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Copyright of Journal of Anatolian Environmental & Animal Science is the property of Bulent Verep and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Krmiva is the property of Croatian Society of Agronomists and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Agricultural intensification has significantly impacted habitat structures in agricultural landscapes and is one of the main drivers of biodiversity decline, especially in farmland birds. Birds are considered to reflect well the trends in other biodiversity elements and are therefore often used as indicator species. We studied common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) brood habitat use in a small-grain-dominated farmland in southern Finland. The broods significantly preferred field margins compared to their availability. The importance of field margins was underlined, as 68% of pheasant brood observations in grain fields were within a 25-m-wide zone from the field edge, despite the availability being only 40% of the field area. Our results support the idea that field margins and their proximity act as possible biodiversity reservoirs even in intensive farming systems. Increasing the amount of field margins can be an effective management method when aiming to improve success of common pheasant broods while simultaneously benefitting farmland biodiversity. Identifying key habitats and landscape features that allow the co-existence of biodiversity and effective food production is crucial when aiming to halt the ongoing biodiversity collapse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Research on bird vocalizations is a useful tool for further research on behavior. Singing behavior to reproductive behavior such as territory formation and mate choice. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the duration of the mating season and the time of day on the parameters of the vocalization of pheasants Phasianus colchicus (duration of vocalization, frequency of the sound wave, intervals between vocalizations). The study consisted of analyses of recordings of the sounds of crowing pheasant cocks inhabiting an area in Lublin. In the study, pheasant vocalizations that were recorded in the morning (600–800) and in the afternoon (1600–1800) between April and June 2020 were analyzed. Statistically significant differences in the distributions of the values of all variables between the analyzed months were demonstrated. The duration of vocalization was significantly shorter in the morning, which indicates that the cooks are more active at this time of day in the study area. The time of day was also shown to have an impact on the peak amplitude frequencies, which had the highest values in the morning. The results of the present study conducted in urban areas can be the basis for a comparison with populations of pheasants inhabiting agricultural areas. The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the duration of the mating season and the time of day on the parameters of the vocalization pheasants (duration of vocalization, frequency of the sound wave, intervals between vocalizations). In the study, pheasant vocalization recorded in the morning (600–800) and in the afternoon (1600–1800) between April and June 2020 was analyzed. In total, the research material consisted of 258 separate vocalizations. After recognition of the individual songs of each bird, frequency-time indicators were collected from the samples to perform statistical analysis of the recorded sounds. The duration of the first syllable [s], the duration of the second syllable [s], the duration of the pause between the syllables [s], the intervals between successive vocalizations [min], and the peak frequency of the syllables I and II [Hz] were specified for each song. The duration of the syllables and the pauses between the syllables and vocalizations were determined through evaluation of spectrograms. The peak amplitude frequencies of the syllables were determined via time-frequency STFT analysis. Statistically significant differences in the distributions of the values of all variables between the analyzed months were demonstrated. The longest duration of total vocalization and the shortest time between vocalizations were recorded in May. Therefore, this month is characterized by the highest frequency and longest duration of vocalization, which is related to the peak of the reproductive period. The time of day was found to exert a significant effect on all variables except the duration of syllable II. The duration of vocalization was significantly shorter in the morning, which indicates that the cooks are more active at this time of day in the study area. The highest peak amplitude frequencies of both syllables were recorded in April, but they decreased in the subsequent months of observation. The time of day was also shown to have an impact on the peak amplitude frequencies, which had the highest values in the morning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unraveling geographical modes of speciation processes has been a longstanding topic in biogeography. Divergence can be driven by factors operating on multiple spatial scales, such as geographical distance (isolation by distance, IBD), landscape resistance (isolation by resistance, IBR) and environmental heterogeneity (isolation by environment, IBE). However, it is challenging to assess the relative contributions of such factors, which are usually autocorrelated with each other. On the basis of ~294 K nuclear single‐nucleotide polymorphisms from 53 samples, we integrated population genomics, geographical information and environmental variables to delineate genetic differentiation in the common pheasant Phasianus colchicus across a longitudinal gradient in northern China. Generalized dissimilarity modeling (GDM) was used to analyze the relative importance of IBD, IBR and IBE. We found that the common pheasant