Brood parasitism and egg mimicry of Himalayan Cuckoo(Cuculus saturatus) on its host Blyth's Leaf Warbler(Phylloscopus reguloides) were studied in south-western China from April to July 2009.The cuckoo laid a whit...Brood parasitism and egg mimicry of Himalayan Cuckoo(Cuculus saturatus) on its host Blyth's Leaf Warbler(Phylloscopus reguloides) were studied in south-western China from April to July 2009.The cuckoo laid a white egg with fine brown markings on the blunt end.The eggs were conspicuously bigger than the host's own,with 2.06 g in mass and 1.91 cm3 in volume.Visual modeling showed that the cuckoo eggs,which from the human eye appeared to mimic the host eggs to a great extent,were completely different from the host eggs in both hue and chroma.The characters of the Himalayan Cuckoo nestling,reported for the first time,included two triangular and black patches on its gape,which appeared from four days old and became darker with age and growth.While this character also exists in nestlings of Oriental Cuckoo(C.optatus),it has not been found for other Cuculus species.Our results reveal cryptic aspects in the cuckoo-host egg color matching,which are not visible to the naked human eye,and indicate that high mimetic cuckoo eggs rejected by hosts,as determined by human observers in previous studies,might not be mimetic as birds see them.展开更多
A specimen of White-spectacled Warbler Seicercus affinis was collected in Diding Nature Reserve in Jingxi County, Southwest Guangxi province in December 2006. It is a new record of bird species in Guangxi. During our ...A specimen of White-spectacled Warbler Seicercus affinis was collected in Diding Nature Reserve in Jingxi County, Southwest Guangxi province in December 2006. It is a new record of bird species in Guangxi. During our field investigation in Diding Nature Reserve from January 2005 to May 2007, Seicercus affinis were observed frequently in the underbrush of the evergreen broad-leaved forest and the shrub around agricultural land at an altitude of 500-700m. There are two subspecies of Seicercus affinis recorded in the world, but only one in China. Through a careful examination, this specimen was identified as Seicercus affinis intermedius. The distribution ofSeicercus affinis in China will be discussed in this paper. The specimen was kept at the College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Guangxi University.展开更多
We used sequences of mitochondrial control region (807bp) in 75 samples from three breeding colonies and one wintering population to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of Marsh Grassbird (Lo...We used sequences of mitochondrial control region (807bp) in 75 samples from three breeding colonies and one wintering population to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of Marsh Grassbird (Locustella pryeri sinensis) in different regions of China. Marsh Grassbird retained a moderate amount of haplotype (0.759 ± 0.056) and nucleotide diversity (0.002). The results of FST among 3 phy-logeographic units and ФST between breeding and wintering sites revealed little evidence of genetic distinction between different colonies. Neither UPGMA tree structure analysis nor Network picture analysis showed obvious divergence between populations at different locations. Analysis of molecular variance also showed a lack of regional subdivision within Locustella pryeri sinesis, 98.5% of source of variation within populations and only 1.5% among populations. The neutrality test showed negative Fu’s FS value, which, in combination with detection of the mismatch distribution, suggested that population expansion occurred in the evolu-tionary history of this species. This hypothesis was further supported by Tajima’s D test and Fu’s test (D = -1.80, p = 0.02; Fs = -22.11, p = 0.001), this expansion was estimated to occur about 28,700 years ago.展开更多
We analyzed the songs of the Asian Stubtail (Urosphena squameiceps),a migratory passerine that breeds in northeast Asia.The possibility of individual identification of this species by songs was examined in a populatio...We analyzed the songs of the Asian Stubtail (Urosphena squameiceps),a migratory passerine that breeds in northeast Asia.The possibility of individual identification of this species by songs was examined in a population in northern China during the breeding season of 2010.Individuality was determined using discriminant function analysis,artificial neural networks and spectrographic cross-correlation.Our results show that,the rate of correct classification is satisfactory in this species,regardless of methods.From an applied perspective,spectrographic cross-correlation is most suitable.Besides its maximum rate of correct classification (89.4%),it does not require measurements of spectrograms,which is a necessity other methods and may introduce artificial errors.We hope that our result of individual identification on the basis of acoustic signals may open up a new research venue for this species.展开更多
Members of the passerine family Sylviidae are distributed widely around the Old World and the phylogenetic relationships of many species still remain controversial.In this study,we investigated the phylogeny and relat...Members of the passerine family Sylviidae are distributed widely around the Old World and the phylogenetic relationships of many species still remain controversial.In this study,we investigated the phylogeny and relationships among 37 species of 11 genera by analyzing DNA sequences obtained from the complete mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) and partial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) genes.The data were analyzed by maximum-likelihood analysis and Bayesian inference.The results demonstrate that the current genus Phylloscopus is non-monophyletic,while Seicercus is synonymized with Phylloscopus or is a group within the genus Phylloscopus.We may conclude that within Phylloscopus there are close relations between P.magnirostris and P.borealis;among P.proregulus,P.yunnanensis,P.pulcher and P.maculipennis,as well as among P.occisinensis,P.schwarzi,P.armandii,P.collybita and P.fuscatus.Monophyly of the genus Cettia could not be corroborated;it is closely related to the genera Abroscopus and Tesia.However monophyly of Acrocephalus is supported.Furthermore,the close relationships between Sylvia and Zosterops and among Prinia,Orthotomus and Cisticola are also supported.展开更多
