A critical function of animal movement is to maximize access to essential resources in temporally fluctuating and spatially heterogeneous environments.Seasonally mediated resource fluctuations may influence animal mov...A critical function of animal movement is to maximize access to essential resources in temporally fluctuating and spatially heterogeneous environments.Seasonally mediated resource fluctuations may influence animal movements,enabling them to track changing resource distributions,resulting in annual migration patterns.The conservation-dependent giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca) displays seasonal movement patterns;however,the key factor driving these seasonal migration patterns remains poorly understood.Here,we used GPS tracking collars to monitor the movements of six giant pandas over a 12-year period across different elevations,and performed statistical analysis of seasonal migration directions,routes,habitat revisitation,home range overlap,first arrival events,and stability.Our results revealed a compelling pattern of seasonal migrations that facilitated the ability of the pandas to forage at the appropriate time and place to maximize nutritional intake.Our results indicated that pandas utilize spatial memory to locate reliable food resources,as evidenced by their annual return to the same or similar winter and summer home ranges and the consistently maintained percentage of home range overlap.These novel insights into giant panda foraging and movement ecology not only enhance our understanding of its ability to adapt to nutritionally poor dietary resources but also provide important information for the development of resource utilization-based protection and management strategies.展开更多
Animals that live in seasonal environments adjust their reproduction cycle to optimize seasonal forage quality.Giant pandas(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)are seasonal altitudinal migrants that feed on bamboo shoots and leave...Animals that live in seasonal environments adjust their reproduction cycle to optimize seasonal forage quality.Giant pandas(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)are seasonal altitudinal migrants that feed on bamboo shoots and leaves with different nutritional quality.However,the importance of bamboo shoots to giant pandas,especially small and isolated populations,is not fully appreciated.Here,we explored whether mating time of giant pandas is shaped by bamboo shoot phenology.We also assessed the intensity of ongoing bamboo shoot harvesting by local communities in 42 giant panda reserves based on questionnaire surveys.Varying intensity and protection levels of bamboo shoot harvesting were found.From these data,we developed a priority ranking scheme of protection areas for this key food resource.Our study showed that pandas time their mating behavior to coincide with bamboo shoot phenology due to the high nutritional demands associated with mating and pregnancy.We also found that bamboo shoots were not well protected in many places.Liangshan,Daxiangling,and Xiaoxiangling,containing the most isolated panda populations,were identified as the areas with the most urgent need of protection.Furthermore,equal attention should be paid to the Qiong L-B population,as this region holds considerable potential to serve as a corridor between the Minshan and Qionglai populations.To address the challenges posed by bamboo shoot harvesting,we recommend establishing more practical bamboo shoot management policies,increasing public awareness of bamboo shoot protection,and providing alternative sources of income for local communities.展开更多
Massive geological landslides and unstable landslide areas were triggered by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. These landslides caused deaths, damaged infrastructure and threatened endanger species. This study analyzed th...Massive geological landslides and unstable landslide areas were triggered by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. These landslides caused deaths, damaged infrastructure and threatened endanger species. This study analyzed the impact of landslides on giant pandas and their habitats from the following aspects: threatening pandas‘ lives, damaging pandas‘ habitat, influencing giant panda behavior, increasing habitat fragmentation; the final aspect, and blocking gene flow by cutting off corridors. A habitat suitability map was created by integrating the landslide factors with other traditional factors based on a logistics regression method. According to the landslide inventory map, there are 1313 landslides, 818 rock debris flows, 117 rock avalanches and 43 mud flows occurred in the study area. A correlation analysis indicated that landslides caused the pandas to migrate, and the core landslides within 1 km2 had greater influence on panda migration. These core landslides primarily occurred in mid-altitude regionscharacterized by high slopes, old geological ages, large areas and large rock mass volumes. The habitat suitability assessment results for the Wolong Natural Reserve had better prediction performance(80.9%) and demonstrated that 14.5%, 15.9%, 20.5%, 47.6% and 1.5% of the study area can be classified as very high, high, moderate, low and very low giant panda suitability areas, respectively. This study can be used to inform panda and panda habitat research, management and protection during post-quake reconstruction and recovery periods in China.展开更多
Population viability analysis(PVA)is a tool to evaluate the risk of extinction for endangered species and aid conservation decision-making.The quality of PVA output is dependent on parameters related to population dyn...Population viability analysis(PVA)is a tool to evaluate the risk of extinction for endangered species and aid conservation decision-making.The quality of PVA output is dependent on parameters related to population dynamics and life-history;however,it has been difficult to collect this information for the giant panda(Aliuropoda melanoleuca),a rare and endangered mammal native to China,confined to some 30 fragmented habitat patches.Since giant pandas are long-lived,mature late,have lower reproductive rates,and show little sexual dimorphism,obtaining data to perform adequate PVA has been difficult.Here,we develop a parameter sensitivity index by modeling the dynamics of six giant panda populations in the Minshan Mountains,in order to determine the parameters most influential to giant panda populations.Our data shows that the giant panda populations are most sensitive to changes in four female parameters:initial breeding age,reproductive rate,mortality rate between age 0 and 1,and mortality rate of adults.The parameter sensitivity index strongly correlated with initial population size,as smaller populations were more sensitive to changes in these four variables.This model suggests that demographic parameters of females have more influence on the results of PVA,indicating that females may play a more important role in giant panda population dynamics than males.Consequently,reintroduction of female individuals to a small giant panda population should be a high priority for conservation efforts.Our findings form a technical basis for the coming program of giant panda reintroduction,and inform which parameters are crucial to successfully and feasibly monitoring wild giant panda populations.展开更多
