Vocal discrimination of potential mates by female giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

In the current study, we used male giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) bleats in a habituation–discrimination paradigm to determine whether females discriminate between the vocalizations of different males. We found that females habituated to the bleats of a specific male showed a significant dishabituation when they were presented with bleats from a novel male. Further playbacks, in which we standardized the mean fundamental frequency (pitch) and amplitude modulation of male bleats, indicated that amplitude modulation is the key feature that females attend to when discriminating between male callers. Our results show that female giant pandas can discriminate between the vocalizations of potential mates and provide a platform for further studies investigating the functional role of caller identity in giant panda sexual communication.     

Successful artificial insemination in the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) at ueno zoo

Successful breeding of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) following artificial insemination was achieved at the Ueno Zoo in 2 consecutive years (1985 and 1986). The first cub, born in June 1985, unfortunately died 43 hours after birth from being crushed by the mother panda; the second cub, born in June 1986, has been growing in good health. Electroejaculation and artificial insemination procedures were performed after immobilization with diazepam (0.1 mg/kg) and ketamine HCL (4.0–5.0 mg/kg). Semen of the male panda was collected by electroejaculation using a rectal probe with a diameter of 2.0 cm and with eight rings as electrodes. Stimulation of the male was given with 3 V (30–40 mA) over a 5-sec period with 5-sec intervals. The female panda exhibited estrus between late February and early March in 1985 and also between mid-january and early February 1986. Increased excretion of urinary total estrogen showed coincidentally at maximum behavioral estrus, and a gradual rise of pregnanediol level was followed by artificial insemination. The gestational length for the first pregnancy was 110 days and that of the second 121 days.     

Behavioral preferences for bamboo in a pair of captive giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are members of the order Carnivora. Their diet, however, consists almost entirely of bamboo. Herbivores are under strong pressure to be selective in what they eat because of the low digestibility of plant material. The purpose of this study was to determine whether two captive giant pandas exhibited preferences among three species of bamboo: black (Phyllostachys nigra), bissetii (Phyllostachys bissetii), and arrow (Pseudosasa japonica). Eighteen classic choice trials were conducted in which the species were randomly paired and placed in one of two predetermined locations in the giant pandas' indoor enclosures. The pandas preferred leaves to culms or branches for each bamboo species. In the first hour of exposure, both pandas exhibited a preference for arrow bamboo. A comparison of total bamboo consumption over the course of the night indicated a strong preference for arrow bamboo by the male. The female exhibited equal preference for both arrow and bissetii over black bamboo. Further examination of feeding behavior determined that the pandas processed arrow bamboo behaviorally more efficiently than the other two species. This is the first study to experimentally assess bamboo preferences in giant pandas, and may have implications for husbandry and management programs as well as strategies for in situ conservation. Zoo Biol 24:177–183, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

圈养大熊猫种群的动态及发展趋势

采用直线回归方程、4次方程和指数增长式微分方程等数理分析方法,对全世界1953～2003年圈养大熊猫种群的发展趋势进行了分析.发现对大熊猫的圈养种群数量建立的回归方程是拟合很好的4次多项式方程,1953～1987年的圈养种群增长曲线成S型,1998年后的种群增长成直线或指数式.依此进行预测,从1998年以后只依靠现有饲养种群167只就可能使种群数量稳定增长,全世界种群数量2007年可突破200只,2009年可能达到220～240只,大概在15～22年后全世界饲养种群数量就能够翻一番,达到330多只.     

岷山地区大熊猫(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)生境影响因子连通性及主导因子

岷山地区是大熊猫保护的关键地区.运用图论分析法研究了岷山地区大熊猫生境影响因子,及其相互作用关系.结果表明:在岷山地区,12个影响因子66对组合中,47.0%的影响因子间存在直接的联系,其中89.2%的影响具有增大效应,这说明人类活动对大熊猫生境的影响具有协同增大效应,并占主导地位.研究发现,在影响因子关系集中,存在强连通性的子集K={(TD);(RB);(MI);(HPL);(AP);(AD);(SR);(TH);(FC)},这表明近期进行的旅游景点开发,公路建设,采矿,高压电线走廊建设,以及传统的农业开发,畜牧业,薪柴采集等影响因子之间存在着强烈相互作用关系,这些人类活动还会将其他人类活动对大熊猫生境的影响放大,加剧其对大熊猫生境的不利影响,是影响岷山地区大熊猫生境的主导因素.研究还表明如果不能对主导因子进行有效的控制,很难有效地保护岷山地区大熊猫生境.研究表明图论分析法是研究大熊猫生境影响因子的一个有效工具,有助于明确影响熊猫生境的主导和关键因子,为制定有效的大熊猫保护策略提供科学依据.     