in northern China was grouped into six genetic clusters, which was consistent with the taxonomic affinities. Genetic diversity changed along the longitudinal gradient, reaching its lowest level at the eastern edge of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP). The spatial pattern of gene flow suggested that the mountains surrounding the QTP and the mountains in central China have acted as geographical barriers impeding common pheasant dispersal. GDM analysis indicated that environmental heterogeneity is the most important driver explaining the lineage divergence, which supports the IBE model. These results suggest that multiple isolation mechanisms shaped genetic diversity and genomic divergence in this wide‐ranging bird species. Together, our results underscore the importance of leveraging genome‐wide variations and ecological modeling to facilitate a deeper understanding of population divergence processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contamination of food by heavy metals is a concerning problem in developing countries. Cadmium is one of the toxic elements that is considered as a marker for environmental contamination. The avian ecosystem is suitable for biomonitoring purposes, especially in cases where stationary sources of pollution are present. Pheasant samples (n = 327) were collected during four hunting seasons within the framework of the Serbian National Residue Monitoring Program, from 2018 to 2021. The level of cadmium in the samples was measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The average cadmium level in analysed liver and leg muscle samples was 0.306 mg kg-1 and 0.009 mg kg-1 respectively. Cadmium levels ranged between 0.005-4.206 mg kg-1 in liver and < 0.001-0.235 in leg muscle. The cadmium level in pheasants in Serbia has slightly increased numerically (not statistically) over the past four years, so the level should continue to be carefully monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation was conducted to investigate the histology, immunohistochemistry, stereology, and ultrastructure of the small intestine in the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) using light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Ten birds were included in the study. The obtained findings revealed that three parts in the small intestine namely duodenum, jejunum, and ilium constituted of four layers from innermost to outermost including tunica mucosa, tunica submucosa, tunica muscularis, and tunica serosa. All parts of the small intestine had simple columnar epithelium with goblet cells reacted with Periodic Acid‐Schiff and Alcian Blue stains especially in the jejunum and ileum. The cells on the tip of the duodenal villi showed immuno‐positive staining for Sox9 protein, while the jejunum and ileum were negative. The jejunum had longest villi; however the duodenum had deepest crypt (p <.05). The villus surface of jejunum was significantly higher than duodenum and ileum (p <.05). SEM images revealed that the duodenum had cauliflower and leaf‐like villi with plicas and recess between them. Jejunum had finger‐like villi with a velvety view. The shape of the ileal villi was like that observed in the jejunum with slight differences. In conclusion, the jejunum was the most prominent region in the small intestine in terms of morphologic and morphometric features, which could be attributed to the absorption of more nutrients in this area. These obtained findings would be useful to improve the knowledge in the field of histophysiology properties of the bird's digestive system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millions of individuals of two species of non-native galliform birds, the Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) and Red-legged Partridge (Alectoris rufa) are released into the British countryside annually in late summer, supplementing established breeding populations of these two species. The biomass of birds involved in these releases has been compared to the British breeding bird biomass. However, the validity of this comparison is compromised because the biomass of wild birds varies across the year due to reproduction, mortality and migration. How the biomass of Common Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges compares to that of other British bird species in late summer, or across the whole year, is currently unknown. Here, we produce estimates of how British bird biomass varies across the year, to assess the contribution of the two non-native galliforms to this variation. We show that overall British bird biomass is probably lowest around the start of the breeding season in April, and peaks in late summer and autumn. We estimate that around a quarter of British bird biomass annually is contributed by Common Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges, and that at their peak in August these two species represent about half of all wild bird biomass in Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The common pheasant Phasianus colchicus, belonging to the order Galliformes and family Phasianidae, is the most widespread species. Despite a long history of captivity, the domestication of this bird is still at a preliminary stage. Recently, the demand for accelerating its transformation to poultry for meat and egg production has been increasing. In this study, we assembled high quality, chromosome scale genome of the common pheasant by using PacBio long reads, next‐generation short reads, and Hi‐C technology. The primary assembly has contig N50 size of 1.33 Mb and scaffold N50 size of 59.46 Mb, with a total size of 0.99 Gb, resolving most macrochromosomes into single scaffolds. A total of 23,058 genes and 10.71 Mb interspersed repeats were identified, constituting 30.31% and 10.71% of the common pheasant genome, respectively. