[Conservation / Ornithology • 2021] Hydropower Reservoir reduces Great Argus Argusianus argus Density in Proximity to Its Shore

Great Argus  Argusianus argus (Linnaeus, 1766) 

in Ong-in & Savini, 2021. 

DOI:  10.1017/S0959270921000368  

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Summary

Habitat degradation due to hydropower development within protected areas has a marked negative effect on resident wildlife species. However, efforts to develop appropriate conservation and management plans are hampered by a general lack of quantitative information and a poor understanding of relevant ecological constraints. Great Argus Argusianus argus, a large galliform species sensitive to habitat degradation, can reflect the impacts of the Chiew Larn reservoir in southern Thailand on local wildlife. Great Argus abundance in the remaining lowland areas of Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary (KSWS) was estimated using line transects along the Chiew Larn reservoir edges and in the forest interior between February and April 2017. The population estimate for KSWS was 108 individuals (95% CI: 41–272) based on the sampled area of 18.06 km2, with a density estimate of 5.9 calling males/km2. The abundance increased with increased distance from the reservoir shoreline, which might be related to the high level of direct and indirect human disturbance close to the hydropower reservoir.

Keywords: Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary, southern Thailand, Chiew Larn reservoir, density estimate

Tiwa Ong-in and Tommaso Savini. 2021. Hydropower Reservoir reduces Great Argus Argusianus argus Density in Proximity to Its Shore. Bird Conservation International. First View. DOI:  10.1017/S0959270921000368

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[Conservation / Ornithology • 2020] Importance of Isolated Forest Fragments and Low Intensity Agriculture for the Long-term Cconservation of the Green Peafowl Pavo muticus

Green Peafowl Pavo muticus  

in Shwe, Sukumal, Oom, ... et Savini, 2020. 

 DOI: 10.1017/S0030605319000267 

photo: Niti Sukumal

oryxthejournal.org

Abstract

Low intensity subsistence agriculture is generally believed to be less damaging to wildlife than intensive farming. As Myanmar is undergoing rapid modernization, subsistence farming may shift to intensive agriculture, resulting in increased threats to species of conservation concern such as the green peafowl Pavo muticus. Here we investigate habitat use of the green peafowl in a low intensity agricultural landscape surrounding a small forest fragment in southern Shan State, Myanmar. The forest belongs to Nan Kone Buddha Monastery and the green peafowl is protected from hunting in the area on the basis of religious beliefs. We established three survey transects with a total length of 3,414 m. During February 2016–January 2017 we conducted surveys twice daily for 4 consecutive days every month, walking all transects in both directions in the mornings and afternoons and recording visual and auditory peafowl encounters. We estimated peafowl density to be 2.63 animals/km2 in the less disturbed western part of the study area and 1.13 animals/km2 in the eastern part, which had higher levels of human disturbance. The peafowl's habitat use was significantly non-random, with forest patches being the most utilized habitat, followed by croplands. Within a 300 m buffer zone around the forest patch, the order of habitat preference was crop > scrub > fallow, with crop significantly preferred over the other two habitats. We conclude that preserved isolated forest blocks adjacent to community-managed agricultural areas are important for green peafowl conservation, and discuss the implications for long-term conservation management of the species.

Keywords: Agriculture, Buddhist monastery, compositional analysis, green peafowl, fragmented forest, Myanmar, Pavo muticus, Shan plateau

Nay Myo Shwe, Niti Sukumal, Khin Maung Oom Simon Dowell, Stephen Browne and Tommaso Savini. 2020. Importance of Isolated Forest Fragments and Low Intensity Agriculture for the Long-term Cconservation of the Green Peafowl Pavo muticus. Oryx. First View. DOI: 10.1017/S0030605319000267

Conservation in unexpected places: communities and the green peafowl

oryxthejournal.org/blog/conservation-in-unexpected-places-communities-and-the-green-peafowl/

facebook.com/OryxTheJournal/photos/10157474729124102

Researchgate.net/publication/274070223_PEAFOWLS_SPECIES_AND_THEIR_MUTATIONS

        

[Ornithology • 2020] Unforeseen Diversity of Quails (Galliformes: Phasianidae: Coturnix) in Oceanic Islands provided by the Fossil Record of Macaronesia

[A] Coturnix lignorum, [B] C. alabrevis & [C] C. centensis  

Rando, Alcover, Pieper, Olson, Hernández & López-Jurado. 2020. 

DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz107 

 twitter.com/ZoolJLinnSoc 

 Artwork by Pau Oliver. 

