Many bird species in montane regions exhibit altitudinal migration behavior;however,altitudinal migration of birds is still understudied,especially in Asia.Mt.Gongga(7556 m) is the highest peak of the Hengduan Mountai...Many bird species in montane regions exhibit altitudinal migration behavior;however,altitudinal migration of birds is still understudied,especially in Asia.Mt.Gongga(7556 m) is the highest peak of the Hengduan Mountains in Southwest China.The steep elevation gradient and the high bird diversity make the eastern slope of Mt.Gongga(Hailuo Valley) an ideal place for studying the altitudinal migration behavior patterns of birds.We synchronously recorded the local bird diversity,temperature and humidity at two sites(1800 and 3000 m a.s.l.) during three migration seasons from September 2020 to June 2021 to identify birds exhibiting altitudinal migration behavior.During our surveys,we recorded 146 bird species in total and 20 passerine bird species were altitudinal migrants according to our altitudinal migration formula.Among those 20 altitudinal migrant species,eight bird species displayed a typical altitudinal migration pattern(upward migration during the breeding season and downward migration during the non-breeding season).Moreover,temperature was correlated with the daily number of individuals(DNI) at each study site.Therefore,increasing temperatures possibly caused upward migration of birds(DNI decreased at 1800 m and increased at 3000 m) and vice versa.To further elaborate,the Rufousgorgeted Flycatcher(Ficedula strophiata),the species with the most prominent altitudinal migration behavior,initiated upward migration at a temperature of 11-12℃ at 1800 m and initiated downward migration at a temperature of 12-13℃ at 3000 m.Besides,humidity was positively correlated with the DNI.Therefore,increasing humidity(equals to increasing rainfall or snow) possibly caused downward migration of birds(DNI increased) and vice versa.Furthermore,bird species exhibiting a typical altitudinal migration behavior pattern are feeding on insects.Thus,the spatial and temporal changes of the invertebrate biomass might be an important ecological driver for the altitudinal migration of invertivorous(birds eating invertebrates) birds.This study provides fundamental data for the altitudinal migration of birds in the Hengduan Mountains and shows how altitudinal migration is seasonally dynamic across an elevational gradient in a subtropical mountain region.展开更多
Many bird species in montane regions display altitudinal migration,but so far,the underlying ecological driving mechanisms are not clear.We studied the altitudinal migration behavior patterns and factors influencing a...Many bird species in montane regions display altitudinal migration,but so far,the underlying ecological driving mechanisms are not clear.We studied the altitudinal migration behavior patterns and factors influencing altitudinal migration in the Xiling Snow Mountains,which are part of the Hengduan mountain range in southwest China.We recorded the local bird diversity,the seasonal change of:the average temperature(AT),the average humidity(AH),the average invertebrate biomass(AIB),and the amount of plant food sources(PFS)at two study sites(∼1300 and∼2100 m a.s.l.)during two migration seasons from September 2022 to May 2023.During our surveys,we recorded 96 bird species in total.Among these,15 altitudinal migrants were identified.The most common family among altitudinal migrants was Leiothrichidae.AT,AIB,and PFS had a significant positive correlation with the monthly number of individuals(MNI)several bird species,implying that increasing temperatures and an increasing abundance of invertebrates and PFS possibly induced upward migration of altitudinal migrants and vice versa.AH possibly only played a minor role in influencing altitudinal migration,since it exhibited no significant correlation with the MNI.Furthermore,we found that the upward migration temperature range of altitudinal migrants ranged between 9.8°C and 13.9°C during spring and the downward migration temperature range ranged between 12.2°C and 7.9°C during autumn.In conclusion,our study and several other studies revealed that the same environmental factors influenced the altitudinal migration patterns of birds in the Hengduan Mountains.展开更多
The kiang(Equus kiang)can only be observed in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau(QTP).The kiang displayed excellent athletic performance in the high-altitude environment,which attracted wide interest in the investigation of t...The kiang(Equus kiang)can only be observed in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau(QTP).The kiang displayed excellent athletic performance in the high-altitude environment,which attracted wide interest in the investigation of the potential adaptive mechanisms to the extreme environment.Here,we assembled a chromosome-level genome of the kiang based on Hi-C sequencing technology.A total of 324.14 Gb clean data were generated,and the chromosomelevel genome with 26 chromosomes(25+X)and scaffold N50 of 101.77 Mb was obtained for the kiang.The genomic synteny analysis revealed large-scale chromosomal rearrangement during the evolution process of Equus species.Phylogenetic and divergence analyses revealed that the kiang was the sister branch to the ass and diverged from a common ancestor at approximately 13.5 Mya.The expanded gene families were mainly related to the hypoxia response,metabolism,and immunity.The kiang suffered a significant loss of olfaction-related genes,which might indicate decreased olfactory sensibility.Positively selected genes(PSGs)detected in the kiang were mainly associated with hypoxia response.Especially,there were two species-specific missense amino acid mutations in the PSG STAT3 annotated in the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 signal pathway,which may play an important role in the high-altitude adaptation of the kiang.Moreover,structure variations in the kiang genome were also identified,which possibly contributed to the high-altitude adaptation of the kiang.Comparative analysis revealed a lot of speciesspecific insertions and deletions in the kiang genome,such as PIK3CB and AKT with 3258 and 189 bp insertions in the intron region,respectively,possibly affecting the expression and regulation of hypoxia-related downstream pathways.This study provided valuable genomic resources,and our findings help a better understanding of the underlying adaptive strategies to the high-altitude environment in the kiang.展开更多
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.32270454)the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(No.2019QZKK0501).
