Recent phylogeographical studies indicated that glacial oscillations played a key role on the phylogeographic pattern of extant species. As most studies have previously been carried out on heavily ice-covered regions, such as in European and North American regions, potential effects of climatic oscillations on species that are distributed on ice-free regions are less known. To address this, we investigated the phylogeographic pattern of an avian species endemic to South China, which was not glaciated during the Pleistocene glaciations. By using 2142 bp mitochondrial DNA, we identified 89 haplotypes defined by 39 polymorphic sites. A combination of high haplotype diversity (0.786–1.00) and low nucleotide diversity (0.00132–0.00252) was detected among geographic populations. Explicit genetic divergence was observed between S. s. semitorques and S. s. cinereicapillus but not detected among geographic populations of S. s. semitorques. Divergence time of the two subspecies was dated back to 87 Kyr which is congruent with the interglacial MIS 5. A weak phylogeographic structure due to strong gene flow among geographic populations was identified in this species, suggesting complex topography of South China has not formed barriers for this species.

Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) are currently one of the most popular species in rare bird breeding in several southern provinces of China, but there have been no studies comparing the gut microbial communities of domestic and wild mallards. In this study, 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing technology was used to compare the composition and diversity of gut microbial communities in domestic and wild mallards. Alpha diversity analysis showed significant differences in gut microbial communities between the two groups of mallards, and the diversity and richness of gut microbial communities were significantly higher in wild mallards than in domestic mallards. Beta diversity analysis showed that the two groups of stool samples were mostly separated on the principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) plot. In domestic mallards, Firmicutes (68.0% ± 26.5%) was the most abundant bacterial phylum, followed by Proteobacteria (24.5% ± 22.9%), Bacteroidetes (3.1% ± 3.2%), Fusobacteria (2.2% ± 5.9%), and Actinobacteria (1.1% ± 1.8%). The dominant bacterial phyla in wild mallards were Firmicutes (79.0% ± 10.2%), Proteobacteria (12.9% ± 9.5%), Fusobacteria (3.4% ± 2.5%), and Bacteroidetes (2.8% ± 2.4%). At the genus level, a total of 10 dominant genera (Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Clostridium, Lactobacillus, Soilbacillus, Bacillus, Acinetobacter, Comamonas, Shigella, and Cetobacterium) with an average relative abundance greater than 1% were detected in the fecal samples of both groups. The average relative abundance of five potential pathogenic genera (Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Acinetobacter, Comamonas, and Shigella) was higher in domestic mallards than in wild mallards. The enrichment of pathogenic bacteria in the intestinal tract of domestic mallards should be of sufficient concern.

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) are currently one of the most popular species in rare bird breeding in several southern provinces of China, but there are very few studies on the gut microbial communities of domestic and wild mallards. In this study, 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing technology was used to compare the composition and diversity of gut microbial communities in domestic and wild mallards. Alpha diversity analysis revealed significant differences in the gut microbial communities of domestic and wild mallards. Beta diversity analysis showed that the two groups of stool samples were mostly separated on the principal coordinate analysis (PCOA) plot. In domestic mallards, Firmicutes (67.97%) was the most abundant bacterial phylum, followed by Proteobacteria (24.48%), Bacteroidetes (3.13%), Fusobacteria (2.21%), and Actinobacteria (1.10%). The dominant bacterial phyla in wild mallards were Firmicutes (79.02%), Proteobacteria (12.85%), Fusobacteria (3.37%), and Bacteroidetes (2.79%). At the genus level, a total of 10 dominant genera (Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Clostridium, Lactobacillus, Soilbacillus, Bacillus, Acinetobacter, Comamonas, Shigella, and Cetobacterium) with an average relative abundance greater than 1% were detected in the fecal samples of both groups. The average relative abundance of five potential pathogens (Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Acinetobacter, Comamonas, and Shigella) was higher in domestic mallards than in wild mallards. The enrichment of pathogenic bacteria in the intestinal tract of domestic mallards should be of sufficient concern.

Since 1980, the white-browed crake (Porzana cinerea) has been experiencing an expansion from south of the Isthmus of Kra, northward to China. Recently, this species was observed in several locations throughout Southwest China, including Ningming and Baise, Guangxi (2012, 2013), and Xichang, Sichuan (2013). These sightings are the first distribution record of this species in mainland China, suggesting that the white-browed crake is following a natural species dispersal northward into mainland China from Southeast Asia.

This paper describes one new species of Metriogryllacris (Metriogryllacris) amitarum group from Guangxi Huaping National Nature Reserve. A key to the species group is provided. The examined specimen is deposited in Guangxi Normal University.

Background The digestive tract of birds contains diverse microbiota that are essential for their health and survival, and these gut microbiota are influenced by a variety of factors. To compare the diversity in fecal microbiota of the same bird species in different environments, this paper collected feces of Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) and environmental (soil and water) samples from coastal salt water and inland freshwater areas to explore how fecal microbiota responds to different environments using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing methods. Results The main fecal microbiota from two sampling sites were similar at the phylum level. In terms of genus level, the dominant genera in feces from salt-water habitats (SWF) were Escherichia-Shigella (14.448%), Enterococcus (10.064%), Vibrio (7.812%), whereas there were Sporosarcina (18.241%), Citrobacter (11.987%), Acinetobacter (6.201%), Kurthia (5.725%) in feces from freshwater habitats (FWF). A few ASVs were sharedamong the egrets and the environmental samples in the two regions. The fecal microbiota between the two sampling sites showed no significant differences in α-diversity and were significant in β-diversity; there were no significant differences between the environmental microbiota diversity of the two sites. In contrast, most of the parameters reflecting α-diversity and β-diversity were shown to be significantly different between the fecal and environmental microbiota. In composition of microbiota function, the fecal microbiota of little egret and the environment microbiota were similar in relative abundances in the proportion of kegg level 1 functional pathways. But there were significant differences in some level 2 and level 3 functional pathways between the egrets from two habitats. Moreover, a portion of ASVs classified as opportunistic pathogens were detected in the feces of the egrets. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that there are differences in the fecal microbiota of the little egrets in different environments, and the differences are less affected by soil and water. Considering that Vibrio which was more common in the guts of marine fish, it is hypothesized that regional differences in fecal microbiota composition are related to changes in food types.