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed that the common pheasant shared common ancestors with turkey about 24.7–34.5 million years ago (Ma). Rapidly evolved gene families, as well as branch‐specific positively selected genes, indicate that calcium‐related genes are potentially related to the adaptive and evolutionary change of the common pheasant. Interestingly, we found that the common pheasant has a unique major histocompatibility complex B locus (MHC‐B) structure: three major inversions occurred in the sequence compared with chicken MHC‐B. Furthermore, we detected signals of selection in five breeds of domestic common pheasant, several of which are production‐oriented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work was carried out to describe morphological features of the tongue and laryngeal entrance of the Common pheasantPhasianus colchicus, using light and scanning electron microscopy. The lingual apex was taper‐shaped with a shallow median sulcus. A V‐shaped papillary crest with 15–20 caudally directed conical papillae was located between the radix and corpus linguae. The second row of papillae consisting of three caudolaterally directed conical papillae was arranged caudal to the main papillary crest. The mons laryngealis was equipped caudally with a double‐layer of large conical papillae as pharyngeal crest, and few small conical papillae were seen around the glottis. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation showed that the apex linguae and corpus were covered with compact filiform papillae, while the radix linguae were free of papillae. Numerous openings of salivary gland can be seen on the radix linguae and mons laryngealis at higher magnification. On histological sections, all parts of the tongue and mons laryngealis were covered with a keratinised stratified squamous epithelium. The keratinised layer became thinner rostro‐caudally. The simple alveolar salivary glands were distributed in the submucosa from the apex linguae to the radix linguae as well as the mons laryngealis. PAS staining revealed mucin‐secreting activity of this glands. According to the findings, although the tongue and laryngeal entrance of the Common pheasant is characteristics of a galliform bird, it has some features similar to passeriformes and falconiformes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to determine the exact duration of individual stages of the territorial vocalisation ritual of Phasianus colchicus cocks living in an urban area. Thorough knowledge of the courtship behavior can be the basis for understanding the mechanisms that influence female's preferences when choosing a cock for mating. The work was performed based on the analysis of film recordings of 7 male pheasants recorded in the Bystrzyca Valley in Lublin (Poland). Several-minute recordings were made from April 19 to June 27, 2018 in the morning (around 6:00-8:00). The characteristic of the species ritual vocalization were divided into four phases. The study concluded that the average duration of individual phases of ritual vocalization within individual birds varies and is an individual value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to describe the morphology and means of identification of helminths in native partridges (65) and introduced pheasants (32) in Poland and to determine the level of intestinal infection of these birds by helminths using parasitological and ecological indices. The birds were acquired during the hunting season in the years 2015–2017. Nematodes, Capillaria phasianina, cestodes, Railietina friedbergeri, and one trematode, Brachylaima sp. were recorded for the first time in partridges in Poland. Our findings indicate that parasites are more prevalent in pheasants (prevalence 70.4%) than in partridges (prevalence 50.0%). The component community and infracommunity of parasites of partridges are more diverse (Simpson’s diversity index: 0.63 and mean Brillouin diversity index: 0.10 ± 0.17) and less dominated by a single parasite species (Capillaria sp., Berger-Parker dominance index: 0.53) than the pheasant parasite community (Simpson’s diversity index: 0.07, mean Brillouin diversity index: 0.005 ± 0.02, dominant species Heterakis gallinarum, Berger-Parker dominance index: 0.96). There were statistically significant differences between partridges and pheasants in the Brillouin diversity index and in the prevalence of Heterakis gallinarum (55.6% in pheasants vs. 19.0 in partridges). There were significant differences between wild and farmed partridges in the prevalence of infection by Capillaria sp. (4.3% vs. 37.5%) and H. gallinarum (39.1 vs. 6.2%). In conclusion, the pheasant was shown to be a reservoir, carrier, and shedder of nematodes, which may increase the risk of infection in partridges.

Habitat degradation and hunting are among the most important causes of population decline for Alectoris chukar and Phasianus colchicus, two of the most threatened game species in the Golestan Province of Iran. Limited data on distribution and location of high–quality habitats for the two species make conservation efforts more difficult in the province. We used multi–criteria evaluation (MCE) as a coarse–filter approach to refine the general distribution areas into habitat suitability maps for the species. We then used these maps as input to simulated annealing as a heuristic algorithm through Marxan in order to prioritize areas for conservation of the two species. To find the optimal solution, we tested various boundary length modifier (BLM) values in the simulated annealing process. Our results showed that the MCE approach was useful to refine general habitat maps. Assessment of the selected reserves confirmed the suitability of the selected areas (mainly neighboring the current reserves) making their management easier and more feasible. The total area of the selected reserves was about 476 km2. As current reserves of the Golestan Province represent only 23 % of the optimal area, further protected areas should be considered to efficiently conserve these two species.

