Moult is an essential event in the annual cycle of birds.Moult patterns and strategies of birds are crucial for understanding their life-history trade-offs and adaptations to the environment.However,moult knowledge is...Moult is an essential event in the annual cycle of birds.Moult patterns and strategies of birds are crucial for understanding their life-history trade-offs and adaptations to the environment.However,moult knowledge is still lacking for many Eastern Palaearctic birds,especially large endangered species,mainly because of the difficulty in data collection.Here,we used field photography,a non-invasive method,to detect and score moult in the endangered Crested Ibis(Nipponia nippon)and explored the moult timing variations and moult-breeding tradeoffs.The adult Crested Ibis sequentially moults its primaries outward,and secondaries inward from three foci from April to October.Age(adult versus sub-adult)and breeding status(breeding or not)have a significant effect on moult timing.Moult timing does not differ between the sexes,likely because of similar parental investments in breeding.Crested Ibis exhibits significant moult-breeding overlap,because moult is time constrained and needs to finish before the season of food scarcity in winter.Breeding timing(first egg laying date)has a strong impact on moult duration,with late breeders experiencing a longer moult duration,indicating that the moult intensity is slowed down during the breeding period because of trade-offs between moult and breeding.This reflects that energy allocation of late breeders is challenging during extensive periods of moult-breeding overlap,which might partly contribute to their high breeding failure.Our results strongly suggest the existence of a negative relationship between breeding time on one hand,and fitness and moult on the other:early breeders show higher reproductive output and higher quality plumage,whereas late breeders show lower reproductive output and lower quality plumage.展开更多
Passerines moult during various life-cycle stages.Some of these moults involve the retention of a variable quantity of wing and tail feathers.This prompts the question whether these partial moults are just arrested co...Passerines moult during various life-cycle stages.Some of these moults involve the retention of a variable quantity of wing and tail feathers.This prompts the question whether these partial moults are just arrested complete moults or follow different processes.To address it,I investigated whether three relevant features remain constant across partial and complete moults:1) moult sequence(order of activation) within feather tracts(e.g.,consecutive outward moult of primaries) and among tracts(e.g.,starting with marginal coverts,followed by greater coverts second,tertials,etc.);2) dynamics of moult intensity(amount of feathers growing along the moult progress);and 3) protection of wing quills by overlapping fully grown feathers.To study the effect of moult completeness on these three features,I classified moults of 435 individuals from 61 species in 3 groups:i) complete and partial,ii) without and iii) with retention of feathers within tracts.To study the effect of life-cycle stage,I used postbreeding,postjuvenile,and prebreeding moults.I calculated phylogenetically corrected means to establish feather-moult sequence within tracts.I applied linear regression to analyse moult sequence among tracts,and polynomial regression to study the dynamics of moult intensity as moult progresses.Sequence and intensity dynamics of partial moults tended resemble those of the complete moult as moult completeness increased.Sequence within and among feather tracts tended to shift as moult intensity within tracts and number of tracts increased.Activation of primaries advanced in relation to the other feather tracts as number of moulted primaries increased.Tertial quills were protected by the innermost greater covert regardless of moult completeness.These findings suggest that moult is a self-organised process that adjusts to the degree of completeness of plumage renewal.However,protection of quills and differences among species and between postjuvenile-and prebreeding-moult sequences also suggest an active control linked to feather function,including protection and signalling.展开更多
