The giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)is recognized worldwide as an icon for wildlife conservation.Since the introduction in 1992 of reliable methods for artificial insemination,the population of captive pandas has g...The giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)is recognized worldwide as an icon for wildlife conservation.Since the introduction in 1992 of reliable methods for artificial insemination,the population of captive pandas has grown to approximately 350 individuals in 2013.However,ca ptive panda populations are harmed by environmental pollution,diseases trans-mitted from domestic animals,and other anthropologenic activities.Although the Chinese government has proposed the creation of a Giant Panda National Park,there are at least three reasons that suggest that it is premature to reintroduce captive pandas into this proposed national park.First,habitat fragmentation remains the greatest threat to survival of giant pandas;second,most captive pandas are hybrids of the Sichuan and Qinling subspecies and release of hybrids may lead to further introgression between the two subspecies;and third,captive pandas may be competitively inferior to wild pandas in the region,and may not survive fights for food or mates.As an alternative,we suggest establishing a special con-servation zone in the Shennongjia National Nature Reserve for wild training of captive pandas prior to their reintroduction into the National Park.展开更多
Pollution and climate change are among the most challenging issues for countries with developing economies,but we know little about the ecological risks that result when these pressures occur together.We explored dire...Pollution and climate change are among the most challenging issues for countries with developing economies,but we know little about the ecological risks that result when these pressures occur together.We explored direct effects of,and interactions between,environmental pollution and climate change on ecosystem health in the Bohai Sea region of Northern China.We developed an integrated approach to assess ecological risks to this region under four scenarios of climate change.Although ecological risks to the system from pollution alone have been declining,interactions between pollution and climate change have enhanced ecological risks to this coastal/marine ecosystem.Our results suggest that current policies focused strictly on pollution control alone should be changed to take into account the interactive effects of climate change so as to better forecast and manage potential ecological risks.展开更多
文摘The giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)is recognized worldwide as an icon for wildlife conservation.Since the introduction in 1992 of reliable methods for artificial insemination,the population of captive pandas has grown to approximately 350 individuals in 2013.However,ca ptive panda populations are harmed by environmental pollution,diseases trans-mitted from domestic animals,and other anthropologenic activities.Although the Chinese government has proposed the creation of a Giant Panda National Park,there are at least three reasons that suggest that it is premature to reintroduce captive pandas into this proposed national park.First,habitat fragmentation remains the greatest threat to survival of giant pandas;second,most captive pandas are hybrids of the Sichuan and Qinling subspecies and release of hybrids may lead to further introgression between the two subspecies;and third,captive pandas may be competitively inferior to wild pandas in the region,and may not survive fights for food or mates.As an alternative,we suggest establishing a special con-servation zone in the Shennongjia National Nature Reserve for wild training of captive pandas prior to their reintroduction into the National Park.
基金This study was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(2017YFC0505704)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41420104004 and No.71761147001)+1 种基金the Key Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.KFZD-SW-322)the Key Technology R&D Program of Tianjin(16YFXTSF00380).
文摘Pollution and climate change are among the most challenging issues for countries with developing economies,but we know little about the ecological risks that result when these pressures occur together.We explored direct effects of,and interactions between,environmental pollution and climate change on ecosystem health in the Bohai Sea region of Northern China.We developed an integrated approach to assess ecological risks to this region under four scenarios of climate change.Although ecological risks to the system from pollution alone have been declining,interactions between pollution and climate change have enhanced ecological risks to this coastal/marine ecosystem.Our results suggest that current policies focused strictly on pollution control alone should be changed to take into account the interactive effects of climate change so as to better forecast and manage potential ecological risks.