The common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) in the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae, has 30 subspecies distributed across its native range in the Palearctic realm and has been introduced to Europe, North America, and Australia. It is an important game bird often subjected to wildlife management as well as a model species to study speciation, biogeography, and local adaptation. However, the genomic resources for the common pheasant are generally lacking. We sequenced a male individual of the subspecies torquatus of the common pheasant with the Illumina HiSeq platform. We obtained 94.88 Gb of usable sequences by filtering out low-quality reads of the raw data generated. This resulted in a 1.02 Gb final assembly, which equals the estimated genome size. BUSCO analysis using chicken as a model showed that 93.3% of genes were complete. The contig N50 and scaffold N50 sizes were 178 kb and 10.2 Mb, respectively. All these indicate that we obtained a high-quality genome assembly. We annotated 16,485 protein-coding genes and 123.3 Mb (12.05% of the genome) of repetitive sequences by ab initio and homology-based prediction. Furthermore, we applied a RAD-sequencing approach for another 45 individuals of seven representative subspecies in China and identified 4,376,351 novel single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) markers. Using this unprecedented data set, we uncovered the geographic population structure and genetic introgression among common pheasants in China. Our results provide the first high-quality reference genome for the common pheasant and a valuable genome-wide SNP database for studying population genomics and demographic history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of normal or Caucasian pheasant (Phasianus colchicus Linnaeus, 1758) which is useful for hunting and agriculture in forest-steppe of Ukraine remains very low, which is a prerequisite for a scientific research. Our study aims at identification and description of environmental factors that define the current status of common pheasant population in the forest-steppe of Ukraine. The authors selected data reporting model from four administrative regions as follows: Western forest-Steppe natural-agricultural province (LS-1) – Ternopil region; right Bank forest-Steppe natural-agricultural province (LS-2) – Khmelnytsky, Vinnytsia regions; left Bank forest-Steppe natural-agricultural province (LS-3) – Poltava region. For creation of a database of the species number in some natural and agricultural provinces of the forest-steppe of Ukraine used the indicators of the state statistical reporting forms "2-TP (hunting)". The results of the research have shown that the number of populations of common pheasant were in close correlations with key climatic factors. The only exception is the average humidity in LS-2, which is negatively correlated with the number of birds in the middle degree, significantly. Cenopopulation LS-2 discovered the self-healing respond to a much larger range of environmental factors, whereas in cenopopulations LS-3 (lim = 192‑564 ind.), the ability to heal itself which is open to question, there was only one statistically significant negative relationship with the area of bean crops. Thus, our conclusions are as follows. Further recovery of shelter forest cover, taking into account management recommendations for the species, and a crackdown on predatory mammals should facilitate the expansion of the common pheasant in the right-bank forest-steppe natural-agricultural province. At the time, as in the left bank –an increase in the number of birds in the hunting grounds, to the level of the density of cenopopulations in the LS-2 or more at the expense of introduction on the background of complex ecological monitoring of vital functions of the species should be the fundamental basis for further improvement.

