Disturbances caused by livestock grazing are considered as a key attributable factor for the habitat loss of red panda. The present study was carried out in Eastern Nepal mainly focusing on the habitat preferences of ...Disturbances caused by livestock grazing are considered as a key attributable factor for the habitat loss of red panda. The present study was carried out in Eastern Nepal mainly focusing on the habitat preferences of red panda and impacts of livestock grazing on it. In total, 15 linear transects were delineated at an elevation interval of 100 m assessing indirect signs of red panda and livestock. Habitat preferences of red panda, vegetation abundance, coverage percentage of vegetation layers (canopy and shrub layer) and distance to water source were recorded using randomly plotted 58 quadrats of 10 m × 10 m. Questionnaire survey and Key Informant Interviews were carried out to evaluate the perception of local community on conservation threats and importance of red panda conservation. Jaccard’s similarity index was used to determine the spatial habitat overlap of livestock and red panda. Litsea elongata, Lithocarpus pachyphylla and Rhododendron falconeri were the most common species in the study area. Grazing signs were observed from 51% of red panda habitats in the study area. Livestock herding has induced negative impacts on the habitat of red panda inside the community forests. The study findings will extend the existing body of knowledge regarding the status of red panda in Eastern Himalayas. In addition, this research will help in the formulation of effective legal and strategic framework of sustainable grazing management.展开更多
Reliable and sufficient information regarding status, distribution and habitat preference of red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) is lacking in Nepal. The research activities on red panda in the mid-western Nepal are v...Reliable and sufficient information regarding status, distribution and habitat preference of red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) is lacking in Nepal. The research activities on red panda in the mid-western Nepal are very limited, so the status of red panda in the region is quite unknown. The study conducted during May, 2013 in three Village Development Committees (VDCs) namely Godhemahadev, Malikathata and Tamti of Jumla district was an important step for providing vital information including distribution and habitat preference of this species. The study included the reconnaissance, key informants survey, interviews and consultation for the most potential area identification, opportunistic survey comprising the direct observation and indirect sign count method for the presence and distribution, habitat assessment consisting vegetation sampling and ocular estimation. The study revealed the presence of red panda in three forests namely Bahirepatan, Imilchadamar and Tyakot of Godhemahadev, Tamti and Malikathata VDCs respectively. The species was found distributed between 2880 and 3244 m with an average dropping encounter rate of 1.04 per hour of searching effort and 12 pellets per dropping. Red panda mostly preferred the habitat in the elevation range of 2900 - 3000 m with southwest facing steep slopes (36? - 45?), associated with water sources at the distance of ≤100 m. Trees such as Acer spp., Betula utilis and Quercus semecarpifolia, shrub species of Elaeagnus parvifolia, Drepanostachyum spp. and Jasminum humile, and the herbs like Polygonatum cirrhifolium, Fragaria nubicola and Galium asperifolium were found to be the most preferred species by red panda. The red panda preferred the habitat with dense crown coverage (>20% - 100%) and 31% - 50% ground cover. Fallen logs (39%) were the most preferred substrate used for defecation.展开更多
Taste 2 receptors(TAS2R)mediate bitterness perception in mammals,thus are called bitter taste receptors.It is believed that these genes evolved in response to species-specific diets.The giant panda(Ailuropoda melanole...Taste 2 receptors(TAS2R)mediate bitterness perception in mammals,thus are called bitter taste receptors.It is believed that these genes evolved in response to species-specific diets.The giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)and red panda(Ailurus fulgens styani)in the order Carnivora are specialized herbivores with an almost exclusive bamboo diet(>90%bamboo).Because bamboo is full of bitter tasting compounds,we hypothesized that adaptive evolution has occurred at TAS2R genes in giant and red pandas throughout the course of their dietary shift.Here,we characterized 195 TAS2R genes in 9 Carnivora species and examined selective pressures on these genes.We found that both pandas harbor more putative functional TAS2R genes than other carnivores,and pseudogenized TAS2R genes in the giant panda are different from the red panda.The purifying selection on TAS2R1,TAS2R9 and TAS2R38 in the giant panda,and TAS2R62 in the red panda,has been strengthened throughout the course of adaptation to bamboo diet,while selective constraint on TAS2R4 and TAS2R38 in the red panda is relaxed.Remarkably,a few positively selected sites on TAS2R42 have been specifically detected in the giant panda.These results suggest an adaptive response in both pandas to a dietary shift from carnivory to herbivory,and TAS2R genes evolved independently in the 2 pandas.Our findings provide new insight into the molecular basis of mammalian sensory evolution and the process of adaptation to new ecological niches.展开更多
In order to investigate the change of reproductive behaviors and understand reproductive strategies of both male and female red pandas, one-year behavioral observation was conducted through the focal sampling method i...In order to investigate the change of reproductive behaviors and understand reproductive strategies of both male and female red pandas, one-year behavioral observation was conducted through the focal sampling method in the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding from December 1999 to November 2000. Our results indicated that reproductive behaviors showed significant differences between the estrous and non-estrous seasons. Frequencies of the rubbing anogenital, sniffing and licking marking were much higher in estrus than in non-estrus. Bleating only appeared in the estrus and can be regarded as an estrous indicator. The result also demonstrated that both male and females applied different reproductive behavioral strategies. Frequencies of activity, rubbing anogenital, licking and sniffing marking, and bleat were much higher in the male than in the female. However, those of resting and investigating were much lower in the male than in the female. This indicated that the male was more active than the female during the estrus and might imply that the male acts mainly as an estrous message sender, and the female as a message receiver in the estrous season.展开更多
文摘Disturbances caused by livestock grazing are considered as a key attributable factor for the habitat loss of red panda. The present study was carried out in Eastern Nepal mainly focusing on the habitat preferences of red panda and impacts of livestock grazing on it. In total, 15 linear transects were delineated at an elevation interval of 100 m assessing indirect signs of red panda and livestock. Habitat preferences of red panda, vegetation abundance, coverage percentage of vegetation layers (canopy and shrub layer) and distance to water source were recorded using randomly plotted 58 quadrats of 10 m × 10 m. Questionnaire survey and Key Informant Interviews were carried out to evaluate the perception of local community on conservation threats and importance of red panda conservation. Jaccard’s similarity index was used to determine the spatial habitat overlap of livestock and red panda. Litsea elongata, Lithocarpus pachyphylla and Rhododendron falconeri were the most common species in the study area. Grazing signs were observed from 51% of red panda habitats in the study area. Livestock herding has induced negative impacts on the habitat of red panda inside the community forests. The study findings will extend the existing body of knowledge regarding the status of red panda in Eastern Himalayas. In addition, this research will help in the formulation of effective legal and strategic framework of sustainable grazing management.