Abstract

The original bird fauna of most oceanic islands has been affected by recent extinction processes associated with human arrival and its subsequent impacts. In the volcanic Macaronesian archipelagos (Azores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canary Islands and Cape Verde), in the North Atlantic, the Late Quaternary fossil record indicates that there was formerly a higher avian diversity, including a high number of now extinct endemic species. This assemblage of extinct birds includes endemic insular quails (Galliformes: Phasianidae). In this study, we describe three newly discovered extinct species of quails, two of which inhabited the archipelago of Madeira (Coturnix lignorum sp. nov. from Madeira Island and Coturnix alabrevis sp. nov. from Porto Santo Island) and one from Cape Verde (Coturnix centensis sp. nov.). The fossil record also indicates the presence of additional species of extinct endemic quails on other Macaronesian islands. These birds plus the extinct Canary Island quail (Coturnix gomerae) indicate a high former endemic diversity of this genus in Macaronesia, a feature unique among oceanic archipelagos. Anatomical traits show that the new taxa were flightless ground dwellers, making them vulnerable to human interference, with their extinction being linked to human arrival and subsequent habitat alterations and the introduction of invasive species.

Keywords: anatomy, extinction, fossil birds, island biogeography, morphometrics, Quaternary

SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY 

Galliformes Temminck, 1820 

Phasianidae Horsfield, 1821 

Coturnix Garsault, 1764

Figure 3. Premaxilla, coracoid, scapula, sternum and synsacrum of Coturnix lignorum from Madeira (A1 –A5), Coturnix alabrevis from Porto Santo (B1 , B2), Coturnix coturnix (C1 –C5), Coturnix gomerae from La Gomera (D2 ), Coturnix sp. A from Bugio (E2 ) and Coturnix sp. C from Graciosa (F2 ).
 A1 –C1 , premaxilla dorsal view (top) and left lateral view (bottom). A2 –F2 , coracoid, dorsal view. A3 , C3 , scapula, left lateral view. A4 , C4 , sternum ventral view (top) and left lateral view (bottom) (the high of apex carinae is shown). A5 , C5 , synsacrum ventral view. Scapulas and coracoids are from the left side, except for E2 . A1 , MMF 47329; B1 , MMF 47413; C1 , IMEDEA 106905; F1 , MCMa 2354.018; A2 , MMF 47325; B2 , MMF 47411; C2 , IMEDEA 106904; D2 , DZUL 1830; E2 , MMF 47416; F2 , MCMa FC-1368; A3 , MMF 47330; C3 , IMEDEA 106907; A4 , MMF 47328; C4 , IMEDEA 106905; A5 , MMF 47327; C5 , IMEDEA 106906.

Figure 1. Map of the Macaronesian Islands. Silhouettes indicate specimen records discussed in this paper: (1) Coturnix lignorum; (2) Coturnix alabrevis; (3) Coturnix centensis; (4) C. gomerae; and (5–7) Coturnix sp.

Figure 7. Artistic reconstruction of: A, Coturnix lignorum; B, Coturnix alabrevis; C, Coturnix centensis; and D, the silhouette of the common quail Coturnix coturnix for comparison, based on bone measurements, when available (wing and leg bones of the three species, sternum of C. lignorum, and premaxillae of C. lignorum and Coturnix alabrevis). Colours are speculative. All drawings are depicted at the same scale. Artwork by Pau Oliver.

Coturnix lignorum Rando, Alcover, Pieper, Olson, Hernández & López-Jurado sp. nov.

Etymology: The specific name lignorum is derived from from the Latin genitive plural of lignum, wood, a direct translation of the Portuguese madeira.

Coturnix alabrevis Rando, Alcover, Pieper, Olson, Hernández & López-Jurado sp. nov.

Etymology: From Latin ala, wing, and brevis, short, in reference to the small size of the forelimb (wing) bones.

Coturnix centensis Rando, Alcover, Pieper, Olson, Hernández & López-Jurado sp. nov.

Etymology: In the Portuguese-based creole language spoken in Cape Verde, the island of São Vicente is called ‘Son Cent'. We based our epithet on this, adding the Latin locative suffix -ensis.

