China has recently reformed its system of collective forest tenure to allow commercial logging, increased collection of firewood and nontimber forest products by outside enterprises, unmanaged tourism, and certain types of industrial development to occur in collective forests where these activities were previously restrained. The reform would also allow private or public agencies to buy back certain development rights from communities for conservation purposes ("eco-compensation"). We examine the impacts that the tenure reform could have on the survival of the giant panda, with or without eco-compensation in place. We estimate that $1,229 million in effective eco-compensation payments could prevent an estimated 15% decline in the giant panda population, whereas an additional $3,707 million for effective eco-compensation and restoration of potential habitat could restore the giant panda population to an estimated 40% above current levels. Specifically, we identify 14 key areas that link fragmented panda populations and habitats, and where approximately $779 million is needed for eco-compensation, matched with an additional investment of $131 million for the restoration of native forest habitat.

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Understanding the distribution and the extent of suitable habitats is crucial for wildlife conservation and management. Knowledge is limited regarding the natural habitats of the Chinese monal (Lophophorus lhuysii), which is a vulnerable Galliform species endemic to the high-montane areas of southwest China and a good candidate for being an umbrella species in the Qionglai Mountains. Using ecological niche modeling, we predicted current potential suitable habitats for the Chinese monal in the Qionglai Mountains with 64 presence points collected between 2005 and 2015. Suitable habitats of the Chinese monal were associated with about 31 mm precipitation of the driest quarter, about 15 °C of maximum temperature of the warmest month, and far from the nearest human residential locations (>5,000 m). The predicted suitable habitats of the Chinese monal covered an area of 2,490 km2, approximately 9.48% of the Qionglai Mountains, and was highly fragmented. 54.78% of the suitable habitats were under the protection of existing nature reserves and two conservation gaps were found. Based on these results, we provide four suggestions for the conservation management of the Chinese monal: (1) ad hoc surveys targeting potential suitable habitats to determine species occurrence, (2) more ecological studies regarding its dispersal capacity, (3) establishment of more corridors and green bridges across roads for facilitating species movement or dispersal, and (4) minimization of local disturbances.

Cooperative breeding is rarely found in the Galliformes. We report a case in Buff-throated Partridge Tetraophasis szechenyii, a sexually monochromatic Galliform species endemic to western China. A total of 68 groups were detected in the 2006-2009 breeding seasons, and cooperative breeding was observed to be facultative, with 64.7% (44/68) of pairs having up to three helpers of either sex (but predominantly male). Groups usually remained stable within the breeding season. Sampling revealed that all adult members exhibited behavioral efforts in terms of brooding, vigilance, and territorial display (including calling and fighting), with helpers especially focusing on territorial fighting. No evidence was found to suggest that the presence of helpers significantly enhanced a group's breeding success and productivity compared to unaided pairs. Further studies, particularly intraspecific comparative analyses (for example, between populations or between sites) and those measuring the relatedness between helpers and other group members, are needed to understand the occurrence of cooperative breeding in this species.Zusammenfassung Kooperatives Brüten findet sich selten innerhalb der Galliformes. Wir beschreiben einen Fall beim Rostkehl-Keilschwanzhuhn Tetraophasis szechenyii, einer farblich sexual-monomorphen, galliformen Vogelart, die in Westchina endemisch ist. Insgesamt 68 Gruppen wurden in den Brutsaisons 2006-2009 nachgewiesen und kooperatives Brüten war bei dieser Art fakultativ, wobei 64,7% (44/68) der Paare bis zu drei Helfer beider Geschlechter hatten (überwiegend allerdings Männchen). In der Regel blieben die Gruppen über die Brutsaison hinweg stabil. Die Untersuchung erbrachte, dass alle alten Mitglieder Aufwand in Form von Brut-, Wachsamkeits-und Territorialverhalten (inklusive Rufen und Kämpfen) zeigten, wobei sich die Helfer speziell auf Territorialkämpfe konzentrierten. Wir fanden keine Hinweise darauf, dass die Anwesenheit von Helfern den Bruterfolg und die Produktivität einer Gruppe im Vergleich zu Paaren ohne Helfer wesentlich verbessert haben könnte. Weitere Studien, die intraspezifische Vergleichs-Analysen (z. B. zwischen Populationen oder zwischen Standorten) durchführen und den Verwandtschaftsgrad zwischen Helfern und anderen Gruppenmitgliedern messen, sind notwendig um das Auftreten von kooperativem Brüten bei dieser Art zu verstehen.

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Aim: To test the hypothesis that different magnitude of resistance of denervated skeletal muscle to nondepolarizing muscle relaxants (NDMRs) is related to their varying potencies at ε-AChR and γ-AChR. Methods: Both innervated and denervated mouse muscle cells, and human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells expressing ε-AChR or γ-AChR were used. The effects of NDMRs on nAChR were explored using whole-cell patch clamp technique. Results: NDMRs vecuronium (VEC), atracurium (ATR) and rocuronium (ROC) produced reversible, dose-dependent inhibition on the currents induced by 30 μmol/L acetylcholine both in innervated and denervated skeletal muscle cells. Compared to those obtained in innervated skeletal muscle cells, denervation shifted the concentration-response curves rightward and significantly increased the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) values (VEC: from 11.2 to 39

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