Abstract: Myoglobin (Mb) is a monomeric hemoprotein involved in dioxygen storage and transport in skeletal muscles and heart. Mb, containing the heme pigment, is present in large amount in meat, thus influencing meat color and consumer choice. Here, the primary structure of Mb isolated from muscle of Phasianus colchicus L. was determined by using a comparative peptide mapping approach based on MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry. This strategy allowed the determination of common pheasant Mb primary sequence, which resulted identical to the chicken Mb, as also confirmed by intact molecular mass determination by ESI/Q‐TOF mass spectrometry. Indeed, the accurate molecular mass (17,290.50 Da) of common pheasant Mb was found to be in good agreement with that of chicken Mb (17,290.86 Da). Finally, the 3D model of common pheasant Mb was predicted by homology modeling. Overall, in this study we confirmed that chicken, turkey and common pheasant, belonging to the Galliformes order, share the same Mb sequence. Practical applications: Considering the economic importance of game meat consumption, our result may be interesting for meat industry, providing useful information for the determination of species‐specific differences in color and color stability compared to other poultry species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Animal Biodiversity & Conservation is the property of Museu de Ciencies Naturals de Barcelona and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Most studies on the effects of wind energy on animals have focused on avian and bat activity, habitat use, and mortality, whereas very few have been published on terrestrial, non-volant wildlife. In this paper, we studied the utilization of functioning wind farm areas by four terrestrial animals common to agricultural landscapes: European roe deer, European hare, red fox, and the common pheasant. Firstly, we expected that the studied animals do not avoid areas close to turbines and utilize the whole area of functioning wind farms with a frequency similar to the control areas. Secondly, we expected that there is no relation between the turbine proximity and the number of tracks of these animals. The study was conducted over two winter seasons using the snow-tracking method along 100 m linear transects. In total, 583 transects were recorded. Wind farm operations may affect terrestrial animals both in wind farm interiors and in a 700-m buffer zone around the edge of turbines. The reactions of animals were species specific. Herbivorous mammals (roe deer and European hare) avoided wind farm interiors and proximity to turbines. The common pheasant showed a positive reaction to wind turbine proximity. The red fox had the most neutral response to wind turbines. Although this species visited wind farm interiors less often than the control area, there was no relation between fox track density and turbine proximity. Greater weight should be given to the effects of wind farms on non-flying wildlife than at present. Investors and regulatory authorities should always consider the likely impacts of wind farms during environmental impact assessments and try to reduce these negative effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a major viral disease of poultry characterized by acute onset, systemic infection, and rapid death. In January 2015, H5N2 HPAI was identified by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and gene sequencing as the cause of rapid death in 40 of 390 ring-necked pheasants (approximately 10% mortality), raised in a game bird farm in Washington State. We report clinicopathologic findings and viral antigen distribution in pheasants that died during the outbreak. Affected birds were depressed with reluctance to move, ruffled feathers, and drooping heads. Congestion of the cerebellar meningeal blood vessels was the only consistent gross pathologic finding. Meningoencephalitis with vasculitis and necrosis in the spleen and heart were the major microscopic lesions in the birds. Viral antigen was consistently detected in the brain, heart, and ovary with variable presence in other organs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of the study was to assess the effect of a diet supplemented with L-carnitine on egg weight and laying rate in hens of pheasant (Phasianus colchicus). The experiment lasted 14 weeks and was performed with 210 experimental and 210 control laying hens. The birds were kept in cages; one cock and seven hens per cage. Both control and experimental hens were administered the complete feed mixture, with the only difference that the feed mixture administered to experimental hens was supplemented with L-carnitine at a level of 0.01%. During the experimental period, eggs were collected and weight of individual eggs was determined. Control and experimental groups provided 8 039 and 8 499 eggs, respectively. The results showed that L-carnitine increased egg weight (P < 0.01) and laying rate. The effect of L-carnitine on egg weight and laying rate manifested itself until weeks 11 and 13, respectively. The average weight of eggs laid during the experimental period was (mean ± SD) 32.22 ± 3.03 g in the control group and 32.51 ± 2.83 g in the experimental group, with the overall laying rate being 44.29% in the control group and 47.30% in the experimental group.

