A large collection of Presbyornis (Aves,Anseriformes, Presbyornithidae) from the late Paleocene and early Eocene of Mongolia

We describe a large collection of fossil ‘waterfowl’ bones that are referable to the extinct clade Presbyornithidae (Anseriformes). All of these fossils were collected between 1971 and 1994 from Upper Paleocene and Lower Eocene sediments at the Tsagaan Khushuu site in the Gobi Desert of southern Mongolia. The collection includes specimens referred to a new small species within the genus Presbyornis Wetmore, 1926 as well as large numbers of bones that we place in the genus Presbyornis. On this basis of the Tsagaan Khushuu collection we suggest that several species of Presbyornis likely coexisted in this region; indeed, the presence of large numbers of middle‐sized, morphologically consistent but probably ecologically disparate species at the Tsagaan Khushuu site is consistent with the range of variation seen, for example, in taxa of extant dabbling ducks (Anatini). Although the anatomy and phylogenetic position of Presbyornithidae (in particular Presbyornis) are well known, this material from Mongolia further demonstrates the prevalence of these birds in aquatic and semi‐aquatic habitats by the earliest Paleogene. Because presbyornithids are also well documented from the late Cretaceous, their palaeoecology and morphological diversity provides a clue to selective avian survivorship across the Cretaceous‐Paleogene (K‐Pg) boundary. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

黄河三角洲湿地生物多样性及其保护

黄河三角洲湿地是典型的滨海河口湿地,重要的鸟类栖息地、繁殖地和中转站,具有典型的原生性、脆弱性,稀有性等特征,其生物资源丰富,有各种野生动物1 543种,种子植物393种,鸟类283种,其中属国家一级重点保护鸟类有9种,属国家二级重点保护鸟类有41种.该湿地的研究和保护,可以为生物多样性保护,特别是鸟类保护提供巨大支持.黄河三角洲自然保护区的建设为湿地及其生物多样性的保护和可持续利用创造了良好的条件和平台.近年来的调查发现,三角洲区域油田开发对湿地的影响正在逐步减少,自然保护区管理局先后实施的一系列工程,使生态环境得到明显改善,区内鸟类种类和数量明显增加,黄河三角洲在湿地生物多样性保护中的地位和作用也在进一步加强.     

Measurements Of Thermal Updraft Intensity Over Complex Terrain Using American White Pelicans And A Simple Boundary-Layer Forecast Model

An examination of boundary-layer meteorological and avian aerodynamic theories suggests that soaring birds can be used to measure the magnitude of vertical air motions within the boundary layer. These theories are applied to obtain mixed-layer normalized thermal updraft intensity over both flat and complex terrain from the climb rates of soaring American white pelicans and from diagnostic boundary-layer model-produced estimates of the boundary-layer depth z_i and the convective velocity scale w_*. Comparison of the flatland data with the profiles of normalized updraft velocity obtained from previous studies reveals that the pelican-derived measurements of thermal updraft intensity are in close agreement with those obtained using traditional research aircraft and large eddy simulation (LES) in the height range of 0.2 to 0.8 z_i. Given the success of this method, the profiles of thermal vertical velocity over the flatland and the nearby mountains are compared. This comparison shows that these profiles are statistically indistinguishable over this height range, indicating that the profile for thermal updraft intensity varies little over this sample of complex terrain. These observations support the findings of a recent LES study that explored the turbulent structure of the boundary layer using a range of terrain specifications. For terrain similar in scale to that encountered in this study, results of the LES suggest that the terrain caused less than an 11% variation in the standard deviation of vertical velocity.     

Effect of the herbicide triclopyr on the abundance and species composition of benthic aquatic macroinvertebrates in the Ahuriri River,New Zealand

Abundance and species composition of aquatic benthic macroinvertebrates were compared between an area sprayed with the herbicide Grazon (active ingredient triclopyr), and an upstream control site (no triclopyr). Five Surber samples were collected from each of three riffles in control and treatment sites on eight occasions over a 1‐month period. Aquatic invertebrate species composition was similar in treatment and control sites, and did not change over time. The five taxa that made up 91–95% of all invertebrates by abundance did not vary significantly in treatment compared to control riffles. Abundance of three of the 15 most common taxa (>10 individuals per riffle) differed significantly between treatment and control sites over time. However, none of these fluctuations correspond to the presence of known concentrations of triclopyr in water samples, and it is unlikely that the declines resulted from triclopyr. These results are discussed with reference to known lethal concentrations of triclopyr for some invertebrates, and to the effect of floods on invertebrate populations.     

Correlations between seabirds and ocenic fronts around the Pribilof Islands,Alaska

Located on the extensive continental shelf of the Bering Sea, the Pribilof Islands, Alaska are the site of one of the largest breeding colonies of seabirds in the northern hemisphere. During summer these islands are surrounded by a front that separates vertically homogeneous waters from well stratified waters farther seaward. We studied the front with hydrographic data and the bird distributions with concurrent counts during summer 1977 and spring, summer and fall 1978. Murres (Uria lomvia and U. aalge) sitting on the water aggregated near the front during summer 1977 and probably during summer 1978. Other species, such as northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) and auklets (Aethia pusilla and A. cristatella) were unaffected by the front. We hypothesize that the aggregation of the murres was related to an enhanced availability of their food near the front.     