The systematics of the avian superfamily Sylvioidea are reviewed, focusing on studies of relationships among families and within genera, more superficially on taxonomic studies at the species level. For the families B...The systematics of the avian superfamily Sylvioidea are reviewed, focusing on studies of relationships among families and within genera, more superficially on taxonomic studies at the species level. For the families Bernieridae and Phylloscopidae, new analyses based on already published sequence data are presented. Our understanding of relationships has been vastly improved in recent years due to a large number of molecular studies. However, the relationships among the different families remain largely obscured, probably mainly as a result of rapid divergence of the different primary lineages (families). Also, species level taxonomy has been much improved in recent years due to a large number of studies applying molecular markers and/or vocalizations and other life-history data. It seems likely that the number of species will continue to increase, as new groups are being studied with modern integrative methods.展开更多
Based on more than 4000 km 2D seismic data and seismic stratigraphic analysis, we discussed the extent and formation mechanism of the Qiongdongnan deep sea channel. The Qiongdongnan deep sea channel is a large incised...Based on more than 4000 km 2D seismic data and seismic stratigraphic analysis, we discussed the extent and formation mechanism of the Qiongdongnan deep sea channel. The Qiongdongnan deep sea channel is a large incised channel which extends from the east boundary of the Yinggehai Basin, through the whole Qiongdongnan and the Xisha trough, and terminates in the western part of the northwest subbasin of South China Sea. It is more than 570 km long and 4–8 km wide. The chaotic (or continuous) middle (or high) amplitude, middle (or high) continuity seismic facies of the channel reflect the different lithological distribution of the channel. The channel formed as a complex result of global sea level drop during early Pliocene, large scale of sediment supply to the Yinggehai Basin, inversion event of the Red River strike-slip fault, and tilted direction of the Qiongdongnan Basin. The large scale of sediment supply from Red River caused the shelf break of the Yinggehai Basin to move torwards the S and SE direction and developed large scale of prograding wedge from the Miocene, and the inversion of the Red River strike-slip fault induced the sediment slump which formed the Qiongdongnan deep sea channel.展开更多
The condensates from the Yacheng Gas Field, Ying-Qiong Basins, have unusual chemical characteristics, with distribution dominated by terpanes and steranes derived from higher-plants. Pr/Ph ratios (6-11) are very high....The condensates from the Yacheng Gas Field, Ying-Qiong Basins, have unusual chemical characteristics, with distribution dominated by terpanes and steranes derived from higher-plants. Pr/Ph ratios (6-11) are very high. Drimane, cadinanes and homocadinanes exist in high concentration. Anomalously abundant 18α(H)-oleanane and remarkably abundant bicadinanes are present in Yacheng condensates, while 17α(H)-hopanes are in extremely low concentration. Taraxastane and significantly abundant 17α(H)-diahopanes occur in the condensates. In addition, a number of C 29 and C 30 unknown pentacyclic triterpanes were monitored in the condensates, some of which are abundant. The unknown compounds may be terrestrial biomarkers or their occurrence may suggest a sub-oxic (dyacrobic) clay-rich depositional environment. C 29 homologues are relatively predominant in regular and rearranged steranes. The concentration of diasteranes is markedly higher than that of regular steranes. The characteristics of Yacheng condensates are indicative of terrestrial source input. Based on condensate-condensate and condensate-rock correlations, combined with results of studies on sedimentary facies. Yacheng condensates may be sourced from Yacheng and Lingshui Formations in the Qiongdongnan Basin. The maturity of Yacheng condensate is relatively high, at late oil window stage (corresponding to 0.9%-1.3% R 0), based on sterane and terpane maturity parameters.展开更多
Herein we would like to comment on the paper "Estimation of potential distribution of gas hydrate in the northern South China Sea" by Wang et al. 2010 in Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Lirnnology, 28(3): 693-6...Herein we would like to comment on the paper "Estimation of potential distribution of gas hydrate in the northern South China Sea" by Wang et al. 2010 in Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Lirnnology, 28(3): 693-699. The purpose of this comment is to point out that the given probabilities of gas hydrate occtwrence in the northern Zhujiang Mouth Basin and the Yinggehai Basin in the figure of Wang et al. (2010) are improper. After introducing our work of estimation of gas hydrate stability distribution in the northern South China Sea, we suggest that Wang et al. (2010) dismissed the basic P-T rule for the existence of gas hydrate. They should consider more the variables of water depth, seabed temperature and geothermal gradient in their gas hydrate distribution model in future studies.展开更多
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(3086004431071938)+1 种基金Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University(NCET-10-0111)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(20110490967)funded project