It is widely believed that various animal species can sense and respond to the geophysical stimuli that precede earthquakes,especially electromagnetic fields,although supporting field evidence is mostly anecdotal.Here...It is widely believed that various animal species can sense and respond to the geophysical stimuli that precede earthquakes,especially electromagnetic fields,although supporting field evidence is mostly anecdotal.Here we report on the reactions of four female giant pandas under observation over the three days prior to the Lushan(30.1°N,103.0°E)magnitude 7.0 earthquake that occurred in Sichuan province,China,on April 20,2013.We observed no significant generalized behavioral anomalies indicative of them perceiving an impending earthquake.We also observed no startle behaviors in the 5 s prior to tremors commencing,indicating that these pandas either did not detect or did not respond to precursor P-waves.Our findings suggest that although giant pandas have evolved in,and continue to occupy exclusively,a seismically active range in central China,they do not appear to perceive pre-earthquake geophysical warning signs.展开更多
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC)is a highly malignant cancer of the digestive system common among humans.However,it is rarely reported in wild animals.In 2018,a giant panda died in the Beijing Zoo.During subsequ...Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC)is a highly malignant cancer of the digestive system common among humans.However,it is rarely reported in wild animals.In 2018,a giant panda died in the Beijing Zoo.During subsequent histological observation of the pancreas,it was discovered that the glandular epithelial cells had lost the pancreatic acinar structure,tubular areas with obvious structure in the pancreas,and the ductal epithelium was substituted by high columnar mucus cells.Masson staining showed that there were several fibrous tissue proliferative reactions around the ductal adenocarcinoma and immunohistochemical staining revealed that CK7 and CK19 were positively expressed in the pancreatic tissue.Therefore,the pathological diagnosis indicated that the panda had PDAC.In this paper,the panda’s living conditions and pathological diagnosis results are examined,with the aim of providing a reference point for the future diagnosis of wild animal tumors.展开更多
The habitat of giant pandas borders the living areas of farmers in surrounding communities. Due to the low level of economic development and resource used method, the life of community farmers depends on the natural r...The habitat of giant pandas borders the living areas of farmers in surrounding communities. Due to the low level of economic development and resource used method, the life of community farmers depends on the natural resources of the habitat of giant pandas. Analyzing the natural resource utilization of farmers in communities around the habitat of giant pandas is conducive to formulating more reasonable management policies and protecting the habitat of giant pandas more effectively. Based on the field survey data, this paper classifies the main ways of community farmers using the natural resources of the habitat of giant pandas, counts the quantity of resources used and analyzes their change trends. On this basis, this paper selects indicators, constructs a model and analyzes the main influencing factors affecting the natural resources utilization of community farmers from three aspects: the individual characteristics of household heads, the family characteristics of community farmers and the residence characteristics of community farmers.展开更多
The Wenchuan Earthquake that occurred in May of 2008 caused damages to large areas of Sichuan,Gansu,and Shaanxi provinces in China.Reports from local governments and related management agencies show that the giant pan...The Wenchuan Earthquake that occurred in May of 2008 caused damages to large areas of Sichuan,Gansu,and Shaanxi provinces in China.Reports from local governments and related management agencies show that the giant panda nature reserves in the earthquake-hit areas were heavily damaged.Our estimates in this paper of the impacts of the earthquake on the giant panda in the earthquake-hit areas were made based on the interpretation of remote sensing images and information collected by field survey.A rapid assessment method was designed to estimate the damages of the earthquake on giant panda habitats.By using visual interpretation methods,we decoded the remote sensing images of the disaster area in the 49 giant panda nature reserves.Research results showed that the Wenchuan Earthquake and the succeeding secondary geological disasters caused great damages to the giant panda nature reserves and disturbed the normal life of the giant pandas there (e.g.,landscape fragmentation increased significantly).Undoubtedly,the life of the giant pandas there was affected.However,although the earthquake caused certain impacts on the giant pandas,it did not really threat their survival.Even so,we still strongly advocate for protection of the giant pandas,and have prioritized a couple of measures to be taken to restore the giant panda nature reserves in the earthquake-hit areas.展开更多
