Impact of earthquake-induced landslide on the habitat suitability of giant panda in Wolong,China

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.

Seismic sentinel? An analysis of captive giant panda behavior in response to the Lushan earthquake in China

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.

Friend or foe? Using eye-tracking technology to investigate the visual discrimination ability of giant pandas

The role that visual discriminative ability plays among giant pandas in social communication and individual discrimination has received less attention than olfactory and auditory modalities.Here,we used an eye-tracker technology to investigate pupil fixation patterns for 8 captive male giant pandas Ailuropoda melanoleuca.We paired images(N=26)of conspecifics against:1)sympatric predators(gray wolves and tigers),and non-threatening sympatric species(golden pheasant,golden snub-nosed monkey,takin,and red panda),2)conspecifics with atypical fur colora-tion(albino and brown),and 3)zookeepers/non-zookeepers wearing either work uniform or plain clothing.For each session,we tracked the pan-da's pupil movements and measured pupil first fixation point(FFP),fixation latency,total fixation count(TFC),and duration(TFD)of attention to each image.Overall,pandas exhibited similar attention(FFPs and TFCs)to images of predators and non-threatening sympatric species.Images of golden pheasant,snub-nosed monkey,and tiger received less attention(TFD)than images of conspecifics,whereas images of takin and red panda received more attention,suggesting a greater alertness to habitat or food competitors than to potential predators.Pandas'TFCs were greater for images of black-white conspecifics than for albino or brown phenotypes,implying that familiar color elicited more interest.Pandas reacted differently to images of men versus women.For images of women only,pandas gave more attention(TFC)to familiar combinations(uniformed zookeepers and plain-clothed non-zookeepers),consistent with the familiarity hypothesis.That pandas can use visual perception to discriminate intra-specifically and inter-specifically,including details of human appearance,has applications for panda conservation and captive husbandry.

Giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)neonates use broadband calls to communicate with their mothers

Infant call structure should have evolved to elicit maximum maternal attention and investment.Neonates of giant pandas produce three types of vocalizations reported to be vitally important in the context of mother–infant communications.However,how cubs,0–15 days old,communicate with their mothers to elicit maternal care remains unknown.We analyzed 12 different call parameters of 3475 squawks,1355 squalls,and 491 croaks from 11 captive giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)neonates from age 0 to 15 days.In playback experiments,we also tested whether mothers could detect ultrasound.Our results show that neonates use broadband calls with ultrasonic frequencies up to 65 kHz to convey information about their physiological needs and to attract maternal care.In playback experiments,we tested if mothers reacted differently to broadband calls(BBC)than to artificially altered calls that included only frequencies<20 kHz(AUDC)or calls that included only frequencies>20 kHz(USC).Playback confirmed that,although adult females responded significantly less often to USC,BBC than to or AUDC,they could detect USC,BBC and generally made appropriate behavioral responses,indicating a potential benefit for neonates to utilize ultrasonic and broadband frequencies.Our findings provide a new insight into mother–infant communication in giant pandas and will be helpful for reducing the mortality of cubs,younger than 1 month old,in captivity.

The Lushan earthquake and the giant panda:impacts and conservation

Earthquakes not only result in a great loss of human life and property,but also have profound effects on the Earth’s biodiversity.The Lushan earthquake occurred on 20 Apr 2013,with a magnitude of 7.0 and an intensi­ty of 9.0 degrees.A distance of 17.0 km from its epicenter to the nearest distribution site of giant pandas record­ed in the Third National Survey was determined.Making use of research on the Wenchuan earthquake(with a magnitude of 8.0),which occurred approximately 5 years ago,we briefly analyze the impacts of the Lushan earthquake on giant pandas and their habitat.An earthquake may interrupt ongoing behaviors of giant pandas and may also cause injury or death.In addition,an earthquake can damage conservation facilities for pandas,and result in further habitat fragmentation and degradation.However,from a historical point of view,the im­pacts of human activities on giant pandas and their habitat may,in fact,far outweigh those of natural disasters such as earthquakes.Measures taken to promote habitat restoration and conservation network reconstruction in earthquake-affected areas should be based on requirements of giant pandas,not those of humans.