文摘Many bird species in montane regions exhibit altitudinal migration behavior;however,altitudinal migration of birds is still understudied,especially in Asia.Mt.Gongga(7556 m) is the highest peak of the Hengduan Mountains in Southwest China.The steep elevation gradient and the high bird diversity make the eastern slope of Mt.Gongga(Hailuo Valley) an ideal place for studying the altitudinal migration behavior patterns of birds.We synchronously recorded the local bird diversity,temperature and humidity at two sites(1800 and 3000 m a.s.l.) during three migration seasons from September 2020 to June 2021 to identify birds exhibiting altitudinal migration behavior.During our surveys,we recorded 146 bird species in total and 20 passerine bird species were altitudinal migrants according to our altitudinal migration formula.Among those 20 altitudinal migrant species,eight bird species displayed a typical altitudinal migration pattern(upward migration during the breeding season and downward migration during the non-breeding season).Moreover,temperature was correlated with the daily number of individuals(DNI) at each study site.Therefore,increasing temperatures possibly caused upward migration of birds(DNI decreased at 1800 m and increased at 3000 m) and vice versa.To further elaborate,the Rufousgorgeted Flycatcher(Ficedula strophiata),the species with the most prominent altitudinal migration behavior,initiated upward migration at a temperature of 11-12℃ at 1800 m and initiated downward migration at a temperature of 12-13℃ at 3000 m.Besides,humidity was positively correlated with the DNI.Therefore,increasing humidity(equals to increasing rainfall or snow) possibly caused downward migration of birds(DNI increased) and vice versa.Furthermore,bird species exhibiting a typical altitudinal migration behavior pattern are feeding on insects.Thus,the spatial and temporal changes of the invertebrate biomass might be an important ecological driver for the altitudinal migration of invertivorous(birds eating invertebrates) birds.This study provides fundamental data for the altitudinal migration of birds in the Hengduan Mountains and shows how altitudinal migration is seasonally dynamic across an elevational gradient in a subtropical mountain region.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.32270454)the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(No.2019QZKK0501)+3 种基金the Survey of Wildlife Resources in Key Areas of Tibet(ZL202203601)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central UniversitiesThe funding sources had no influence on the studyAll animal research procedures strictly complied with the P.R.China Legislation on the Use and Care of Laboratory Animals and were approved by the Animal Care Review Committee,College of Life Sciences,Sichuan University,China(Nos.SCU2203019 and SCU230303013).
文摘Many bird species in montane regions display altitudinal migration,but so far,the underlying ecological driving mechanisms are not clear.We studied the altitudinal migration behavior patterns and factors influencing altitudinal migration in the Xiling Snow Mountains,which are part of the Hengduan mountain range in southwest China.We recorded the local bird diversity,the seasonal change of:the average temperature(AT),the average humidity(AH),the average invertebrate biomass(AIB),and the amount of plant food sources(PFS)at two study sites(∼1300 and∼2100 m a.s.l.)during two migration seasons from September 2022 to May 2023.During our surveys,we recorded 96 bird species in total.Among these,15 altitudinal migrants were identified.The most common family among altitudinal migrants was Leiothrichidae.AT,AIB,and PFS had a significant positive correlation with the monthly number of individuals(MNI)several bird species,implying that increasing temperatures and an increasing abundance of invertebrates and PFS possibly induced upward migration of altitudinal migrants and vice versa.AH possibly only played a minor role in influencing altitudinal migration,since it exhibited no significant correlation with the MNI.Furthermore,we found that the upward migration temperature range of altitudinal migrants ranged between 9.8°C and 13.9°C during spring and the downward migration temperature range ranged between 12.2°C and 7.9°C during autumn.In conclusion,our study and several other studies revealed that the same environmental factors influenced the altitudinal migration patterns of birds in the Hengduan Mountains.
基金supported by the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program(No.2019QZKK0501)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.32270454).
文摘The kiang(Equus kiang)can only be observed in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau(QTP).The kiang displayed excellent athletic performance in the high-altitude environment,which attracted wide interest in the investigation of the potential adaptive mechanisms to the extreme environment.Here,we assembled a chromosome-level genome of the kiang based on Hi-C sequencing technology.A total of 324.14 Gb clean data were generated,and the chromosomelevel genome with 26 chromosomes(25+X)and scaffold N50 of 101.77 Mb was obtained for the kiang.The genomic synteny analysis revealed large-scale chromosomal rearrangement during the evolution process of Equus species.Phylogenetic and divergence analyses revealed that the kiang was the sister branch to the ass and diverged from a common ancestor at approximately 13.5 Mya.The expanded gene families were mainly related to the hypoxia response,metabolism,and immunity.The kiang suffered a significant loss of olfaction-related genes,which might indicate decreased olfactory sensibility.Positively selected genes(PSGs)detected in the kiang were mainly associated with hypoxia response.Especially,there were two species-specific missense amino acid mutations in the PSG STAT3 annotated in the hypoxia-inducible factor 1 signal pathway,which may play an important role in the high-altitude adaptation of the kiang.Moreover,structure variations in the kiang genome were also identified,which possibly contributed to the high-altitude adaptation of the kiang.Comparative analysis revealed a lot of speciesspecific insertions and deletions in the kiang genome,such as PIK3CB and AKT with 3258 and 189 bp insertions in the intron region,respectively,possibly affecting the expression and regulation of hypoxia-related downstream pathways.This study provided valuable genomic resources,and our findings help a better understanding of the underlying adaptive strategies to the high-altitude environment in the kiang.