Background: The grey partridge (Perdix perdix) and the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) are galliform birds typical of arable lands in Central Europe and exhibit a partly dramatic negative population trend. In order to understand general habitat preferences we modelled grey partridge and common pheasant densities over the entire range of Lower Saxony. Spatially explicit developments in bird densities were modelled using spatially explicit trends of crop cultivation. Pheasant and grey partridge densities counted annually by over 8000 hunting district holders over 10 years in a range of 3.7 Mio ha constitute a unique dataset (wildlife survey of Lower Saxony). Data on main landscape groups, functional groups of agricultural crops (consisting of 9.5 million fields compiled by the Integrated Administration and Control System) and landscape features were aggregated to 420 municipalities. To model linear 8 or 10 year population trends (for common pheasant and grey partridge respectively) we use rho correlation coefficients of densities, but also rho coefficients of agricultural crops. Results: All models confirm a dramatic decline in population densities. The habitat model for the grey partridge shows avoidance of municipalities with a high proportion of woodland and water areas, but a preference for areas with a high proportion of winter grains and high crop diversity. The trend model confirms these findings with a linear positive effect of diversity on grey partridge population development. Similarly, the pheasant avoids wooded areas but showed some preference for municipalities with open water. The effect of maize was found to be positive at medium densities, but negative at very high proportions. Winter grains, landscape features and high crop diversity are favorable. The positive effect of winter grains and higher crop diversity is also supported by the trend model. Conclusions: The results show the strong importance of diverse crop cultivation. Most incentives favor the cultivation of specific crops, which results in large areas of monocultures. The results confirm the importance of sustainable agricultural policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common pheasant ( Phasianus colchicus ) is a species with potential to produce high quality meat. Rearing these birds in semi-extensive regime for other purposes than just for hunting has drawn producers’ attention. This study aimed to evaluate the lipid and protein composition of breast and leg meat from male and female pheasant. Meat portions exhibited significant differences between total lipid (1.3 and 3.5 g/100 g), total cholesterol contents (0.5 and 0.57 mg/g), fatty acids profile, protein content (89 and 82% dry weight) and amino acids profile, not related with sex. The amino acids content tended to be slightly higher in leg, being comparable to farmed pheasants. Lysine was the prevailing essential amino acid (EAA) in both portions, which are also an exceptional arginine source. Pheasant meat is an interesting source of high quality lean protein, being a healthier alternative to other frequently consumed meats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the morphometric and morphological differentiation of Phasianus colchicus, also known as the Common Pheasant, subspecies on the Iranian plateau. Topics discussed include the five different subspecies of the Common Pheasant, the goal of the study to determine the differences among Common Pheasants, and the use of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test for the analysis of data.

Forty Harderian glands obtained from 20 clinically healthy and sexually mature common pheasants (10 birds of each gender) were investigated. Permanent histological preparations were made from previously fixed glands using routine histological techniques. Morphometric studies were performed by means of a light microscope with a built-in eyepiece micrometer. Data was statistically processed by a computer program (StatMost for Windows). The histometric analysis showed that the average size of pheasant Harderian gland lobules was 399.02 μm and 555.69 μm in female and male common pheasants, respectively. The average outer diameter of the acini was 39.64 μm in the female pheasants and 43.65 μm in the males. The average height of the covering glandular epithelium of the ducts was 18.67 μm in females and 21.41 μm in males. On the basis of our results, it could be concluded that the Harderian gland of the common pheasant by the time of the commercial realization presents a clear sexual dimorphism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) mediate immune response via recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), thus play important roles in host defense. Polymorphisms of TLR5 may affect their recognition of bacterial flagellin, leading to varied host resistance to pathogenic infections. Here, we cloned TLR5 genes from Common Pheasant, Guinea fowl and 9 Chicken breeds and analyzed their sequences. The open reading frames of TLR5 were sequenced. Amino acid analysis indicated that TLR5 from Chicken breeds shared 99.4-99.9% homology. The amino acid homology of TLR5 ranged from 92.1 to 92.5% between Chickens and Guinea fowl, 95.7-96.1% between Chickens and Turkey, 94.3-94.7% between Chickens and Common Pheasant, and 79.9-80.1% between Chickens and Zebra-finch. Different genetic patterns were determined among Chickens, Common Pheasant, Guinea fowl, Turkey and Zebra-finch. It was found that there were 92 amino acid polymorphic sites, among which 5 sites in chicken TLR5, 63 sites in Guinea fowl TLR5 and 44 sites in Common Pheasant TLR5. Our data indicate that the positive Darwinian selection occurred in avian TLR5 genes since frequency of non-synonymous ( d) > frequency of synonymous ( d). These results also demonstrate that avian TLR5 genes are polymorphic among avian breeds, suggesting a varied resistance among breeds of avian. This information might