Seasonal variations in the plant diet of the Chinese Monal revealed by fecal DNA metabarcoding analysis

The Chinese Monal(Lophophorus thuysii)is an alpine-obligate galliform species of global conservation priority.It has been listed as a first class protected wildlife species in China,requiring conservation actions during the 14 th Five-Year Plan period.However,the diet composition of Chinese Monal and its seasonal variations have rarely been studied,constraining the effective conservation of the species.Here,we investigated the plant diet composition of the Chinese Monal and its seasonal variations using a DNA metabarcoding approach on fecal samples.We collected 190 fecal samples of the Chinese Monals from the central Qionglai Mountains located in China,and analyzed the plant diet of this species using a DNA metabarcoding approach.Taxonomic profiling of higher plants in the fecal samples was performed using the second internal transcribed spacer(ITS2)amplicon.Downstream analyses,including rarefaction curves,nonmetric multidimensional scaling(NMDS)and permutational multivariate analysis of variance(PERMANOVA),were used to explore the seasonal variations in diet composition.The Chinese Monal foraged a wide range of plant recipes composed of 35 families and 83 genera throughout the year,with Brassicaceae,Apiaceae,and Poaceae as the dominant families,and Cardamine as the dominant genus.The species consumed plants from 62 genera from 28 families during the breeding season(n=81)and 66 genera from 31 families during the non-breeding season(n=109).Further,the plant diet composition significantly varied between the breeding and non-breeding seasons,especially for the frequency of occurrence and relative read abundances at genus level.Our study analyzed the plant diet of the Chinese Monal at a high resolution for the first time,and the results revealed that the seasonal variations in its plant diet composition was adapted to plant phenology and foraging strategy.Fritillaria species,a previously confirmed important food resource for the Chinese Monal,were not detected in any fecal samples,potentially due to overharvesting of Fritillaria bulbs for Traditional Chinese Medicine.Therefore,we highly recommend further restriction of herb gathering in Chinese Monal habitats to facilitate the conservation of this endangered species.Altogether,our study enriches essential ecological information for the Chinese Monal and also provides insights into conservation management for this endangered species.

Chromosome-scale genomes provide new insights into subspecies divergence and evolutionary characteristics of the giant panda

Extant giant pandas are divided into Sichuan and Qinling subspecies.The giant panda has many speciesspecific characteristics,including comparatively small organs for body size,small genitalia of male individuals,and low reproduction.Here,we report the most contiguous,high-quality chromosomelevel genomes of two extant giant panda subspecies to date,with the first genome assembly of the Qinling subspecies.Compared with the previously assembled giant panda genomes based on short reads,our two assembled genomes increased contiguity over 200-fold at the contig level.Additional sequencing of 25 individuals dated the divergence of the Sichuan and Qinling subspecies into two distinct clusters from 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.Comparative genomic analyses identified the loss of regulatory elements in the dachshund family transcription factor 2(DACH2)gene and specific changes in the synaptotagmin 6(SYT6)gene,which may be responsible for the reduced fertility of the giant panda.Positive selection analysis between the two subspecies indicated that the reproduction-associated IQ motif containing D(IQCD)gene may at least partly explain the different reproduction rates of the two subspecies.Furthermore,several genes in the Hippo pathway exhibited signs of rapid evolution with giant panda-specific variants and divergent regulatory elements,which may contribute to the reduced inner organ sizes of the giant panda.

Cross-modal signaling in giant pandas

For solitary species that aggregate to breed, signals, such as sound or odor, transmitted across the landscape can play an important role in mate choice and coordinating breeding activity. Recent work on vocalizations of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), bleats and chirps that are emitted during periods of reproductive activity, has revealed that auditory communication in this species is more complicated and developed than once believed. However, playback experiments using these calls have recorded only a few behaviors over short observation times and the influence of these calls on the signaling behavior of receivers remains unknown. Here, we present results from a pilot study in which we played the bleats of male and female giant pandas in estrus to captive animals and measured vocal and chemical signaling response behavior. We found an increase in scent marking behavior, but not vocalizations, in males and females following the playback of calls made by members of the opposite sex in estrus. To our knowledge, this is the first study to detect a chemical communication response, which was marking, to an auditory signal in giant pandas. Our findings reveal a previously unknown relationship between acoustic and chemical signals in this high profile species and suggest that these two forms of signaling may be interdependent in the social lives of giant pandas.