The Effects of Plateau Pika (Ochotona curzoniae) Presence and Population Control on the Structure of an Alpine Grassland Bird Community

China’s Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) is an important area for bird conservation, with many endemic and Threatened species. Colonial burrowing mammals play an important role in structuring bird communities in arid grasslands around the world. On the QTP, the plateau pika Ocho tona curzoniae builds colonies which provide a dense source of resources for many bird species. However, pikas are regarded as a pest by local pastoralists, and they are the target of a population reduction campaign which could have a significant impact on the bird communities. We surveyed bird communities at Gansu Yanchiwan National Nature Reserve to investigate the differences in community structure between sites with pika colonies (on colony) and sites without them (off colony), and between pika colonies which had been poisoned and those which had not. Using non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) combined with permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, we found that there was no significant difference in bird community composition or abundance between the poisoned and untreated colonies. However, there was a very large and statistically significant difference in bird community structures between on- and off-colony sites. Only horned lark Eremophila alpestris was consistently observed at sites without pika colonies, while ten bird species were observed on colonies. Six species were significantly more abundant on colony than off. While we could not claim that the poisoning campaign at Yanchiwan is altering bird communities, the presence of pika colonies seems to be an indispensable resource for the resident birds.     

Jamaica Bay studies VII: Factors affecting the distribution and abundance of ducks in a New York estuary

The abundance and distribution of ducks (Anatini, Cairinini, Aythyini, Mergini, Oxyurini) were examined at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, a coastal estuary on Long Island, New York. The refuge contains a variety of tidal habitats as well two freshwater impoundments. The largest concentrations of diving ducks were present in March and April, and from October through December; while the largest concentrations of dabbling ducks were present from June through December. Thus, diving ducks used the refuge on migration whereas dabbling ducks used the refuge during and following the breeding season. Time of year was thus the most significant factor affecting distribution and abundance. Some species were present all year, including Black Duck Anas rubripes, Mallard A. platyrhynchos, Gadwall A. strepera, and Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis. Although both dabblers and divers used all areas of the bay, dabblers used both ponds while divers used only the East Pond. Dabbling ducks concentrated in the bay at low tide, and on the ponds at high tide. There were more divers on the bay on a falling tide although tide direction did not influence the abundance or distribution of dabblers. Temperature and wind variables influenced the distribution of all ducks: they used the bay at low temperatures, and rafted in large flocks on the bay in intermediate, Northwest winds. Only the numbers and distribution of dabblers were significantly influenced by cloud cover. We conclude that abiotic factors influence the abundance and distribution of ducks on Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, and that tidal factors should be considered when managing migratory or wintering populations of ducks.     

鄱阳湖枯水期延长背景下越冬水鸟群落结构、丰富度及其空间分布格局

鄱阳湖是我国最大的淡水湖,也是具有国际意义的候鸟越冬地.本研究于2015和2016年越冬期对鄱阳湖越冬水鸟的群落结构、丰富度和空间分布进行了系统的调查,分别记录到水鸟494033和388017只,隶属于6目13科68种.雁形目和鸻形目鸟类种类最多,其次是鹳形目和鹤形目;从生态型来看,游禽32种,涉禽36种.雁鸭类相对丰富度最高,是鄱阳湖越冬水鸟的优势类群,其次是鸻形目鸟类,而2015和2016年鹤形目鸟类数量仅占当年总数量的2.6%和1.4%.在鄱阳湖湿地的不同区域,越冬水鸟种类组成差异较大.从空间分布来看,越冬水鸟主要集中在鄱阳湖自然保护区、九江湿地和南昌湿地.开展鄱阳湖越冬水鸟的种群数量调查,摸清越冬水鸟群落结构和种群丰富度现状,对于有针对性地开展越冬水鸟保护具有重要意义.     

陕西省蓝田县新街遗址全新世鸟类分类学记述

近2～3年来,陕西省考古研究院科研人员再次对蓝田县的新街遗址进行了抢救性发掘,经过清理整理,发现于新街遗址灰坑、探沟和探方中的全新世鸟类骨骼共70件.鸟类化石均为分散保存骨骼,但此次发现的鸟类骨骼保存不仅数量多,而且形态也较完好,是国内全新世鸟类化石发现记录所罕见的.本文记述了对这批鸟类化石开展形态解剖学的鉴定,并系统完成分类学研究的成果,新街遗址中总计鸟类所属8目、8科、8属,共9种,其中以水生鸟类居多.此外,根据鸟类的生存习性及鸟类骨骼上残存的人工痕迹,还针对新街遗址全新世时期的环境和古人类的生活行为进行了全方位多角度的分析和推理,为新街遗址在传统考古学研究的基础上提供了全新的科学信息和有益的补充.