文摘Reliable and sufficient information regarding status, distribution and habitat preference of red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) is lacking in Nepal. The research activities on red panda in the mid-western Nepal are very limited, so the status of red panda in the region is quite unknown. The study conducted during May, 2013 in three Village Development Committees (VDCs) namely Godhemahadev, Malikathata and Tamti of Jumla district was an important step for providing vital information including distribution and habitat preference of this species. The study included the reconnaissance, key informants survey, interviews and consultation for the most potential area identification, opportunistic survey comprising the direct observation and indirect sign count method for the presence and distribution, habitat assessment consisting vegetation sampling and ocular estimation. The study revealed the presence of red panda in three forests namely Bahirepatan, Imilchadamar and Tyakot of Godhemahadev, Tamti and Malikathata VDCs respectively. The species was found distributed between 2880 and 3244 m with an average dropping encounter rate of 1.04 per hour of searching effort and 12 pellets per dropping. Red panda mostly preferred the habitat in the elevation range of 2900 - 3000 m with southwest facing steep slopes (36? - 45?), associated with water sources at the distance of ≤100 m. Trees such as Acer spp., Betula utilis and Quercus semecarpifolia, shrub species of Elaeagnus parvifolia, Drepanostachyum spp. and Jasminum humile, and the herbs like Polygonatum cirrhifolium, Fragaria nubicola and Galium asperifolium were found to be the most preferred species by red panda. The red panda preferred the habitat with dense crown coverage (>20% - 100%) and 31% - 50% ground cover. Fallen logs (39%) were the most preferred substrate used for defecation.
基金Financial support was provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC,31670386 and 31300303)the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Foundation(CPF2012-11).
文摘Taste 2 receptors(TAS2R)mediate bitterness perception in mammals,thus are called bitter taste receptors.It is believed that these genes evolved in response to species-specific diets.The giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)and red panda(Ailurus fulgens styani)in the order Carnivora are specialized herbivores with an almost exclusive bamboo diet(>90%bamboo).Because bamboo is full of bitter tasting compounds,we hypothesized that adaptive evolution has occurred at TAS2R genes in giant and red pandas throughout the course of their dietary shift.Here,we characterized 195 TAS2R genes in 9 Carnivora species and examined selective pressures on these genes.We found that both pandas harbor more putative functional TAS2R genes than other carnivores,and pseudogenized TAS2R genes in the giant panda are different from the red panda.The purifying selection on TAS2R1,TAS2R9 and TAS2R38 in the giant panda,and TAS2R62 in the red panda,has been strengthened throughout the course of adaptation to bamboo diet,while selective constraint on TAS2R4 and TAS2R38 in the red panda is relaxed.Remarkably,a few positively selected sites on TAS2R42 have been specifically detected in the giant panda.These results suggest an adaptive response in both pandas to a dietary shift from carnivory to herbivory,and TAS2R genes evolved independently in the 2 pandas.Our findings provide new insight into the molecular basis of mammalian sensory evolution and the process of adaptation to new ecological niches.
文摘In order to investigate the change of reproductive behaviors and understand reproductive strategies of both male and female red pandas, one-year behavioral observation was conducted through the focal sampling method in the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding from December 1999 to November 2000. Our results indicated that reproductive behaviors showed significant differences between the estrous and non-estrous seasons. Frequencies of the rubbing anogenital, sniffing and licking marking were much higher in estrus than in non-estrus. Bleating only appeared in the estrus and can be regarded as an estrous indicator. The result also demonstrated that both male and females applied different reproductive behavioral strategies. Frequencies of activity, rubbing anogenital, licking and sniffing marking, and bleat were much higher in the male than in the female. However, those of resting and investigating were much lower in the male than in the female. This indicated that the male was more active than the female during the estrus and might imply that the male acts mainly as an estrous message sender, and the female as a message receiver in the estrous season.