be of help to improve the health of avian by breeding and vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to compare the nutritional and dietetic values of the meat of chickens of the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus L.) intensively fattened until 90 days of age to the meat of broiler chickens fattened until 40 days of age. Breast muscles in pheasants contained higher protein content on a dry matter basis (930.57g·kg-1 in females, 937.23 g·kg-1 in males) and lower fat content (29.58 g·kg-1 in females, 29.92 g·kg-1 in males) as compared to thigh muscles (protein: 781.80 g·kg-1 in females, 810.07 g·kg-1 in males, fat: 163.74 g·kg-1 in females, 140.71 g·kg-1 in males). Breast muscles in both females and males contained less calcium (0.67 g·kg-1 in females, 0.57 g·kg-1 in males) and more phosphorus (10.16 g·kg-1 in females, 9.72 g·kg-1 in males) compared to the thigh muscles in which the mean calcium content was 1.28 g·kg-1 in females and 1.32 g·kg-1 in males, and the mean phosphorus content was 9.31 g·kg-1 in females and 9.23 g·kg-1 in males. Breast and thigh muscles in both female and male pheasants contained higher protein content and lower fat content compared to broiler meat. The calcium content in pheasant meat was lower whereas the phosphorus and magnesium contents were higher compared to broiler meat. Pheasant meat with high content of protein and low fat content is very valuable foodstuff and its dietetic value exceeds that of broiler meat. There is a lack of scientific literature on this subject which has not been studied in detail yet. This study extends the current scope of scientific knowledge in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Population differentiation within species can be stimulated by various geographic and climatic factors. In this study, we analyzed the population structure of the Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) in the Loess Plateau and its adjacent eastern areas (named eastern China). We sequenced mitochondrial cytochrome b and control regions of 249 samples collected from 42 populations that covered the whole Loess Plateau and eastern China. Two groups (one containing populations 1–27 and the other populations 28–42) were identified using Analysis of Molecular Variance, Spatial Analysis of Molecular Variance, median-joining network analysis and maximum-parsimony analysis. The results demonstrated that although populations were distributed continuously throughout the study area, there was clear differentiation between populations. Geographically, population differentiation was sutured along the eastern edge of the Loess Plateau. The Migration Divergence (MDIV) analysis suggested that the two groups diverged at about 0.21 million years ago, which corresponded to a period when numerous large inland paleo-lakes greatly receded across the Loess Plateau during 0.25–0.20 million years before present (Ma BP). We inferred that the rapid recession of the Loess Plateau paleo-lakes caused dramatic shifts from a relatively humid climate, to one that was significantly more arid. Such severe climate transition combined with a dry-cold starting of one of multi-cycled climate fluctuations from warm-humid to dry-cold since about 0.24–0.22Ma BP on the Loess Plateau may have been the impetus that effectively facilitated differentiation between different pheasant populations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The investigation included 37 pheasant chickens divided into three groups (control and two experimentals groups) which were all fed with a standard starter feed mixture (28% crude protein and 11.7 MJ ME/kg) for the first 28 days and then with a grower for pheasant chickens (24% of crude protein and 12.1 MJ ME/kg). Sel-Plex® was added to the first experimental group in a concentration of 0.2%. A biochemical investigation of the blood samples on the 70th day of the trial showed a significantly (P<0.05) lower concentration of creatinine and triacylglicerol (P<0.01), a significantly (P<0.05) higher level of band heterophils and a significantly lower (P<0.05) skin and offal weight (P<0.01). The highly valuable parts of the carcasses between groups were with no significant differences. Bio-Mos® (2 g/kg feed) was added to the second experimental group. These chickens had a higher level of glucose, triacylglicerol, lymphocites and monocytes, but with no statistical significance (P>0.05), when compared to the control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compared common ground flora species and vegetation structure in open-topped pheasant release pens with control areas in 43 ancient semi-natural woodlands (ASNW) in England in Spring 1988. Relationships between vegetation parameters and factors such as the density of birds in the pen and pen size were identified. The release pens ranged from 1 to 20 years old, mean pen size was 0.5 ha and the mean stocking density was 2250 pheasants per hectare of pen. Overall, the release pens had more bare ground and reduced vegetation below 50 cm structure compared to the control areas. The release pens also had lower average species diversity and percentage cover of shade tolerant perennials, in particular winter-green perennials. Annual species and perennials preferring fertile or disturbed soil all increased in percentage cover as stocking density increased above recommended levels. Bare ground increased inversely with pen size. Perennials characteristic of shady habitats decreased as stocking densities went up. The reduction of winter-green perennials was greatest in smaller, older pens. In a sub-sample of five sites, average phosphate and potassium levels were significantly higher in the pens than in the controls while pH and magnesium were not different. We estimate that 1 in 12 of all woodlands in England contains a pheasant release pen. We make recommendations for reducing impacts of these pens in ASNW. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]