The general aim of this study is to find the relationship between the panda distribution and human activities. Comparison of the potential panda habitat and the real panda distribution shows a difference between them....The general aim of this study is to find the relationship between the panda distribution and human activities. Comparison of the potential panda habitat and the real panda distribution shows a difference between them. Seven human activities were identified and analyzed. They are settlements, farming, road construction, firewood collection, timber production, mining and Chinese medicinal plant collection. The spatial distributions of these activities were characterized. The analysis of their spatial distributions and the pandas’ habitat and distribution revealed that there is a relation existing between the human activities and the panda distribution, and the Giant Pandas have disappeared from the areas where the human activities are concentrated. GIS is the main tool used in this study to collect, store, retrieve, transform and present the spatial data of human activities and panda habitat and distribution in Wolong Nature Reserve.展开更多
Many nature reserves are established to protect the habitat needs of particular endangered species of interest but their effectiveness for protecting other species is questionable.In this study,this effectiveness was ...Many nature reserves are established to protect the habitat needs of particular endangered species of interest but their effectiveness for protecting other species is questionable.In this study,this effectiveness was evaluated in a nature reserve network located in the Qinling Mountains,Shaanxi Province,China.The network of reserves was established mainly for the conservation of the giant panda,a species considered as a surrogate for the conservation of many other endangered species in the region.The habitat suitability of nine protected species,including the giant panda,was modeled by using Maximum Entropy(MAXENT)and their spatial congruence was analyzed.Habitat suitability of these species was also overlapped with nature reserve boundaries and their management zones(i.e.,core,buffer and experimental zones).Results show that in general the habitat of the giant panda constitutes a reasonable surrogate of the habitat of other protected species,and giant panda reserves protect a relatively high proportion of the habitat of other protected species.Therefore,giant panda habitat conservation also allows the conservation of the habitat of other protected species in the region.However,a large area of suitable habitat was excluded from the nature reserve network.In addition,four species exhibited a low proportion of highly suitable habitat inside the core zones of nature reserves.It suggests that a high proportion of suitable habitat of protected species not targeted for conservation is located in the experimental and buffer zones,thus,is being affected by human activities.To increase their conservation effectiveness,nature reserves and their management zones need to be re-examined in order to include suitable habitat of more endangered species.The procedures described in this study can be easily implemented for the conservation of many endangered species not only in China but in many other parts of the world.展开更多
In this study,we used remotely sensed data,GIS modeling,and statistical methods to evaluate the damage caused by the Wenchuan Earthquake (May 12,2008) to the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) habitat in the World N...In this study,we used remotely sensed data,GIS modeling,and statistical methods to evaluate the damage caused by the Wenchuan Earthquake (May 12,2008) to the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) habitat in the World Nature Heritage Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuary (WHSGPS) in China.A landscape ecological analysis found increases of landscape heterogeneity,complexity,and fragmentation in the giant panda habitat after the earthquake.A terrain analysis found that slope and elevation are directly associated with the distribution of the damaged areas.As slope and elevation increase,the size of the damaged area keeps increase until to a peak,and then starts to drop.The total area of the damaged vegetation in our study area is 114.26 km 2,accounting for 3.78% of the study area;30.46% of that 114.26 km 2 is located in the Core Zone of WHSGPS.There are 18.57km 2 of the damaged vegetation located in the identified suitable giant panda habitat,accounting for 1.75% of the total area of suitable giant panda habitats in the study area.Based on these findings,we conclude that the Wenchuan Earthquake does not have significant impact on the WHSGPS as a whole.展开更多
Population viability analysis(PVA) is a tool to evaluate the risk of extinction for endangered species and aid conservation decision-making.The quality of PVA output is dependent on parameters related to population dy...Population viability analysis(PVA) is a tool to evaluate the risk of extinction for endangered species and aid conservation decision-making.The quality of PVA output is dependent on parameters related to population dynamics and life-history;however,it has been difficult to collect this information for the giant panda(Aliuropoda melanoleuca),a rare and endangered mammal native to China,confined to some 30 fragmented habitat patches.Since giant pandas are long-lived,mature late,have lower reproductive rates,and show little sexual dimorphism,obtaining data to perform adequate PVA has been difficult.Here,we develop a parameter sensitivity index by modeling the dynamics of six giant panda populations in the Minshan Mountains,in order to determine the parameters most influential to giant panda populations.Our data shows that the giant panda populations are most sensitive to changes in four female parameters:initial breeding age,reproductive rate,mortality rate between age 0 and 1,and mortality rate of adults.The parameter sensitivity index strongly correlated with initial population size,as smaller populations were more sensitive to changes in these four variables.This model suggests that demographic parameters of females have more influence on the results of PVA,indicating that females may play a more important role in giant panda population dynamics than males.Consequently,reintroduction of female individuals to a small giant panda population should be a high priority for conservation efforts.Our findings form a technical basis for the coming program of giant panda reintroduction,and inform which parameters are crucial to successfully and feasibly monitoring wild giant panda populations.展开更多
