10月15日，國際行為生態(tài)學(xué)會期刊Behavioral Ecology,，在Editor’s choice 頭條發(fā)表動物研究所動物行為與化學(xué)通訊研究組對太平鳥（Bombycilla garrulous）和小太平鳥(B. japonica) 尾脂腺氣味成分分化特點及其在種間識別中作用的研究。
太平鳥科僅1屬3種,，其中太平鳥（俗稱：十二黃）和小太平鳥（俗稱：十二紅）屬于姊妹種,，又屬同域種；在遷徙和越冬期在我國許多地區(qū)成混合群活動,，是研究物種形成的難得材料,。動物所研究人員將兩種鳥暫時室內(nèi)飼養(yǎng)，于繁殖初期,，測定尾脂腺氣味成分的分化特點及其在種間識別中的作用,，探索很少問津的鳥類化學(xué)信號和物種形成的關(guān)系。
他們利用Y型迷宮測定發(fā)現(xiàn),，太平鳥的雌鳥可以利用雄鳥身體的氣味辨別出同種和異種,，并且對同種的氣味表現(xiàn)出喜好；如果在兩個迷宮選擇臂末端,，各加上一塊鏡子,，“鏡像”所代表的同種陌生個體的視覺信息，增強(qiáng)了雌鳥對種間身體氣味的差異性反應(yīng),。
鳥的尾脂腺分泌物通過理羽行為被涂抹到身體各個部位來傳遞有關(guān)化學(xué)信息,，是身體氣味信號的主要來源。研究人員利用氣質(zhì)聯(lián)用（GC-MS）發(fā)現(xiàn)兩種鳥的尾脂腺成分種類完全相同,，種內(nèi)性別分化也不明顯,，但有7種主要多成分的含量存在明顯的種間分化，尤其太平鳥含有較多的十二醇,，十四醇等,，而小太平鳥含較多的十七醇，十八醇等,，與很多近緣種昆蟲的化學(xué)信號分化模式類似,。 利用這7種合成的成分，按種類特定比例和羽被上的含量量,，模擬身體氣味,，可以產(chǎn)生類似的引起雌鳥種間識別和選擇的作用。
這項研究說明鳥類尾脂腺揮發(fā)性成分含量的分化,，足以起到調(diào)節(jié)姊妹種間的行為生殖隔離的作用,，很可能在鳥的物種分化中起到作用。 (生物谷Bioon.com)
生物谷推薦的英文摘要
Behavioral Ecology doi: 10.1093/beheco/art068
Uropygial gland volatiles facilitate species recognition between two sympatric sibling bird species
Yao-Hua Zhang, Yu-Feng Du and Jian-Xu Zhang
Visual and acoustic cues in birds have been well documented to play a role in species recognition between closely related bird species. Here, we aimed to test whether chemical cues also play a role in avian species recognition between 2 sympatric sibling species of waxwings, Bombycilla garrulus and Bombycilla japonica. Using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, we characterized from uropygial gland secretions 38 compounds that were quantitatively divergent between species and exhibited sex differences within species. Nine major compounds, including 6 linear alkanols and 3 carboxylic acids, which accounted for more than 85% of all compounds were used for simulation of the scents. Female B. garrulus exhibited a striking preference for their mirror images scented with either conspecific body odor or its synthetic analogs and avoided the scents of the sibling species B. japonica in a Y-maze olfactometer. Our results suggest that the volatile components of uropygial gland secretions have diverged in composition and these differences contribute to species recognition between sympatric sibling bird species and subsequently affect the likehood of speciation.