文摘Brood parasitism and egg mimicry of Himalayan Cuckoo(Cuculus saturatus) on its host Blyth's Leaf Warbler(Phylloscopus reguloides) were studied in south-western China from April to July 2009.The cuckoo laid a white egg with fine brown markings on the blunt end.The eggs were conspicuously bigger than the host's own,with 2.06 g in mass and 1.91 cm3 in volume.Visual modeling showed that the cuckoo eggs,which from the human eye appeared to mimic the host eggs to a great extent,were completely different from the host eggs in both hue and chroma.The characters of the Himalayan Cuckoo nestling,reported for the first time,included two triangular and black patches on its gape,which appeared from four days old and became darker with age and growth.While this character also exists in nestlings of Oriental Cuckoo(C.optatus),it has not been found for other Cuculus species.Our results reveal cryptic aspects in the cuckoo-host egg color matching,which are not visible to the naked human eye,and indicate that high mimetic cuckoo eggs rejected by hosts,as determined by human observers in previous studies,might not be mimetic as birds see them.
文摘A specimen of White-spectacled Warbler Seicercus affinis was collected in Diding Nature Reserve in Jingxi County, Southwest Guangxi province in December 2006. It is a new record of bird species in Guangxi. During our field investigation in Diding Nature Reserve from January 2005 to May 2007, Seicercus affinis were observed frequently in the underbrush of the evergreen broad-leaved forest and the shrub around agricultural land at an altitude of 500-700m. There are two subspecies of Seicercus affinis recorded in the world, but only one in China. Through a careful examination, this specimen was identified as Seicercus affinis intermedius. The distribution ofSeicercus affinis in China will be discussed in this paper. The specimen was kept at the College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Guangxi University.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 130370221 and No. 30770309)
文摘We used sequences of mitochondrial control region (807bp) in 75 samples from three breeding colonies and one wintering population to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of Marsh Grassbird (Locustella pryeri sinensis) in different regions of China. Marsh Grassbird retained a moderate amount of haplotype (0.759 ± 0.056) and nucleotide diversity (0.002). The results of FST among 3 phy-logeographic units and ФST between breeding and wintering sites revealed little evidence of genetic distinction between different colonies. Neither UPGMA tree structure analysis nor Network picture analysis showed obvious divergence between populations at different locations. Analysis of molecular variance also showed a lack of regional subdivision within Locustella pryeri sinesis, 98.5% of source of variation within populations and only 1.5% among populations. The neutrality test showed negative Fu’s FS value, which, in combination with detection of the mismatch distribution, suggested that population expansion occurred in the evolu-tionary history of this species. This hypothesis was further supported by Tajima’s D test and Fu’s test (D = -1.80, p = 0.02; Fs = -22.11, p = 0.001), this expansion was estimated to occur about 28,700 years ago.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.J0830630/J0106)
文摘We analyzed the songs of the Asian Stubtail (Urosphena squameiceps),a migratory passerine that breeds in northeast Asia.The possibility of individual identification of this species by songs was examined in a population in northern China during the breeding season of 2010.Individuality was determined using discriminant function analysis,artificial neural networks and spectrographic cross-correlation.Our results show that,the rate of correct classification is satisfactory in this species,regardless of methods.From an applied perspective,spectrographic cross-correlation is most suitable.Besides its maximum rate of correct classification (89.4%),it does not require measurements of spectrograms,which is a necessity other methods and may introduce artificial errors.We hope that our result of individual identification on the basis of acoustic signals may open up a new research venue for this species.
基金supplied by the National Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scientists (30925008) to F.M. Leithe NSFC program (J0930004) to C.Y. Dai+3 种基金the International Cooperation between the Chinese and Slovak Academy of Sciences to F.M. Lei and A. Kritínthe Program of the Ministry of Education of China (206148) to Z.M. Lianthe Program of the Education Department of the Shaanxi Provincial Government (2010JK909)the Program of the Science and Technology Department of Yan’an,China (YAKY200701) to X. Lei
文摘Members of the passerine family Sylviidae are distributed widely around the Old World and the phylogenetic relationships of many species still remain controversial.In this study,we investigated the phylogeny and relationships among 37 species of 11 genera by analyzing DNA sequences obtained from the complete mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) and partial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) genes.The data were analyzed by maximum-likelihood analysis and Bayesian inference.The results demonstrate that the current genus Phylloscopus is non-monophyletic,while Seicercus is synonymized with Phylloscopus or is a group within the genus Phylloscopus.We may conclude that within Phylloscopus there are close relations between P.magnirostris and P.borealis;among P.proregulus,P.yunnanensis,P.pulcher and P.maculipennis,as well as among P.occisinensis,P.schwarzi,P.armandii,P.collybita and P.fuscatus.Monophyly of the genus Cettia could not be corroborated;it is closely related to the genera Abroscopus and Tesia.However monophyly of Acrocephalus is supported.Furthermore,the close relationships between Sylvia and Zosterops and among Prinia,Orthotomus and Cisticola are also supported.