Arundinaria spanostachya is the main bamboo species on which giant pandas forage.Information on its regeneration capacity to meet the foraging demands of pandas is important to ensure the long-term survival of pandas....Arundinaria spanostachya is the main bamboo species on which giant pandas forage.Information on its regeneration capacity to meet the foraging demands of pandas is important to ensure the long-term survival of pandas.In 2014,2 plot types(grazed versus control)were selected in the winter habitat used by one wild giant panda.Various morphological and regeneration characteristics of the bamboo were assessed in the respective plots during 2014 and 2015.The panda avoided feeding on bamboo with a basal diameter of<6 mm,preferentially feeding on intermediate-sized bamboo.The density of new shoots and the recruitment rate of shoots were significantly higher in the grazed plots compared to the control plots.The annual recruitment rate of shoots was markedly higher than the annual mortality rate in the same plot type.After grazing,the basal diameter and height of new bamboo were similar between the 2 plots.In the grazed plots,the basal diameter of new bamboo was similar to that of the stumps.Innutrition and foraging by insects were the main factors influencing the survival of new shoots.Our results showed that grazing by giant pandas helped the clonal regeneration of A.spanostachya populations,with the basal diameter of new bamboo shoots meeting the foraging demand of pandas.However,information on the carrying capacity of A.spanostachya is necessary to ensure sufficient forage matter is available for reintroduced giant pandas.Furthermore,fertilization and insect control measures should be implemented during the shooting period to optimize A.spanostachya resources.展开更多
With the accelerated urbanization,human activities pose serious threats to species because of fragmentation.Planning conservation corridors between habitats could improve species mobility in order to address the human...With the accelerated urbanization,human activities pose serious threats to species because of fragmentation.Planning conservation corridors between habitats could improve species mobility in order to address the human disturbance.However,there are a limited number of studies that focus on assessing the effect of human activities on species movement in mountain areas as well as how to integrate different conservation models relating to conservation corridors identification.In our study,we modified the resistance model and took land use data as input parameters to quantify the impacts of human activities in mountain areas.Meanwhile,different conservation planning models,including Circuit model and Least Cost Path(LCP)algorithm,were integrated.Moreover,our approach was applied to identify giant panda corridors in Miarro nature reserve,Caopo nature reserve,and Wolong nature reserve.The results suggested that the impacts of human activities were limited in valley regions due to topography by resistance model.Secondly,Circuit model demonstrated that the conservation corridors for giant panda could not be identified between the Miarro and the Caopo nature reserves.Additionally,more detailed corridors between habitats were planned by the LCP algorithm.Furthermore,we also identified bottlenecks for migration in each corridor,indicating that human activities’interference was the primary cause.Our approach not only could connect habitats for conservation in mountain areas but also found out that the corridor could not be identified between habitats.展开更多
Statistical analysis of certain major diseases Jethal to the animal was carried out through on-spot investigations and consultations to related documentary materials. The resufts show that the first serious lethal fac...Statistical analysis of certain major diseases Jethal to the animal was carried out through on-spot investigations and consultations to related documentary materials. The resufts show that the first serious lethal factor is digestive system diseases. Next comes malnutrition and organic exhaustion. In order of decremental percentages, other diseases are roundworm disease, epilepsy, toxicosis, pneumonia, tumor, pericarditis, etc. In relation to 54 wild giant pandas taken for statistics, the death of malnutrition, organic exhaustion caused accounts for 42.78%. In order of reducing percentages, other diseases are roundworm disease, toxicosis. epilepsy, etc..Based on the statistics of 22 penned giant pandas, the death out of the digestive system diseases comes first,accounting for 63.64%. Other diseases nil order of decremental proportion are epilepsy, organic exhaustion, etc.,Gastroenteric hemorrhage is one of the highest mortality in digestive system diseases. the next comes orderly roundworm disease, hemorrhage, gatroenteritis and intestinal obstruction. The mortality of the sub-adults is the highest, accounting for 64.29%, or 2.6 times as that of the adults, or 7 times as that of the aged giant pandas.Some prevention measures of diseases for Giant pandas were also discussed in this paper.展开更多
Comparative study and analysis were undertaken by the authors on the digestive rate of animal ration’s coarse cellulose in bamboo powder+concentrates and bamboo+concentrates by man-fed Giant pandas at Fuzhou Giant Pa...Comparative study and analysis were undertaken by the authors on the digestive rate of animal ration’s coarse cellulose in bamboo powder+concentrates and bamboo+concentrates by man-fed Giant pandas at Fuzhou Giant Panda Research Center in the attempt to find out effective ways to raise the digestive and absorptive rates of coarse cellulose and to prevent giant panda from intestinal obstruction.The results demonstrate:1,The difference in digestive rate of coarse cellulose between bamboo powder+concentrates and bamboo+concentrates is extremely significant (t= 15.73>t0.01 (4,3)=3. 57). 2.The digestive rate of coarse cellulose in bamboo powder made of different bamboo species is not notably different.(F=2.05<F0.05 (2,8)=4.46) 3. In the experiment group.there exists no notable difference in digestive rate of coarse cellulose of bamboo powder among mdividuals (P<0.01 ). The experiment shows that if giant panda is fed with mechanically ground bamboo combined with concentrates of balanced nutrients,the digestive rate of coarse cellulose in the rations can be favorably increased, thus the effective utilization of bamboo as a line of the animal’s feed and the raising feeding returns can be made more effective.The effects of bamboo powder on Giant pandas digestive organs and digestive physiology,digestive rate of coarse cellulose of different bamboo species.the difference in digestive functions among individual Giant Panda needs further studies.展开更多