Sequence and intensity are two essential components of bird moult.While the moult sequences of remex tracts are highly homogenous across passerines,other tracts apparently show a high variability.Moreover,order of mou...Sequence and intensity are two essential components of bird moult.While the moult sequences of remex tracts are highly homogenous across passerines,other tracts apparently show a high variability.Moreover,order of moult activation among tracts are insufficiently known.Likewise,dynamics of moult intensity as moult progresses remains poorly known.Here,we provide detailed quantitative description of moult sequence and intensity in the House Sparrow(Passer domesticus).To understand their role,we tested two hypotheses on the:1) protection function of moult sequence,and 2) aerodynamic and physiological constraints on moult intensity.We scored percentage growth of 313 captured sparrows using the mass of the feathers of each tract(also length for remiges)to monitor moult intensity throughout the complete moult progress,which is defined as the fraction of new and growing feathers in a moulting bird relative to the total plumage.Moult sequence was highly variable both within wing coverts and among feather tracts,with moult sequence differing among all birds to some degree.We only found support for the protection function between greater coverts and both tertials and secondaries.Remex-moult intensity conformed to theoretical predictions,therefore lending support to the aerodynamic-constraint hypothesis.Furthermore,remex-moult speed plateaued during the central stages of moult progress.However,overall plumage-moult speed did not fit predictions of the physiological-constraint hypothesis,showing that the remex moult is only constrained by aerodynamics.Our results indicate that aerodynamic loss is not simply the inevitable effect of moult,but that moult is finely regulated to reduce aerodynamic loss.We propose that the moult of the House Sparrow is controlled through sequence and intensity adjustments in order to:1) avoid body and wing growth peaks;2) fulfil the protection function between some key feather tracts;3) reduce detrimental effects on flight ability;4) keep remex sequence fixed;and 5) relax remex replacement to last the whole moult duration.展开更多
Background:Most of long-distance migratory raptors suspend moult during migration but detailed information is patchy for most of the Palearctic species.The aim of this research is to verify if active moulting in migra...Background:Most of long-distance migratory raptors suspend moult during migration but detailed information is patchy for most of the Palearctic species.The aim of this research is to verify if active moulting in migrating Western Marsh Harriers occurs and to quantify the extent of moulting along the season focusing on primary feathers.Methods:During a whole post-breeding migration at the Strait of Messina in Southern Italy,we gathered information about symmetrical flight feather moult from 221 adults by taking pictures of raptors passing at close range.Results:We found active moulting primaries during autumn migration in 48.4% of our samples.Slight differences on the extension and timing among sex classes were recorded during the season,with adult females showing a more advanced moult stage than adult males.Conclusion:The finding that the extension of the suspended moult was already defined in migratory individuals might be explained as an adaptation to minimize the energy required for moulting during migration.展开更多
Effects of the mixture of β-ecdysone and polypodine -B (2 : 1 W/W) on the moulting and growth of prawn, Penaeus orientaliss were studied in laboratory by rearing the animal with the added compound diets. The results ...Effects of the mixture of β-ecdysone and polypodine -B (2 : 1 W/W) on the moulting and growth of prawn, Penaeus orientaliss were studied in laboratory by rearing the animal with the added compound diets. The results showed that the addition of the moulting hormone (M. H) mixture to compound diets, from 1. 33× 10-6 to 30×10-6, could increase moulting activity and growth rate of the prawn to different extents, among which the 5. 33× 10-6-10. 67×10-6addition had statistically significant effects. However, 60 × 10-6 added diets caused moulting and growth inhibitions and cuticle thickening. The analyses of protein, water and ash contents of the prawn showed no remarkable differences between hormone dosed animals and the control.展开更多