降低圈养大熊猫排粘液频率的措施初探

大熊猫(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)是中国特有的珍稀动物,在其整个消化道内膜上,都分布有丰富的粘液腺。在野外,这些粘液腺的分泌物包裹于大熊猫摄食的竹茎、竹叶和竹笋表面而排出体外;圈养条件下,常常见到这些分泌物积聚到一定数量而成团排出,这即被称为大熊猫的排粘液现象(王平     

The faecal flora of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

The faecal floras of two adult (male and female) and one infant (male) giant panda kept at the Ueno Zoo, Tokyo, Japan were examined and shown to be quite different from those of other animals. The predominant bacteria in the adults were Streptococcus (including Enterococcus) and Enterobacteriaceae, while obligate anaerobes had minor populations. Fastidious anaerobes were not detected. The predominant bacteria in the suckling infant were Lactobacillus and Streptococcus, followed by Bifidobacterium. After the infant began to eat bamboo leaves the number of Lactobacillus decreased and Bifidobacterium became undetectable, whereas Enterobacteriaceae became one of the most predominant flora. The most dominant streptococcus isolated from the female panda was identified as Streptococcus bovis, but those from the male adult and the weaned infant were not identified as any known species.     

The faecal flora of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

The faecal floras of two adult (male and female) and one infant (male) giant panda kept at the Ueno Zoo, Tokyo, Japan were examined and shown to be quite different from those of other animals. The predominant bacteria in the adults were Streptococcus (including Enterococcus ) and Enterobacteriaceae, while obligate anaerobes had minor populations. Fastidious anaerobes were not detected. The predominant bacteria in the suckling infant were Lactobacillus and Streptococcus , followed by Bifidobacterium. After the infant began to eat bamboo leaves the number of Lactobacillus decreased and Bifidobacterium became undetectable, whereas Enterobacteriaceae became one of the most predominant flora. The most dominant streptococcus isolated from the female panda was identified as Streptococcus bovis , but those from the male adult and the weaned infant were not identified as any known species.     

Sequencing,annotation and comparative analysis of nine BACs of the giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

A 10-fold BAC library for the giant panda was constructed and nine BACs were selected to generate finish sequences.These BACs could be used as a validation resource for the de novo assembly accuracy of the whole genome shotgun sequencing reads of the giant panda newly generated by Illumina GA sequencing technology.Complete Sanger sequencing,assembly,annotation and comparative analysis were carried out on the selected BACs of a joint length 878 kb.Homologue search and de novo prediction methods were used to ...     

甘肃大熊猫生境质量评价

本研究以第四次大熊猫(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)调查、甘肃省森林资源二类清查等数据为基础资料,依据国内外有关大熊猫对生境选择利用的研究成果,结合本地本山系大熊猫分布及活动的实际情况,选取竹子分布、植被类型、海拔、坡度、坡向、道路和居民区等评价因子,建立了大熊猫生境质量评价指标体系和准则,借助Arcgis10.2软件,利用栅格赋值和空间叠加原理系统地研究了甘肃大熊猫生境质量。结果表明,甘肃大熊猫生境质量总体较好,适宜和较适宜生境面积总和占到了69.77%;四个局域种群单元中白水江单元适宜生境面积最大,其次为甘南单元;各大熊猫分布县中,文县的大熊猫生境质量最好,其次为舟曲;甘肃大熊猫适宜生境大都处于保护区中,各保护区适宜生境总和为178 771 hm~2,占全省大熊猫适宜生境的88.72%;各保护区中,白水江国家级自然保护区的适宜生境面积最大,其次为插岗梁省级保护区。     

野化培训大熊猫幼仔的食性转换

本文以2010—2020年15只母兽带仔野化培训的大熊猫幼仔为研究对象,基于红外视频监控系统观察和音频颈圈解译获得的行为资料、GPS颈圈跟踪定位采集的粪样数据,分析了野化培训大熊猫幼仔的行为发育进程和食性转换特征。结果表明：随着野化培训大熊猫幼仔的生长发育,与觅食和警戒相关的行为得到充分发育,且具有较强的时间关联性,包括食乳、爬行、走动、玩耍物品、爬树、咬玩竹子、饮水和采食竹子等。8～10月龄的大熊猫幼仔开始取食竹子,其发育性食性转换过程划分为3个阶段：食乳期(1～7月龄)、食母乳—食竹子转换期(8～28月龄)和食竹期(29～39月龄),其中转换期细分为关键期(8～18月龄)和过渡期(19～28月龄)。从统计检验来看,不同食性阶段间差异显著;过渡期的大熊猫幼仔可离开母兽独立生活,此阶段大熊猫幼仔食物组分比例与食竹期相比无显著差异。野化培训大熊猫幼仔的季节性食性转换规律与带仔母兽和野生大熊猫具有相似的格局,即春季主要取食竹笋,夏、秋季则以嫩竹茎和竹叶为食,冬季采食竹叶与竹茎。     