To explore the structural characteristic of ribosomal protein S29 (rpS29) gene of Ailuropoda melanoleuca (giant panda), primers were designed based on the known nucleotide sequence of rpS29 genes to clone the cDNA and...To explore the structural characteristic of ribosomal protein S29 (rpS29) gene of Ailuropoda melanoleuca (giant panda), primers were designed based on the known nucleotide sequence of rpS29 genes to clone the cDNA and genomic sequences of this gene from giant panda by RT-PCR and PCR strategy respectively, and then the cloned cDNA and genomic sequences were sequenced and analyzed preliminarily. The results indicated that the cDNA fragment of the rpS29 from the giant panda is 205bp in size in length, containing an open reading frame (ORF) of 171bp, encoding 56 amino acids. The length of the genomic sequence is 1 598 bp, with three exons and two introns. The coding sequence shows a high degree of homology to those of Homo sapiens, Bos taurus, Rattus norvegicus and Mus musculus with 75%, 94.74%, 89.47% and 88.89% respectively, While all the homologies for amino acid sequences are high up to 100%. Primary structure analysis revealed that the molecular weight of the putative rpS29 protein is 6.68 KD, with a theoretical pI of 10.63. Based on topology prediction, there are three distinct types of functional sites in the rpS29 protein of giant panda.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31821001)Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB3100000)。
文摘A critical function of animal movement is to maximize access to essential resources in temporally fluctuating and spatially heterogeneous environments.Seasonally mediated resource fluctuations may influence animal movements,enabling them to track changing resource distributions,resulting in annual migration patterns.The conservation-dependent giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca) displays seasonal movement patterns;however,the key factor driving these seasonal migration patterns remains poorly understood.Here,we used GPS tracking collars to monitor the movements of six giant pandas over a 12-year period across different elevations,and performed statistical analysis of seasonal migration directions,routes,habitat revisitation,home range overlap,first arrival events,and stability.Our results revealed a compelling pattern of seasonal migrations that facilitated the ability of the pandas to forage at the appropriate time and place to maximize nutritional intake.Our results indicated that pandas utilize spatial memory to locate reliable food resources,as evidenced by their annual return to the same or similar winter and summer home ranges and the consistently maintained percentage of home range overlap.These novel insights into giant panda foraging and movement ecology not only enhance our understanding of its ability to adapt to nutritionally poor dietary resources but also provide important information for the development of resource utilization-based protection and management strategies.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32071496,32225033)Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA23080500,QYZDB-SSW-SMC047)。
文摘Animals that live in seasonal environments adjust their reproduction cycle to optimize seasonal forage quality.Giant pandas(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)are seasonal altitudinal migrants that feed on bamboo shoots and leaves with different nutritional quality.However,the importance of bamboo shoots to giant pandas,especially small and isolated populations,is not fully appreciated.Here,we explored whether mating time of giant pandas is shaped by bamboo shoot phenology.We also assessed the intensity of ongoing bamboo shoot harvesting by local communities in 42 giant panda reserves based on questionnaire surveys.Varying intensity and protection levels of bamboo shoot harvesting were found.From these data,we developed a priority ranking scheme of protection areas for this key food resource.Our study showed that pandas time their mating behavior to coincide with bamboo shoot phenology due to the high nutritional demands associated with mating and pregnancy.We also found that bamboo shoots were not well protected in many places.Liangshan,Daxiangling,and Xiaoxiangling,containing the most isolated panda populations,were identified as the areas with the most urgent need of protection.Furthermore,equal attention should be paid to the Qiong L-B population,as this region holds considerable potential to serve as a corridor between the Minshan and Qionglai populations.To address the challenges posed by bamboo shoot harvesting,we recommend establishing more practical bamboo shoot management policies,increasing public awareness of bamboo shoot protection,and providing alternative sources of income for local communities.
基金supported by program of international S&T Cooperation"Fined Earth Observation and Recognition of The Impact of the Global Change of on World Heritage Sites"(Grant No.2013DFG21640)Open Fund of the center for Earth observation and Digital Earth,the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.2013LDE006)
文摘Massive geological landslides and unstable landslide areas were triggered by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. These landslides caused deaths, damaged infrastructure and threatened endanger species. This study analyzed the impact of landslides on giant pandas and their habitats from the following aspects: threatening pandas‘ lives, damaging pandas‘ habitat, influencing giant panda behavior, increasing habitat fragmentation; the final aspect, and blocking gene flow by cutting off corridors. A habitat suitability map was created by integrating the landslide factors with other traditional factors based on a logistics regression method. According to the landslide inventory map, there are 1313 landslides, 818 rock debris flows, 117 rock avalanches and 43 mud flows occurred in the study area. A correlation analysis indicated that landslides caused the pandas to migrate, and the core landslides within 1 km2 had greater influence on panda migration. These core landslides primarily occurred in mid-altitude regionscharacterized by high slopes, old geological ages, large areas and large rock mass volumes. The habitat suitability assessment results for the Wolong Natural Reserve had better prediction performance(80.9%) and demonstrated that 14.5%, 15.9%, 20.5%, 47.6% and 1.5% of the study area can be classified as very high, high, moderate, low and very low giant panda suitability areas, respectively. This study can be used to inform panda and panda habitat research, management and protection during post-quake reconstruction and recovery periods in China.