Growth in arthropods in general and in insects in particular, is supposed to be discontinuous and occurs during moulting. In Culicidae in general and <i> <i><span style="font-family:Verdana;"&...Growth in arthropods in general and in insects in particular, is supposed to be discontinuous and occurs during moulting. In Culicidae in general and <i> <i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Anopheles</span></i></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> in particular, the number of moults is five with the fourth which gives the pupae. It is known that moulting in insects is a genetic and physio</span><span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">logical phenomenon. Most physiological reactions are triggered by chemical or physical stimuli. The pressure exerted by the growth of the larval body on the exocuticle is one of the triggers of moulting. The objective of this work was therefore to determine the exact timing of the first three moults that determine the growth of <i></i></span><i><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">An. gambiae</span></i></i></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> larvae from egg hatch to pupation to highlight the role of increased larval size in the stimulation of moulting. We therefore, undertook to rear larvae of this anopheline species</span><i> </i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">in the laboratory under conditions close to their natural environment from hatching to pupation. The length and width of the head, thorax and abdomen were recorded daily. Data analysis showed that the size of the head and thorax remained constant for the first three days (D0 to D2) of development and ab</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">domen’s length for the first two days and then increased daily until day seven (D7) when it stopped. These observations led us to say that the M1 moult occurs at end of the third day of development and the M3 moult at end of the eighth day;the M2 moult could not be determined. All these observations led </span><span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">to the conclusion that the larval growth of <i> </i></span><i><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">An. gambiae</span></i></i></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> has a continuous</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> regimen and the growth of the head and thorax of the larva plays a crucial role in the onset of moulting.</span>展开更多
换羽是鸟类为保证持续生存的重要过程。换羽策略与鸟类进化及对环境的适应紧密相关,研究鸟类换羽特征,对于了解鸟类的分类、系统发育、进化历史及其对环境的适应性等方面都有重要意义。2007年3月至9月,在广东肇庆市江溪村对黄腹山鹪莺（...换羽是鸟类为保证持续生存的重要过程。换羽策略与鸟类进化及对环境的适应紧密相关,研究鸟类换羽特征,对于了解鸟类的分类、系统发育、进化历史及其对环境的适应性等方面都有重要意义。2007年3月至9月,在广东肇庆市江溪村对黄腹山鹪莺（Prinia flaviventris）和纯色山鹪莺（P.inornata）的春季换羽进行了研究。通过设置雾网捕捉2种山鹪莺,对捕捉到的成体进行体重及身体量度的测量;对飞羽及尾羽进行标记：初级飞羽以翅尖的第一枚羽毛标记为“P1”,次级飞羽以翅中部最外一枚标记为“S1”,向内依次递增标记;尾羽以中央两根最长尾羽为“T1”,分别向两侧递增标记为“T2∽T5”。采用单因素方差分析（One way ANOVA）对不同月份山鹪莺的体重值进行差异性检验,对体重与月份进行Pearson相关分析,对尾羽的长度和宽度进行Pearson偏相关分析（控制变量：体长）。研究结果表明：1）两种山鹪莺换羽期为3至5月,持续时间约为60 d;2）两种山鹪莺春季换羽仅更换尾羽,换羽模式均为离心型,即中央一对尾羽最先开始替换,然后向两侧由内到外逐次更替;3）两种山鹪莺的尾羽长度和宽度同步变化,但绝大部分山鹪莺非繁殖期尾羽长度与繁殖期尾羽长度之比大于非繁殖期尾羽宽度与繁殖期尾羽宽度之比,即繁殖期尾羽相对较宽;4）两种山鹪莺换羽期间体重大致呈现下降趋势,但变化不显著（P〉0.05）。推测两种山鹪莺通过增加食物的摄入来抵抗换羽期和繁殖期重叠而导致的能量消耗,这可能与该地区丰富的食物资源有关,并在一定程度上体现了两种山鹪莺换羽策略对环境的适应性。展开更多
基金provided by the Fundamental Research Funds of Chinese Academy of Forestry(CAFYBB2020SY023)。
文摘Moult is an essential event in the annual cycle of birds.Moult patterns and strategies of birds are crucial for understanding their life-history trade-offs and adaptations to the environment.However,moult knowledge is still lacking for many Eastern Palaearctic birds,especially large endangered species,mainly because of the difficulty in data collection.Here,we used field photography,a non-invasive method,to detect and score moult in the endangered Crested Ibis(Nipponia nippon)and explored the moult timing variations and moult-breeding tradeoffs.The adult Crested Ibis sequentially moults its primaries outward,and secondaries inward from three foci from April to October.Age(adult versus sub-adult)and breeding status(breeding or not)have a significant effect on moult timing.Moult timing does not differ between the sexes,likely because of similar parental investments in breeding.Crested Ibis exhibits significant moult-breeding overlap,because moult is time constrained and needs to finish before the season of food scarcity in winter.Breeding timing(first egg laying date)has a strong impact on moult duration,with late breeders experiencing a longer moult duration,indicating that the moult intensity is slowed down during the breeding period because of trade-offs between moult and breeding.This reflects that energy allocation of late breeders is challenging during extensive periods of moult-breeding overlap,which might partly contribute to their high breeding failure.Our results strongly suggest the existence of a negative relationship between breeding time on one hand,and fitness and moult on the other:early breeders show higher reproductive output and higher quality plumage,whereas late breeders show lower reproductive output and lower quality plumage.
