Wei Wang, Lizhi Zhou, Rong Fu, Lei Cheng, Shaofei Yan, Nazia Mahtab, Yunwei Song. 2021: Effects of foraging site distances on the intestinal bacterial community compositions of the sympatric wintering Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) and Domestic Duck (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus). Avian Research, 12(1): 20. DOI: 10.1186/s40657-021-00255-8
Citation: Wei Wang, Lizhi Zhou, Rong Fu, Lei Cheng, Shaofei Yan, Nazia Mahtab, Yunwei Song. 2021: Effects of foraging site distances on the intestinal bacterial community compositions of the sympatric wintering Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) and Domestic Duck (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus). Avian Research, 12(1): 20. DOI: 10.1186/s40657-021-00255-8

Effects of foraging site distances on the intestinal bacterial community compositions of the sympatric wintering Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) and Domestic Duck (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus)

Funds: 

National Natural Science Foundation of China 31772485

More Information
  • Corresponding author:

    Lizhi Zhou, zhoulz@ahu.edu.cn

  • Received Date: 15 Nov 2020
  • Accepted Date: 21 Apr 2021
  • Available Online: 24 Apr 2022
  • Publish Date: 02 May 2021
  • Background 

    The composition of intestinal microflora in animals is affected by cross-species transmission. In a nature reserve, the foraging sites of waterbirds are relatively fixed, but frequently close to residential areas and can also be visited by domestic fowls. It is easy to result in the trans-species-flock dispersal of gut microbes between the wild birds and domestic fowls. The effects of the variable foraging site distances on the gut microbe structures of the waterbirds and the sympatric domestic fowls are currently unclear, and further research is required to evaluate the impacts of geographic location on cross-infection.

    Methods 

    Illumina high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analysis software were utilized to compare and analyze the composition of gut microbes from the fecal samples of Hooded Cranes (HC; Grus monacha) and two groups of Domestic Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) that foraged at 1 km (ducks in near areas, D-N), and 4 km (ducks in far areas, D-F) away from the habitats of the Hooded Cranes at Shengjin Lake, China.

    Results 

    The results showed that there were significant differences in the alpha-diversity of the gut bacteria in the HC, D-N, and D-F samples under the interspecific distance factor. The dominant bacterial phyla, Cyanobacteria and Proteobacteria, showed correlations with distance for each host. The D-N group had more diverse intestinal flora than the D-F, as they were physically closer to the HC and had more indirect contact and cross-transmission of their gut microbes. More potentially pathogenic bacterial sequences, and Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) were found in the D-N than in HC and D-F.

    Conclusions 

    Hooded Cranes and the Domestic Duck populations at variable distances from the cranes showed significant differences in their intestinal bacteria and potentially pathogenic bacteria. The closer the foraging sites were, the easier the intestinal flora spread across species. The results provide a basis for determining the safe distance between wild birds and domestic fowls in a nature reserve.

  • On 21 May, 2012, a female Brown-fronted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos auriceps) was observed and photographed (Fig. 1) at 11:20 am in the Jilong Valley of the Mount Qomolangma Region, China. This is the first record in China of this bird (MacKinnon et al., 2000; Zheng, 2011). The coordinates of the site are 28°19′25.03″N, 85°20′29.70″E and its elevation is 2150 m. As well, at a distance of about 3 km, we sighted one male woodpecker at 11:08 on 8 August. The record site is 28°20′02.49″N, 85°20′46.30″E at an elevation of 2197 m.

    Figure  1.  A female Brown-fronted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos auriceps) (Photo by Jingjing LI)

    From top to bottom, the biotope types of the Jilong Valley are subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests, temperate coniferous and broadleaved mixed mountain forests, cold-temperate coniferous mountain forests, subalpine shrubs and meadows, alpine cold meadow cushion vegetation and alpine cryic moraine lichen belts. The range in elevation of the temperate coniferous and dry broadleaved mixed forests in the mountains is between 1900 and 2200 m.

    When we sighted the Brown-fronted female Woodpecker, she was foraging on a tree, a Celtis tetrandra, belonging to the Rhamnaceae family. The male was taking a break at a dead pine tree. The cover type is a mountain temperate coniferous and dry broadleaved mixed forest (mainly coniferous forest).

    The morphological traits of the female are as follows: brownish forehead and crown, white-barred upperparts, prominent black moustachial stripe, a black stripe from the back of neck extending through to the dorsum, well-defined streaking on the underparts, pink undertail-coverts and unbarred central tail feathers (Fig. 1). The male has a distinct yellow central crown on his head, which is prominently different from the female.

    It has been recorded as a resident in Afghanistan, India, Nepal and Pakistan. In Nepal, it is fairly common and widespread in coniferous and dry broadleaved mixed forests, ranging in elevation from 1065 to 2440 m. In Pakistan it is also resident but rare and uncommon (Raja et al., 1999; Grimmett et al., 2000; Girish and Asad, 2006; Darulaman, 2008). Because of a lack of more information, we may deduce that the Brown-fronted Woodpecker is found mainly in the valleys of southern exposed Himalayan slopes.

    The elevations at which this species is found at Jilong are essentially the same as those in other countries. We assume it is also a resident species in Jilong because of its appearance at this season. We believe more individuals and nests will be found after further surveys and searches.

    We are grateful to Prof. Zhang Zhengwang who works in Beijing Normal University for verifying the new record. We thank Prof. Xie Qiang who works in Guangxi Normal University for identifying the broadleaved trees.

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