文摘Population viability analysis(PVA)is a tool to evaluate the risk of extinction for endangered species and aid conservation decision-making.The quality of PVA output is dependent on parameters related to population dynamics and life-history;however,it has been difficult to collect this information for the giant panda(Aliuropoda melanoleuca),a rare and endangered mammal native to China,confined to some 30 fragmented habitat patches.Since giant pandas are long-lived,mature late,have lower reproductive rates,and show little sexual dimorphism,obtaining data to perform adequate PVA has been difficult.Here,we develop a parameter sensitivity index by modeling the dynamics of six giant panda populations in the Minshan Mountains,in order to determine the parameters most influential to giant panda populations.Our data shows that the giant panda populations are most sensitive to changes in four female parameters:initial breeding age,reproductive rate,mortality rate between age 0 and 1,and mortality rate of adults.The parameter sensitivity index strongly correlated with initial population size,as smaller populations were more sensitive to changes in these four variables.This model suggests that demographic parameters of females have more influence on the results of PVA,indicating that females may play a more important role in giant panda population dynamics than males.Consequently,reintroduction of female individuals to a small giant panda population should be a high priority for conservation efforts.Our findings form a technical basis for the coming program of giant panda reintroduction,and inform which parameters are crucial to successfully and feasibly monitoring wild giant panda populations.
基金supported by National Natureal Science Foundation of China(Nos.31172097,31472009 and 31772466)International Collaborative Giant Panda Project(No.2012-018).
文摘It is widely believed that various animal species can sense and respond to the geophysical stimuli that precede earthquakes,especially electromagnetic fields,although supporting field evidence is mostly anecdotal.Here we report on the reactions of four female giant pandas under observation over the three days prior to the Lushan(30.1°N,103.0°E)magnitude 7.0 earthquake that occurred in Sichuan province,China,on April 20,2013.We observed no significant generalized behavioral anomalies indicative of them perceiving an impending earthquake.We also observed no startle behaviors in the 5 s prior to tremors commencing,indicating that these pandas either did not detect or did not respond to precursor P-waves.Our findings suggest that although giant pandas have evolved in,and continue to occupy exclusively,a seismically active range in central China,they do not appear to perceive pre-earthquake geophysical warning signs.
基金Technology project of Beijing municipal administration center of parksGrant/Award Number:zx2021019。
文摘Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma(PDAC)is a highly malignant cancer of the digestive system common among humans.However,it is rarely reported in wild animals.In 2018,a giant panda died in the Beijing Zoo.During subsequent histological observation of the pancreas,it was discovered that the glandular epithelial cells had lost the pancreatic acinar structure,tubular areas with obvious structure in the pancreas,and the ductal epithelium was substituted by high columnar mucus cells.Masson staining showed that there were several fibrous tissue proliferative reactions around the ductal adenocarcinoma and immunohistochemical staining revealed that CK7 and CK19 were positively expressed in the pancreatic tissue.Therefore,the pathological diagnosis indicated that the panda had PDAC.In this paper,the panda’s living conditions and pathological diagnosis results are examined,with the aim of providing a reference point for the future diagnosis of wild animal tumors.
文摘The habitat of giant pandas borders the living areas of farmers in surrounding communities. Due to the low level of economic development and resource used method, the life of community farmers depends on the natural resources of the habitat of giant pandas. Analyzing the natural resource utilization of farmers in communities around the habitat of giant pandas is conducive to formulating more reasonable management policies and protecting the habitat of giant pandas more effectively. Based on the field survey data, this paper classifies the main ways of community farmers using the natural resources of the habitat of giant pandas, counts the quantity of resources used and analyzes their change trends. On this basis, this paper selects indicators, constructs a model and analyzes the main influencing factors affecting the natural resources utilization of community farmers from three aspects: the individual characteristics of household heads, the family characteristics of community farmers and the residence characteristics of community farmers.
基金supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2008BAK47B022008BAC44B04+2 种基金2008BAK50B062008BAC43B012006BAC08B06)
文摘The Wenchuan Earthquake that occurred in May of 2008 caused damages to large areas of Sichuan,Gansu,and Shaanxi provinces in China.Reports from local governments and related management agencies show that the giant panda nature reserves in the earthquake-hit areas were heavily damaged.Our estimates in this paper of the impacts of the earthquake on the giant panda in the earthquake-hit areas were made based on the interpretation of remote sensing images and information collected by field survey.A rapid assessment method was designed to estimate the damages of the earthquake on giant panda habitats.By using visual interpretation methods,we decoded the remote sensing images of the disaster area in the 49 giant panda nature reserves.Research results showed that the Wenchuan Earthquake and the succeeding secondary geological disasters caused great damages to the giant panda nature reserves and disturbed the normal life of the giant pandas there (e.g.,landscape fragmentation increased significantly).Undoubtedly,the life of the giant pandas there was affected.However,although the earthquake caused certain impacts on the giant pandas,it did not really threat their survival.Even so,we still strongly advocate for protection of the giant pandas,and have prioritized a couple of measures to be taken to restore the giant panda nature reserves in the earthquake-hit areas.
文摘The general aim of this study is to find the relationship between the panda distribution and human activities. Comparison of the potential panda habitat and the real panda distribution shows a difference between them. Seven human activities were identified and analyzed. They are settlements, farming, road construction, firewood collection, timber production, mining and Chinese medicinal plant collection. The spatial distributions of these activities were characterized. The analysis of their spatial distributions and the pandas’ habitat and distribution revealed that there is a relation existing between the human activities and the panda distribution, and the Giant Pandas have disappeared from the areas where the human activities are concentrated. GIS is the main tool used in this study to collect, store, retrieve, transform and present the spatial data of human activities and panda habitat and distribution in Wolong Nature Reserve.