Characterizing the spatial distribution of giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in fragmented forest landscapes

Aim To examine the effects of forest fragmentation on the distribution of the entire wild giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) population, and to propose a modelling approach for monitoring the spatial distribution and habitat of pandas at the landscape scale using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro‐radiometer (MODIS) enhanced vegetation index (EVI) time‐series data. Location Five mountain ranges in south‐western China (Qinling, Minshan, Qionglai, Xiangling and Liangshan). Methods Giant panda pseudo‐absence data were generated from data on panda occurrences obtained from the third national giant panda survey. To quantify the fragmentation of forests, 26 fragmentation metrics were derived from 16‐day composite MODIS 250‐m EVI multi‐temporal data and eight of these metrics were selected following factor analysis. The differences between panda presence and panda absence were examined by applying significance testing. A forward stepwise logistic regression was then applied to explore the relationship between panda distribution and forest fragmentation. Results Forest patch size, edge density and patch aggregation were found to have significant roles in determining the distribution of pandas. Patches of dense forest occupied by giant pandas were significantly larger, closer together and more contiguous than patches where giant pandas were not recorded. Forest fragmentation is least in the Qinling Mountains, while the Xiangling and Liangshan regions have most fragmentation. Using the selected landscape metrics, the logistic regression model predicted the distribution of giant pandas with an overall accuracy of 72.5% (κ = 0.45). However, when a knowledge‐based control for elevation and slope was applied to the regression, the overall accuracy of the model improved to 77.6% (κ = 0.55). Main conclusions Giant pandas appear sensitive to patch size and isolation effects associated with fragmentation of dense forest, implying that the design of effective conservation areas for wild giant pandas must include large and dense forest patches that are adjacent to other similar patches. The approach developed here is applicable for analysing the spatial distribution of the giant panda from multi‐temporal MODIS 250‐m EVI data and landscape metrics at the landscape scale.     

Cloning, sequence, and function analyses of giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) CD9 gene

CD9 is a member of the tetraspanin family proteins and has recently been shown to be essential for sperm-oocyte fusion in mice. The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) CD9 (gpCD9) cDNA was amplified for the first time by RT-PCR from ovary total RNA and cloned, sequenced and analyzed. The result revealed that the open reading frame (ORF) of gpCD9 was 681 bp, which has the same length as that of mouse. Sequence analysis and structure prediction displayed that the amino acid sequence of gpCD9 is over 80% identity to those of mammals with the conserved structures, including the four transmembrane domains (TM) and certain characteristic residues. The results of sperm-egg fusion experiments demonstrated that giant panda CD9 large extracellular loop (LEL) significantly inhibited (P < 0.05) the mouse gamete fusion when the recombinant protein was added. However, when three amino acid residues TVT (173-175) of the gpCD9 were mutated to AAA, the large extracellular loop (LELM) of mutated protein was rarely inhibiting the gamete fusion of mice. Our results may be useful in improving an insight into understanding the potential mechanism of gamete fusion and genetic characteristics of giant panda.     

An improved,chromosome-level genome of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

BackgroundThe iconic giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), as both a flagship and umbrella species endemic to China, is a world famous symbol for wildlife conservation. The giant panda has several specific biological traits and holds a relatively small place in evolution. A high-quality genome of the giant panda is key to understanding the biology of this vulnerable species.FindingsWe generated a 2.48-Gb chromosome-level genome (GPv1) of the giant panda named “Jing Jing” with a contig N50 of 28.56 Mb and scaffold N50 of 134.17 Mb, respectively. The total length of chromosomes (n = 21) was 2.39-Gb, accounting for 96.4% of the whole genome. Compared with the previously published four genomes of the giant panda, our genome is characterized by the highest completeness and the correct sequence orientation. A gap-free and 850 kb length of immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene cluster was manually annotated in close proximity to the telomere of chromosome 14. Additionally, we developed an algorithm to predict the centromere position of each chromosome. We also constructed a complete chromatin structure for “Jing Jing”, which includes inter-chromosome interaction pattern, A/B compartment, topologically associated domain (TAD), TAD-clique and promoter-enhancer interaction (PEI).ConclusionsWe presented an improved chromosome-level genome and complete chromatin structure for the giant panda. This is a valuable resource for the future genetic and genomic studies on giant panda.     

