nests.Several species of nuthatches use mud to narrow the entrance of cavities.In theory,the smaller the entrance hole size,the more effective it is against predators;however,few studies have tested whether narrowing the entrance hole size can affect the estimation of threat levels from nest predators in cavity-nesting birds.Methods:Using dummy experiments,we tested whether Eurasian Nuthatches(Sitta europaea,narrow the entrance hole of cavities)and Cinereous Tits(Parus cinereus,do not narrow the entrance hole,as a control)perform different nest defence behaviours against Common Chipmunks(Tamias sibiricus,small nest predator)and Red Squirrels(Sciurus vulgaris,larger nest predator).Results:Both nuthatches and tits exhibited stronger response behaviours(high dummy response scores)against chipmunks than against squirrels.Compared with tits,nuthatches exhibited more aggressive behaviours to chipmunks,but their responses to squirrels were similar.Conclusions:Nest defence behaviours of nuthatches to chipmunks differed from tits,and the results suggested that nuthatches might estimate threat levels of nest predators according to their narrowed entrance-hole size.
基金The study was financed by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.31801976 to ME and No.20111938 to HW)the University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program of Jilin Province(No.202010205057 to ME)the Natural Science Foundation of Changchun Normal University.
文摘Background:Genes of the major histocompatibility complex(MHC)are an important component of the vertebrate immune system and play a significant role in mate choice in animal populations.However,the MHC genetic targets of female mate choice have not been clearly identified,and whether female mate choice is based on neutral genetic characteristics remains an open question.Here,we focus on the effects of morphological traits and genetic similarity among individuals in MHC class IIB(MHC IIB)exon 2 on mating in a sexually dimorphic songbird that exhibits social monogamy with extra-pair paternity(EPP).Methods:We sequenced 64 parent-offspring triads sampled over a 3-year period using two MHC class II loci to detect disassortative mating in the Yellow-rumped Flycatcher(Ficedula zanthopygia).Results:We found that MHC similarity in social pairs was lower than that in random pairs.Extra-pair mate choice according to MHC IIB was observed,in which females’extra-pair mates had fewer MHC alleles than their within-pair mates,but there was no significant band-sharing between extra-pair sires and potential extra-pair mates.However,the interaction between the MHC diversity of females and that of the social males affected the occurrence of EPP.Conclusions:Our results support the“optimality hypothesis”of MHC-based social and extra-pair choice.Female choice probably maintains a certain level of MHC diversity in offspring in the Yellow-rumped Flycatcher.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(no.32001094 to J.Y.,31770419 and 31971402 to H.W.,and 31772453 and 31970427 to W.L.).
文摘Behavioral divergence among populations is common across taxonomic groups,still we know very little about anti-predator behaviors.Animal exposure to predation risk is variable in different ecological contexts.In addition,reproduction value of animals in different geographical regions usually varies.In this study,we tested whether cinereous tits Parus cinereus in different populations exhibited nest defense behaviors similar to those of nest or adult predators and whether their nest defense behaviors showed geographical variation.By using field dummy experiments,we observed tits’nest defense behavior in nest predator common chipmunk Tamias sibiricus and red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris,adult predator Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus and nonthreatening species Oriental turtle dove Streptopelia orientalis in the ZJ(44°N),DZ(31°N),and DLS(18°N)populations,respectively.The response scores varied significantly across the 4 dummies in ZJ-tits and DLS-tits but did not in DZ-tits.When facing the chipmunk,ZJ-tits showed the highest response score and DZ-tits showed the lowest response score.When facing the squirrel,ZJ-tits showed a higher response score than tits in the other 2 populations.However,tits among the 3 populations responded similarly to a sparrowhawk or dove with slight response behaviors.In addition,response scores to nest predators were positively correlated with brood size across the 3 populations,but no trend was found for sparrowhawks or doves.Our results indicated that the nest defense behaviors of cinereous tits have evolved in response to large-scale geographical variation in ecological contexts and reproduction value.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.31770419 and 31470458 to H.W.,31772453 and 31970427 to W.L.)the Open Project Program of Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization(130028823)+1 种基金the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(2412018QD009)the Project funded by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2018M631854).
文摘Hole-nesting tits Parus spp.have been classified as"unsuitable"hosts for cuckoo parasitism because cuckoos cannot enter a cavity if the entrance is too small.However,Chinese tits could re-ject alien eggs and egg ejection rate increased with the local diversity of parasitic cuckoo species.Antiparasitic behavior among Chinese tits may have evolved due to greater size variation among sympatric cuckoo species.This raises the question of whether differently sized parasitic cuckoos pose different threats to Chinese tits.A green-backed tit Parus monticolus population that is sym-patric with Asian emerald cuckoo Chrysococcyx maculatus(eme-cuckoo,small-sized parasite)and common cuckoo Cuculus canorus(com-cuckoo,large-sized parasite),and a cinereous tit P.cinereus population that is only sympatric with com-cuckoo were chosen as study organisms.We observed behavioral response and recorded alarm calls of the 2 tit species to eme-cuckoo,com-cuckoo,chipmunk Tamias sibiricus(a nest predator)and dove Streptopelia orientalis(a harm-less control),and subsequently played back alarm calls to conspecific incubating females.In dummy experiments,both tit species performed intense response behavior to chipmunk,but rarely responded strongly to the 3 avian species.In playback experiments,both tit species responded strongly to conspecific chipmunk alarm calls,but rarely responded to dove alarm calls.The inten-sity of response of incubating female green-backed tits to eme-cuckoo and com-cuckoo alarm calls were similar to that of chipmunk alarm calls,while the intensity to eme-cuckoo alarm calls was higher than the intensity to dove alarm calls which was similar to that of com-cuckoo alarm calls.In contrast,few female cinereous tits responded to eme-cuckoo and com-cuckoo alarm calls.These findings indicated that the threat level of eme-cuckoo was slightly greater than that of com-cuckoo for sympatric green-backed tits,but not for allopatric cinereous tits.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31770419 and 31971402 to H.W.,31772453 and 31970427 to W.L.,and 32001094 to J.Y.)Science and Technology Research Project of the Education Department of Jilin Province(JJKH20190281KJ).
文摘Acoustic signals play an important role in animal communication systems,and these signals can transfer diverse and meaningful information from a signaler to a receiver(e.g.,Yu et al.2019).Animal signals tend to be honest;however,deception can occur when it is beneficial for receivers to send dishonest signals,such as by mimicking alarm calls to steal food from other individuals(Flower et al.2014).In birds,vocal mimicry is a widespread phenomenon that has 2 major functional explanation categories:intraspecific and interspecific communications(Dalziell et al.2015).Vocal mimicry in intraspecific communication mainly involves sexual selection and social affiliation(Dalziell et al.2015).In interspecific communication,studies on vocal mimicry are mostly related to predator–prey interactions(Dalziell et al.2015).Mimics could mimic calls of predators to scare off other predators or competitors.For example,some species of hole-nesting birds produce a snakelike hissing call to drive nest predators away(e.g.,Dutour et al.2020).Receiver should be particularly sensitive to the deceptive vocals of mimics if failing to respond to an actual model sound is costly.Therefore,the mimics could derive an advantage from mimicking the calls of predators of the receivers.A recent experimental study suggested that the bubbling calls of female common cuckoo Cuculus canorus mimic those of Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus,and they primarily serve to distract regular hosts after laying eggs(York and Davies 2017).However,Xia et al.(2019)found that female cuckoo calls have other functions,including attracting mates and repelling rivals.