基金the Chinese Academy of Sciences Visiting Professorship for Senior International Scientists (No. 2011T2S04) to P.A.NSFC (No. 31010103901) to F.L. and P.A.
文摘The systematics of the avian superfamily Sylvioidea are reviewed, focusing on studies of relationships among families and within genera, more superficially on taxonomic studies at the species level. For the families Bernieridae and Phylloscopidae, new analyses based on already published sequence data are presented. Our understanding of relationships has been vastly improved in recent years due to a large number of molecular studies. However, the relationships among the different families remain largely obscured, probably mainly as a result of rapid divergence of the different primary lineages (families). Also, species level taxonomy has been much improved in recent years due to a large number of studies applying molecular markers and/or vocalizations and other life-history data. It seems likely that the number of species will continue to increase, as new groups are being studied with modern integrative methods.
基金Supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program, 2006AA09Z349)the National Basic Research Program of China (2007CB411703)
文摘Based on more than 4000 km 2D seismic data and seismic stratigraphic analysis, we discussed the extent and formation mechanism of the Qiongdongnan deep sea channel. The Qiongdongnan deep sea channel is a large incised channel which extends from the east boundary of the Yinggehai Basin, through the whole Qiongdongnan and the Xisha trough, and terminates in the western part of the northwest subbasin of South China Sea. It is more than 570 km long and 4–8 km wide. The chaotic (or continuous) middle (or high) amplitude, middle (or high) continuity seismic facies of the channel reflect the different lithological distribution of the channel. The channel formed as a complex result of global sea level drop during early Pliocene, large scale of sediment supply to the Yinggehai Basin, inversion event of the Red River strike-slip fault, and tilted direction of the Qiongdongnan Basin. The large scale of sediment supply from Red River caused the shelf break of the Yinggehai Basin to move torwards the S and SE direction and developed large scale of prograding wedge from the Miocene, and the inversion of the Red River strike-slip fault induced the sediment slump which formed the Qiongdongnan deep sea channel.
文摘The condensates from the Yacheng Gas Field, Ying-Qiong Basins, have unusual chemical characteristics, with distribution dominated by terpanes and steranes derived from higher-plants. Pr/Ph ratios (6-11) are very high. Drimane, cadinanes and homocadinanes exist in high concentration. Anomalously abundant 18α(H)-oleanane and remarkably abundant bicadinanes are present in Yacheng condensates, while 17α(H)-hopanes are in extremely low concentration. Taraxastane and significantly abundant 17α(H)-diahopanes occur in the condensates. In addition, a number of C 29 and C 30 unknown pentacyclic triterpanes were monitored in the condensates, some of which are abundant. The unknown compounds may be terrestrial biomarkers or their occurrence may suggest a sub-oxic (dyacrobic) clay-rich depositional environment. C 29 homologues are relatively predominant in regular and rearranged steranes. The concentration of diasteranes is markedly higher than that of regular steranes. The characteristics of Yacheng condensates are indicative of terrestrial source input. Based on condensate-condensate and condensate-rock correlations, combined with results of studies on sedimentary facies. Yacheng condensates may be sourced from Yacheng and Lingshui Formations in the Qiongdongnan Basin. The maturity of Yacheng condensate is relatively high, at late oil window stage (corresponding to 0.9%-1.3% R 0), based on sterane and terpane maturity parameters.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40774033)National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (No. 2009CB219503)the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program) (No. 2006AA09A203-05)
文摘Herein we would like to comment on the paper "Estimation of potential distribution of gas hydrate in the northern South China Sea" by Wang et al. 2010 in Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Lirnnology, 28(3): 693-699. The purpose of this comment is to point out that the given probabilities of gas hydrate occtwrence in the northern Zhujiang Mouth Basin and the Yinggehai Basin in the figure of Wang et al. (2010) are improper. After introducing our work of estimation of gas hydrate stability distribution in the northern South China Sea, we suggest that Wang et al. (2010) dismissed the basic P-T rule for the existence of gas hydrate. They should consider more the variables of water depth, seabed temperature and geothermal gradient in their gas hydrate distribution model in future studies.