Juan C. Rando, Josep A. Alcover, Harald Pieper, Storrs L. Olson, C. Nayra Hernández and L. Felipe López-Jurado. 2020. Unforeseen Diversity of Quails (Galliformes: Phasianidae: Coturnix) in Oceanic Islands provided by the Fossil Record of Macaronesia. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 188(4); 1296–1317. DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz107

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[PaleoOrnithology • 2018] Panraogallus hezhengensis • Vocal Specialization through Tracheal Elongation in An Extinct Miocene Pheasant from China

Panraogallus hezhengensis 

Li, Clarke, Eliason, Stidham, Deng & Zhou, 2018

DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12739 

Abstract

Modifications to the upper vocal tract involving hyper-elongated tracheae have evolved many times within crown birds, and their evolution has been linked to a ‘size exaggeration’ hypothesis in acoustic signaling and communication, whereby smaller-sized birds can produce louder sounds. A fossil skeleton of a new extinct species of wildfowl (Galliformes: Phasianidae) from the late Miocene of China, preserves an elongated, coiled trachea that represents the oldest fossil record of this vocal modification in birds and the first documentation of its evolution within pheasants. The phylogenetic position of this species within Phasianidae has not been fully resolved, but appears to document a separate independent origination of this vocal modification within Galliformes. The fossil preserves a coiled section of the trachea and other remains supporting a tracheal length longer than the bird’s body. This extinct species likely produced vocalizations with a lower fundamental frequency and reduced harmonics compared to similarly-sized pheasants. The independent evolution of this vocal feature in galliforms living in both open and closed habitats does not appear to be correlated with other factors of biology or its open savanna-like habitat. Features present in the fossil that are typically associated with sexual dimorphism suggest that sexual selection may have resulted in the evolution of both the morphology and vocalization mechanism in this extinct species.

Systematic paleontology

AVES Linnaeus, 1758

GALLIFORMES Linnaeus, 1758

PHASIANIDAE Vigors, 1825

Panraogallus hezhengensis gen et sp. nov.

Etymology: The genus name is the pinyin of the Chinese characters meaning ‘coiling’ and the Latin for ‘chicken,’ referring to the preserved elongate trachea in this species. The specific epithet, ‘hezhengensis’ refers to Hezheng area in the Linxia Basin of Gansu Province where abundant fossils, including the holotype, have been collected.

Specimen number: HMV 1876 (HMV, Hezheng Paleozoological Museum, Vertebrate Collection, Gansu Province, China).

Locality and age: Baihua area near Zhuangkeji Township, Guanghe County, Gansu Province, China exposes the Liushu Formation that is late Miocene (7.25–11.1 Ma).

Fig.1 Type specimen of Panraogallus hezhengensis (HMV 1876). It has coiled, super-elongated windpipe and lived in the late Miocene of Gansu Province in northwest China (Photo by Z. LI and reconstruction by X. GUO at IVPP)

Zhiheng Li, Julia A. Clarke, Chad M. Eliason, Thomas A. Stidham, Tao Deng and Zhonghe Zhou. 2018. Vocal Specialization through Tracheal Elongation in An Extinct Miocene Pheasant from China. Scientific Reports. 8, Article number: 8099. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12739

Song From The Distant Past, A New Fossil Pheasant From China Preserves A Super-Elongated Windpipe english.ivpp.cas.cn/rh/rp/201805/t20180525_192866.html

Song from the distant past, a new fossil pheasant from China preserves a super-elongated windpipe phys.org/news/2018-06-song-distant-fossil-pheasant-china.html via @physorg_com

Song from the distant past, a new fossil pheasant from China preserves a...  bit.ly/2xqnJn4 via @EurekAlert

El esqueleto fosilizado de un faisán con una tráquea súper larga  nationalgeographic.com.es/ciencia/actualidad/esqueleto-fosilizado-faisan-traquea-super-larga_12769 via @natgeoesp

[Ornithology • 2017] The Role of Niche Divergence and Geographic Arrangement in the Speciation of Eared Pheasants (Crossoptilon, Hodgson 1938)

 Wang, Liu, Liu, Chang, Wang & Zhang, 2017  DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.05.003 

Highlights

• The phylogenetic relationship of Eared Pheasants was resolved based on 45 loci.

• Asymmetric historical gene flow occurred between both parapatric and allopatric sister species.

• Allopatric sister species exhibit significantly divergent ecological niches whereas parapatric sister species show niche conservatism.

• Ecological divergence may have been the main factor that promoted ecological niche divergence.

