First Description of the Breeding Biology of the Spectacled Fulvetta (Fulvetta ruficapilla sordidior) in Southwest China.

The Spectacled Fulvetta (Fulvetta ruficapilla sordidior) is an endemic bird species to the southwest mountains of China, distributing from 1250 to 2500 m in the widespread broadleaved evergreen forest and occasionally in secondary scrubs. The present study describes its breeding biology for the first time. Fieldwork was conducted in the springs of 2017 and 2018 on Humashan Mountain, a hill mainly covered by secondary forest located at the eastern marginal of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. This bird was found to initiate egg-laying mainly in March, and most nestlings fledged in late April and May. There were 16 nests found in total, which were located mainly in the dense shrubs at a height of 0.99 ± 0.40 m (n = 15). Of the 11 active nests, clutch size averaged 2.73 ± 0.45 (n = 11). Focal observations were made on nests; the incubation lasted for 13.67 ± 0.47 days (n = 3) with a notably high nest attendance, i.e., eggs were incubated 84.23% of the observation time. Nestlings fledged at 13.00 ± 0.71 days (n = 4), and parents feeding frequency increased as the nestlings grew. Overall, the cumulative hatching and fledgling rates were 71.43% and 35.71%, resulting in a nesting success rate of 45.45%.

First Account of the Breeding Biology of Indian Blue Robin (Larvivora brunnea) in Southwest China.

Breeding biology lies at the core of life history research on birds, and it provides important information for avian conservation. We discovered one nest of the Indian Blue Robin (Larvivora brunnea) on 28 May 2021, at the Laojun mountains in Lijiang, northwestern Yunnan, China. Field observation was combined with the use of a GoPro camera for video shooting to quantitatively study the incubation and brooding behavior. We also conducted measurements of the eggs and nestlings on site and inspected the nesting materials used. A bowl-shaped nest with four eggs was located at 2830 m in the evergreen deciduous broad-leaved forest. All eggs were successfully incubated and two nestlings fledged on 22 June 2021, resulting in a total breeding success of 50%. Only the female bird incubated the eggs and brooded the nestlings. The incubation period was at least 13 days and the nestling period was 13 days. As incubation progressed, the incubation bout duration decreased. During the incubation period, the nesting time of the female bird shows a declining trend as incubation progresses. Both parents participated in feeding the nestling, and the frequency of parental supply increased with the maturity of the nestling.

[A comparative study on drought-resistance of four plant species in kerqin sandy land].

The water physio-ecological index and photosynthetic rate of four plant species, Caragana microphylla, Amorpha fruticosa, Artemish halodendron, and Lespedeza bicolor, in kerqin sandy land were determined. The results showed that C. microphylla has the lowest leaf water potential and the highest water-maintainance, bound water/free water ratio, and water utilization efficiency. Its drought-resistance is the strongest. Amorpha fruticosa was contrary to Caragana microphylla, and its drought-resistance was the weakest. Artemish halodendrona had a high leaf water potential, but its water-maintainance, bound water/free water ratio, and water utilization efficiency were very high. Its drought-resistance was stronger. Lespedeza bicolar had a lower leaf water potential and water-maintainance, and a usual bound water/free water ratio, and water utilization efficiency. Its drought-resistance was stronger than Amorpha fruticosa's, but weaker than Artemish halodendron's.

[Soil moisture dynamics under artificial Caragana microphylla shrub].

Applying the methods of deducing time series from vegetation space alignment, we analyzed the spatial and temporal variation features of soil moisture under artificial Caragana microphylla shrubs built in 1984, 1987, 1995, 1999. The results showed that affected by mechanical composition of mobile sandy dunes, the soil of sandy land was mainly composed of sandy particle, and the particles of > 0.01 mm were accounted for 97%. The withered moisture was 1.55%. The field waterhold capacity was 5.5%, and the available moisture storage was 3.95%. With the increase of the dominance of fix-sand vegetation, the moisture content of soil under artificial Caragana microphylla shrubs was decreased. The soil moisture of vegetation built in 1984 was lower than that built in 1999. The soil moisture conditions of four stages vegetation were continued depressing from April to June in a year, the lowest point presenced in June, and then gradually increased from July to October. The vertical change of soil moisture showed the tendency of increasing with soil depth. The soil moisture decreased by the degrees of early built vegetation (1984, 1987). Especially in 70 cm soil depth, the moisture content of soil decreased obviously. Caragana microphylla shrubs absorbed water and aggravated the shortage of soil moisture content near the root system, which affected the component of vegetation in Caragana microphylla shrubs. The species of herbaceous plants and annual plants increased during the growth of Caragana microphylla shrub.