文摘Passerines moult during various life-cycle stages.Some of these moults involve the retention of a variable quantity of wing and tail feathers.This prompts the question whether these partial moults are just arrested complete moults or follow different processes.To address it,I investigated whether three relevant features remain constant across partial and complete moults:1) moult sequence(order of activation) within feather tracts(e.g.,consecutive outward moult of primaries) and among tracts(e.g.,starting with marginal coverts,followed by greater coverts second,tertials,etc.);2) dynamics of moult intensity(amount of feathers growing along the moult progress);and 3) protection of wing quills by overlapping fully grown feathers.To study the effect of moult completeness on these three features,I classified moults of 435 individuals from 61 species in 3 groups:i) complete and partial,ii) without and iii) with retention of feathers within tracts.To study the effect of life-cycle stage,I used postbreeding,postjuvenile,and prebreeding moults.I calculated phylogenetically corrected means to establish feather-moult sequence within tracts.I applied linear regression to analyse moult sequence among tracts,and polynomial regression to study the dynamics of moult intensity as moult progresses.Sequence and intensity dynamics of partial moults tended resemble those of the complete moult as moult completeness increased.Sequence within and among feather tracts tended to shift as moult intensity within tracts and number of tracts increased.Activation of primaries advanced in relation to the other feather tracts as number of moulted primaries increased.Tertial quills were protected by the innermost greater covert regardless of moult completeness.These findings suggest that moult is a self-organised process that adjusts to the degree of completeness of plumage renewal.However,protection of quills and differences among species and between postjuvenile-and prebreeding-moult sequences also suggest an active control linked to feather function,including protection and signalling.
基金the Natural Sciences Museum of Barcelona(PASSERCAT-2 project)to JQ.
文摘Sequence and intensity are two essential components of bird moult.While the moult sequences of remex tracts are highly homogenous across passerines,other tracts apparently show a high variability.Moreover,order of moult activation among tracts are insufficiently known.Likewise,dynamics of moult intensity as moult progresses remains poorly known.Here,we provide detailed quantitative description of moult sequence and intensity in the House Sparrow(Passer domesticus).To understand their role,we tested two hypotheses on the:1) protection function of moult sequence,and 2) aerodynamic and physiological constraints on moult intensity.We scored percentage growth of 313 captured sparrows using the mass of the feathers of each tract(also length for remiges)to monitor moult intensity throughout the complete moult progress,which is defined as the fraction of new and growing feathers in a moulting bird relative to the total plumage.Moult sequence was highly variable both within wing coverts and among feather tracts,with moult sequence differing among all birds to some degree.We only found support for the protection function between greater coverts and both tertials and secondaries.Remex-moult intensity conformed to theoretical predictions,therefore lending support to the aerodynamic-constraint hypothesis.Furthermore,remex-moult speed plateaued during the central stages of moult progress.However,overall plumage-moult speed did not fit predictions of the physiological-constraint hypothesis,showing that the remex moult is only constrained by aerodynamics.Our results indicate that aerodynamic loss is not simply the inevitable effect of moult,but that moult is finely regulated to reduce aerodynamic loss.We propose that the moult of the House Sparrow is controlled through sequence and intensity adjustments in order to:1) avoid body and wing growth peaks;2) fulfil the protection function between some key feather tracts;3) reduce detrimental effects on flight ability;4) keep remex sequence fixed;and 5) relax remex replacement to last the whole moult duration.
文摘Background:Most of long-distance migratory raptors suspend moult during migration but detailed information is patchy for most of the Palearctic species.The aim of this research is to verify if active moulting in migrating Western Marsh Harriers occurs and to quantify the extent of moulting along the season focusing on primary feathers.Methods:During a whole post-breeding migration at the Strait of Messina in Southern Italy,we gathered information about symmetrical flight feather moult from 221 adults by taking pictures of raptors passing at close range.Results:We found active moulting primaries during autumn migration in 48.4% of our samples.Slight differences on the extension and timing among sex classes were recorded during the season,with adult females showing a more advanced moult stage than adult males.Conclusion:The finding that the extension of the suspended moult was already defined in migratory individuals might be explained as an adaptation to minimize the energy required for moulting during migration.