Abstract

One of the most contentious theories in current ecology is the ecological niche conservatism, which is defined as conservatism among closely related species; however, the ecological niche can also be shifted, as documented in several cases. Genetic drift and ecological divergent selection may cause ecological niche divergence. The current study aims to test whether the ecological niche is conserved or divergent and to determine the main factor that drives ecological niche divergence or conservation. We analyzed the phylogenetic relationship, ecological niche model (ENM) and demographic history of Eared Pheasants in the genus Crossoptilon (Galliformes: Phasianidae) to test niche conservatism with respect to different geographically distributed patterns. The phylogenetic relationship was reconstructed using ∗BEAST with mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) and 44 unlinked autosomal exonic loci, and ENMs were reconstructed in MAXENT using an average of 41 occurrence sites in each species and 22 bioclimatic variables. A background similarity test was used to detect whether the ecological niche is conserved. Demographic history was estimated using the isolation with migration (IM) model. We found that there was asymmetric gene flow between the allopatric sister species Crossoptilon mantchuricum and C. auritum and the parapatric sister species C. harmani and C. crossoptilon. We found that ecological niches were divergent, not conserved, between C. mantchuricum and C. auritum, which began to diverge at approximately 0.3 million years ago. However, the ecological niches were conserved between C. crossoptilon and C. harmani, which gradually diverged approximately half a million years ago. Ecological niches can be either conserved or divergent, and ecological divergent selection for local adaptation is probably an important factor that promotes and maintains niche divergence in the face of gene flow. This study provides a better understanding of the role that divergent selection has in the initial speciation process. The platform combined demographic processes and ecological niches to offer new insights into the mechanism of biogeography patterns.

Keywords: Crossoptilon; Eared-pheasant; Divergent selection; Ecological niche modeling; Genetic drift; Gene flow

Fig. 1. Map of the study area indicating the occurrence points used in for the background similarity test of Ecological Niche Models (ENMs) and the location of DNA samples used in demographic analyses. (The occurrence points (circles) were from bird-watching records (http://birdtalker.net), the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (http://www.gbif.org) and our unpublished survey data. Occurrence points that were far from each other (at least 10 km) and were randomly chosen in ArcGIS software were used for the background similarity test. The study area was the minimal convex polygon of those occurrence points with an additional 200 km. Triangles represent the locations of DNA samples. The area surrounded by the black dashed line was the study area used for the background similarity test. 

Pengcheng Wang, Yang Liu, Yinong Liu, Yajing Chang, Nan Wang and Zhengwang Zhang. 2017. The Role of Niche Divergence and Geographic Arrangement in the Speciation of Eared Pheasants (Crossoptilon, Hodgson 1938). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. In Press. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2017.05.003

[Ornithology • 2003] Hybrid Origin of the Imperial Pheasant Lophura imperialis (Delacour and Jabouille, 1924) demonstrated by Morphology, Hybrid Experiments, and DNA Analyses

Figure 3. Lophura imperialis (B) 

between its parental species, L. nycthemera (A) and L. edwardsi (C).

Painting by John Schmitt.

The imperial pheasant Lophura imperialis was described in 1924 from a captive pair that was obtained in Vietnam, and that became the sole founders of a captive line in France. Always considered a highly endangered and mysterious species, and despite concerted searches, L. imperialis was not found again in the wild until one was trapped in 1990, and the captive population gradually died out. Its status as a distinct species was unquestioned until the late 1990s when the possibility of a hybrid origin was raised. To elucidate the taxonomic status of L. imperialis, we studied all the existing museum specimens, carried out captive hybridization experiments, and analysed mitochondrial DNA and microsatellites. All these lines of evidence demonstrate congruently and conclusively that L. imperialis is an occasional hybrid between silver pheasant L. nycthemera and Edwards's pheasant L. edwardsi, with the 1990 bird probably being a hybrid between L. nycthemera and Vietnamese pheasant L. hatinhensis. Thus L. imperialis has no taxonomic standing and should be removed from lists of species of conservation concern. However, hybridization with L. nycthemera may pose a further threat to the survival in the wild of the endangered L. edwardsi and L. hatinhensis.

Keywords: conservation; Edwards's pheasant; fragmented habitat; hybridization; microsatellites; morphological analyses; mtDNA sequencing; silver pheasant

Imperial Pheasant Lophura imperialis

1997 Vietnam Stamp: Pheasants

Figure 3. Lophura imperialis (B) 

between its parental species, L. nycthemera (A) and L. edwardsi (C).

Painting by John Schmitt.

A. Hennache, P. Rasmussen, V. Lucchini, S. Rimondi, E. Randi. 2003. Hybrid Origin of the Imperial Pheasant Lophura imperialis (Delacour and Jabouille, 1924) demonstrated by Morphology, Hybrid Experiments, and DNA Analyses. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 80(4); 573-600.
doi: dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2003.00251.x

http://gbwf.org/pheasants/imperial.pdf