基金Under the auspices of National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.40901289)Major State Basic Research Development Program of China(No.2009CB421104),U.S.National Science Foundation
文摘Many nature reserves are established to protect the habitat needs of particular endangered species of interest but their effectiveness for protecting other species is questionable.In this study,this effectiveness was evaluated in a nature reserve network located in the Qinling Mountains,Shaanxi Province,China.The network of reserves was established mainly for the conservation of the giant panda,a species considered as a surrogate for the conservation of many other endangered species in the region.The habitat suitability of nine protected species,including the giant panda,was modeled by using Maximum Entropy(MAXENT)and their spatial congruence was analyzed.Habitat suitability of these species was also overlapped with nature reserve boundaries and their management zones(i.e.,core,buffer and experimental zones).Results show that in general the habitat of the giant panda constitutes a reasonable surrogate of the habitat of other protected species,and giant panda reserves protect a relatively high proportion of the habitat of other protected species.Therefore,giant panda habitat conservation also allows the conservation of the habitat of other protected species in the region.However,a large area of suitable habitat was excluded from the nature reserve network.In addition,four species exhibited a low proportion of highly suitable habitat inside the core zones of nature reserves.It suggests that a high proportion of suitable habitat of protected species not targeted for conservation is located in the experimental and buffer zones,thus,is being affected by human activities.To increase their conservation effectiveness,nature reserves and their management zones need to be re-examined in order to include suitable habitat of more endangered species.The procedures described in this study can be easily implemented for the conservation of many endangered species not only in China but in many other parts of the world.
基金supported by Sichuan Foundation of Excellent Scientists (Grant No.2010JZ0002)the Directional Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No.KZX2-YW-333)
文摘In this study,we used remotely sensed data,GIS modeling,and statistical methods to evaluate the damage caused by the Wenchuan Earthquake (May 12,2008) to the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) habitat in the World Nature Heritage Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuary (WHSGPS) in China.A landscape ecological analysis found increases of landscape heterogeneity,complexity,and fragmentation in the giant panda habitat after the earthquake.A terrain analysis found that slope and elevation are directly associated with the distribution of the damaged areas.As slope and elevation increase,the size of the damaged area keeps increase until to a peak,and then starts to drop.The total area of the damaged vegetation in our study area is 114.26 km 2,accounting for 3.78% of the study area;30.46% of that 114.26 km 2 is located in the Core Zone of WHSGPS.There are 18.57km 2 of the damaged vegetation located in the identified suitable giant panda habitat,accounting for 1.75% of the total area of suitable giant panda habitats in the study area.Based on these findings,we conclude that the Wenchuan Earthquake does not have significant impact on the WHSGPS as a whole.
基金funded by the State Forestry Administration,China
文摘Population viability analysis(PVA) is a tool to evaluate the risk of extinction for endangered species and aid conservation decision-making.The quality of PVA output is dependent on parameters related to population dynamics and life-history;however,it has been difficult to collect this information for the giant panda(Aliuropoda melanoleuca),a rare and endangered mammal native to China,confined to some 30 fragmented habitat patches.Since giant pandas are long-lived,mature late,have lower reproductive rates,and show little sexual dimorphism,obtaining data to perform adequate PVA has been difficult.Here,we develop a parameter sensitivity index by modeling the dynamics of six giant panda populations in the Minshan Mountains,in order to determine the parameters most influential to giant panda populations.Our data shows that the giant panda populations are most sensitive to changes in four female parameters:initial breeding age,reproductive rate,mortality rate between age 0 and 1,and mortality rate of adults.The parameter sensitivity index strongly correlated with initial population size,as smaller populations were more sensitive to changes in these four variables.This model suggests that demographic parameters of females have more influence on the results of PVA,indicating that females may play a more important role in giant panda population dynamics than males.Consequently,reintroduction of female individuals to a small giant panda population should be a high priority for conservation efforts.Our findings form a technical basis for the coming program of giant panda reintroduction,and inform which parameters are crucial to successfully and feasibly monitoring wild giant panda populations.
基金supported by National Natural science Foundation of China(No.31370367)
文摘Arundinaria spanostachya is the main bamboo species on which giant pandas forage.Information on its regeneration capacity to meet the foraging demands of pandas is important to ensure the long-term survival of pandas.In 2014,2 plot types(grazed versus control)were selected in the winter habitat used by one wild giant panda.Various morphological and regeneration characteristics of the bamboo were assessed in the respective plots during 2014 and 2015.The panda avoided feeding on bamboo with a basal diameter of<6 mm,preferentially feeding on intermediate-sized bamboo.The density of new shoots and the recruitment rate of shoots were significantly higher in the grazed plots compared to the control plots.The annual recruitment rate of shoots was markedly higher than the annual mortality rate in the same plot type.After grazing,the basal diameter and height of new bamboo were similar between the 2 plots.In the grazed plots,the basal diameter of new bamboo was similar to that of the stumps.Innutrition and foraging by insects were the main factors influencing the survival of new shoots.Our results showed that grazing by giant pandas helped the clonal regeneration of A.spanostachya populations,with the basal diameter of new bamboo shoots meeting the foraging demand of pandas.However,information on the carrying capacity of A.spanostachya is necessary to ensure sufficient forage matter is available for reintroduced giant pandas.Furthermore,fertilization and insect control measures should be implemented during the shooting period to optimize A.spanostachya resources.