Sixteen novel microsatellite loci developed for the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Sixteen novel microsatellite DNA loci were developed from the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) using a magnetic-bead capture method. A total of 115 alleles were obtained for these markers, ranging from 4 to 12 alleles per locus (average 7.188). These loci exhibited high levels of polymorphic information content and expected heterozygosity, 0.558–0.855 (average 0.729) and 0.628–0.885 (average 0.778), respectively. Therefore, the allelic polymorphism and heterozygosity show that the giant pandas raised in China Research and Conservation Center possess abundant genetic variation. In addition, if the three markers showing null alleles were excluded, the remaining 13 microsatellite loci still presented extremely low non-exclusion probabilities of parentage (0.002), paternity (0.000) and identity (0.000). As a result, this new suit of microsatellite markers would be a very informative tool for the genetic and conservation studies of giant pandas.     

Vocal cues to male androgen levels in giant pandas

Little is known about the potential of non-human mammal vocalizations to signal information on the hormonal status of the caller. In the current study, we used endocrine data and acoustic analyses to determine whether male giant panda bleats provide reliable information about the caller''s current androgen levels. Our results revealed significant relationships between acoustic features of male giant panda bleats and the caller''s faecal androgen metabolite concentrations. To our knowledge, this constitutes the first demonstration that the acoustic structure of a non-human mammal call has the potential to yield information about the caller''s current androgen levels. We go on to discuss the anatomical basis for our findings and the potential functional relevance of signalling information on male androgen levels in giant panda sexual communication.     

Semen evaluation of giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) at the Wolong Reserve

Semen from 4 wild-caught giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) held at the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda was collected (22 samples during 1991–1993) by electroejaculation, and evaluated for use in artificial insemination. Semen characteristics (mean ± SD) recorded were as follows: semen volume–1.5 ± .9 ml (range—0.3–3.5); sperm density 1.5 ± 0.1 × 10⁹/ml (range—0.24–4.2); motility 79 ± 10% (range—60–95); abnormal sperm 14 ± 5% (range—10–27); and pH 7.1 ± 0.2 (range—6.7–7.5). There were significant differences from year to year (P < 0.05) in semen volume collected and in the percentage abnormal sperm in 1993 compared to other years. There were no significant differences among semen produced from the four different pandas. Data collected were similar to reports for other giant pandas, and semen from all 4 giant pandas was considered suitable for use in artificial insemination. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

野化培训大熊猫的生境利用和空间格局

了解动物栖息地和空间利用模式是开展野生动物放归自然的重要前提。为明确野化培训大熊猫Ailuropoda melanoleuca)在野外环境中生境利用特征和空间格局,本文以2只野化培训大熊猫为研究对象,基于其野外GPS项圈数据,通过数字高程模型(DEM)、动物移动模块等工具分析其在野外环境中栖息地利用状况。结果表明:随着在野外环境时间的增加,2只大熊猫由低海拔西南坡的阔叶林逐渐向高海拔南坡针阔混交林区域移动,且坡度利用也存在明显的差异,但均偏向在17°～20°的平缓区域活动。在野外环境的最初一个月,2只大熊猫平均日移动距离较大,之后逐渐减小并趋于稳定。2只野化培训大熊猫在野外环境初期,活动区域大小随时间的变化而呈现出无规律的变化趋势,活动区域主要集中在3～4个栖息地斑块,且斑块间面积和距离各异。因此,认为野化培训大熊猫在野外栖息地环境初期属于不稳定的随机选择模式。     

甘肃白水江国家级自然保护区林缘社区饲养犬只对大熊猫时空节律的影响

人类对于野生动物的影响复杂多样, 其中家养动物所产生的干扰往往被忽视, 例如保护区林缘社区饲养的家犬。半散放的家犬(Canis familiaris)进入野生动物栖息地, 对保护区内以大熊猫(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)为代表的野生动物可能产生重要影响。为明确家犬进入林区活动范围对大熊猫的影响, 本研究采用红外相机技术和GPS项圈无线追踪技术对甘肃白水江国家级自然保护区内家犬对大熊猫潜在栖息地范围和时间节律的影响进行研究, 利用MaxEnt模型对家犬活动范围及大熊猫潜在栖息地进行预测。结果表明: 甘肃白水江国家级自然保护区内大熊猫潜在栖息地面积为885.8 km², 约占保护区总面积的48.2%; 家犬活动面积为861.2 km², 约占保护区总面积的47.6%。家犬活动范围与大熊猫潜在栖息地重叠的面积约占保护区面积的28.2%, 且多集中在低海拔的常绿阔叶林。大熊猫在有家犬出现的位点和没有家犬出现的位点日活动节律具有显著差异。本研究揭示了家犬进入林区对大熊猫栖息地潜在影响的空间范围, 为保护区开展生物多样性管理提供了关键信息, 对于其他保护区具有借鉴意义。