文摘Effects of the mixture of β-ecdysone and polypodine -B (2 : 1 W/W) on the moulting and growth of prawn, Penaeus orientaliss were studied in laboratory by rearing the animal with the added compound diets. The results showed that the addition of the moulting hormone (M. H) mixture to compound diets, from 1. 33× 10-6 to 30×10-6, could increase moulting activity and growth rate of the prawn to different extents, among which the 5. 33× 10-6-10. 67×10-6addition had statistically significant effects. However, 60 × 10-6 added diets caused moulting and growth inhibitions and cuticle thickening. The analyses of protein, water and ash contents of the prawn showed no remarkable differences between hormone dosed animals and the control.
文摘Growth in arthropods in general and in insects in particular, is supposed to be discontinuous and occurs during moulting. In Culicidae in general and <i> <i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Anopheles</span></i></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> in particular, the number of moults is five with the fourth which gives the pupae. It is known that moulting in insects is a genetic and physio</span><span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">logical phenomenon. Most physiological reactions are triggered by chemical or physical stimuli. The pressure exerted by the growth of the larval body on the exocuticle is one of the triggers of moulting. The objective of this work was therefore to determine the exact timing of the first three moults that determine the growth of <i></i></span><i><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">An. gambiae</span></i></i></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> larvae from egg hatch to pupation to highlight the role of increased larval size in the stimulation of moulting. We therefore, undertook to rear larvae of this anopheline species</span><i> </i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">in the laboratory under conditions close to their natural environment from hatching to pupation. The length and width of the head, thorax and abdomen were recorded daily. Data analysis showed that the size of the head and thorax remained constant for the first three days (D0 to D2) of development and ab</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">domen’s length for the first two days and then increased daily until day seven (D7) when it stopped. These observations led us to say that the M1 moult occurs at end of the third day of development and the M3 moult at end of the eighth day;the M2 moult could not be determined. All these observations led </span><span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">to the conclusion that the larval growth of <i> </i></span><i><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">An. gambiae</span></i></i></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> has a continuous</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> regimen and the growth of the head and thorax of the larva plays a crucial role in the onset of moulting.</span>
文摘换羽是鸟类为保证持续生存的重要过程。换羽策略与鸟类进化及对环境的适应紧密相关,研究鸟类换羽特征,对于了解鸟类的分类、系统发育、进化历史及其对环境的适应性等方面都有重要意义。2007年3月至9月,在广东肇庆市江溪村对黄腹山鹪莺（Prinia flaviventris）和纯色山鹪莺（P.inornata）的春季换羽进行了研究。通过设置雾网捕捉2种山鹪莺,对捕捉到的成体进行体重及身体量度的测量;对飞羽及尾羽进行标记：初级飞羽以翅尖的第一枚羽毛标记为“P1”,次级飞羽以翅中部最外一枚标记为“S1”,向内依次递增标记;尾羽以中央两根最长尾羽为“T1”,分别向两侧递增标记为“T2∽T5”。采用单因素方差分析（One way ANOVA）对不同月份山鹪莺的体重值进行差异性检验,对体重与月份进行Pearson相关分析,对尾羽的长度和宽度进行Pearson偏相关分析（控制变量：体长）。研究结果表明：1）两种山鹪莺换羽期为3至5月,持续时间约为60 d;2）两种山鹪莺春季换羽仅更换尾羽,换羽模式均为离心型,即中央一对尾羽最先开始替换,然后向两侧由内到外逐次更替;3）两种山鹪莺的尾羽长度和宽度同步变化,但绝大部分山鹪莺非繁殖期尾羽长度与繁殖期尾羽长度之比大于非繁殖期尾羽宽度与繁殖期尾羽宽度之比,即繁殖期尾羽相对较宽;4）两种山鹪莺换羽期间体重大致呈现下降趋势,但变化不显著（P〉0.05）。推测两种山鹪莺通过增加食物的摄入来抵抗换羽期和繁殖期重叠而导致的能量消耗,这可能与该地区丰富的食物资源有关,并在一定程度上体现了两种山鹪莺换羽策略对环境的适应性。