基金funded by National Nature Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41701114)the West Light Foundation of The Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.Y7R280080)the Research on Conservation and Breeding of Plant Diversity in Giant Panda National Park(Grant No.2018SZDZX0035)
文摘With the accelerated urbanization,human activities pose serious threats to species because of fragmentation.Planning conservation corridors between habitats could improve species mobility in order to address the human disturbance.However,there are a limited number of studies that focus on assessing the effect of human activities on species movement in mountain areas as well as how to integrate different conservation models relating to conservation corridors identification.In our study,we modified the resistance model and took land use data as input parameters to quantify the impacts of human activities in mountain areas.Meanwhile,different conservation planning models,including Circuit model and Least Cost Path(LCP)algorithm,were integrated.Moreover,our approach was applied to identify giant panda corridors in Miarro nature reserve,Caopo nature reserve,and Wolong nature reserve.The results suggested that the impacts of human activities were limited in valley regions due to topography by resistance model.Secondly,Circuit model demonstrated that the conservation corridors for giant panda could not be identified between the Miarro and the Caopo nature reserves.Additionally,more detailed corridors between habitats were planned by the LCP algorithm.Furthermore,we also identified bottlenecks for migration in each corridor,indicating that human activities’interference was the primary cause.Our approach not only could connect habitats for conservation in mountain areas but also found out that the corridor could not be identified between habitats.
文摘Statistical analysis of certain major diseases Jethal to the animal was carried out through on-spot investigations and consultations to related documentary materials. The resufts show that the first serious lethal factor is digestive system diseases. Next comes malnutrition and organic exhaustion. In order of decremental percentages, other diseases are roundworm disease, epilepsy, toxicosis, pneumonia, tumor, pericarditis, etc. In relation to 54 wild giant pandas taken for statistics, the death of malnutrition, organic exhaustion caused accounts for 42.78%. In order of reducing percentages, other diseases are roundworm disease, toxicosis. epilepsy, etc..Based on the statistics of 22 penned giant pandas, the death out of the digestive system diseases comes first,accounting for 63.64%. Other diseases nil order of decremental proportion are epilepsy, organic exhaustion, etc.,Gastroenteric hemorrhage is one of the highest mortality in digestive system diseases. the next comes orderly roundworm disease, hemorrhage, gatroenteritis and intestinal obstruction. The mortality of the sub-adults is the highest, accounting for 64.29%, or 2.6 times as that of the adults, or 7 times as that of the aged giant pandas.Some prevention measures of diseases for Giant pandas were also discussed in this paper.
文摘Comparative study and analysis were undertaken by the authors on the digestive rate of animal ration’s coarse cellulose in bamboo powder+concentrates and bamboo+concentrates by man-fed Giant pandas at Fuzhou Giant Panda Research Center in the attempt to find out effective ways to raise the digestive and absorptive rates of coarse cellulose and to prevent giant panda from intestinal obstruction.The results demonstrate:1,The difference in digestive rate of coarse cellulose between bamboo powder+concentrates and bamboo+concentrates is extremely significant (t= 15.73>t0.01 (4,3)=3. 57). 2.The digestive rate of coarse cellulose in bamboo powder made of different bamboo species is not notably different.(F=2.05<F0.05 (2,8)=4.46) 3. In the experiment group.there exists no notable difference in digestive rate of coarse cellulose of bamboo powder among mdividuals (P<0.01 ). The experiment shows that if giant panda is fed with mechanically ground bamboo combined with concentrates of balanced nutrients,the digestive rate of coarse cellulose in the rations can be favorably increased, thus the effective utilization of bamboo as a line of the animal’s feed and the raising feeding returns can be made more effective.The effects of bamboo powder on Giant pandas digestive organs and digestive physiology,digestive rate of coarse cellulose of different bamboo species.the difference in digestive functions among individual Giant Panda needs further studies.
基金financially supported by Application Foundation Project in Sichuan Province(2009JY0061)Youth Fund Project of Educational Committee of Sichuan province(09ZB088)
文摘To explore the structural characteristic of ribosomal protein S29 (rpS29) gene of Ailuropoda melanoleuca (giant panda), primers were designed based on the known nucleotide sequence of rpS29 genes to clone the cDNA and genomic sequences of this gene from giant panda by RT-PCR and PCR strategy respectively, and then the cloned cDNA and genomic sequences were sequenced and analyzed preliminarily. The results indicated that the cDNA fragment of the rpS29 from the giant panda is 205bp in size in length, containing an open reading frame (ORF) of 171bp, encoding 56 amino acids. The length of the genomic sequence is 1 598 bp, with three exons and two introns. The coding sequence shows a high degree of homology to those of Homo sapiens, Bos taurus, Rattus norvegicus and Mus musculus with 75%, 94.74%, 89.47% and 88.89% respectively, While all the homologies for amino acid sequences are high up to 100%. Primary structure analysis revealed that the molecular weight of the putative rpS29 protein is 6.68 KD, with a theoretical pI of 10.63. Based on topology prediction, there are three distinct types of functional sites in the rpS29 protein of giant panda.