Room Temperature Optical Anisotropy of a LaMnO\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3e Thin-Film Induced by Ultra-Short Pulse Laser

We observed ultra-short laser pulse-induced transient optical anisotropy in a LaMnO3 thin film. The anisotropy was induced by laser pulse irradiation with a fluence of less than 0.1 mJ/cm2 at room temperature. The transmittance and reflectance showed strong dependence on the polarization states of the pulses. For parallel and perpendicular polarization states, there exists a difference of approximately 0.2% for transmittance and 0.05% for reflectance at 0.3 ps after the irradiation with a pump pulse, respectively. The theoretical values for optical transmittance and reflectance with an assumption of an orbital ordering of 3d eg electrons in Mn3+ ions showed good agreement with the experimental results, demonstrating that the transient optical anisotropy in LaMnO3 thin film is due to the photo-induced symmetry-breaking of orbital ordering in excited states

An avifaunal survey of middle Mongolian wetlands: Important Bird Areas and threatened species

The objectives of this study were (a) to assess the avifaunal diversity variation among covered wetland habitats in middle Mongolia and (b) to identify threats that might endanger the avifauna at the these wetlands. Surveys were undertaken at 14 wetlands across middle Mongolia, consecutively in May, July, and September 2017. A total of 70 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) were identified in Mongolia; among these IBAs, 44 sites (68%) were based on wetland habitat, including our study sites. In this study, 192 bird species belonging to 94 genera for a total of 132,582 birds from 14 wetlands were recorded. Within total recorded species, 95 species (49.7% of total) of waterbirds belonged to six orders and accounted for 97% of total birds counted. Nine globally threatened bird (GTB) species were recorded; among these, common pochard (Aythya ferina) and swan geese (Anser cygnoides) were recorded with the greatest abundances 3,296 and 3,260, respectively. More livestock overgrazing and prolonged drought were natural phenomena recorded as crucial threats to the birds at the study sites. Our findings highlight the need for habitat management around estuaries. Keywords: Crucial threats, Globally threatened birds, Important Birds Areas, Middle Mongoli

Relationships between Bird Assemblages and Habitat Variables in a Boreal Forest of the Khentii Mountain, Northern Mongolia

In order to determine the relationships between bird assemblages and forest habitat, we conducted surveys for bird assemblages in different forest habitats in the Khentii Mountain region, Northern Mongolia. A total of 1730 individuals belonging to 71 species from 23 families of 11 orders were recorded. Our findings revealed that passeriformes are the most species-rich order, accounting for 86.2% of the total species. The dominant species were Anthus hodgsoni, Parus major, Poecile palustris, and Sitta europaea in study area. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and permutation multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) showed that bird assemblages were affected by forest habitat types. Our findings also showed significant relationships between bird assemblages and canopy height and ground cover vegetation structure, whereas there were no relationships between altitude and other habitat variables. Thus, maintaining diverse forest habitats or restoring forest would play a key role in bird conservation and sustainable management of forest areas