Panda Research Articles

Factors influencing bamboo intake of captive giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Bamboo is the main food source of the giant panda. To increase bamboo intake in captive giant pandas, we studied factors affecting the bamboo intake. Fourteen healthy captive giant pandas in Dujiangyan Base of China Conservation and Research Center for The Giant Panda (“Dujiangyan Base” for short) were selected as research objects. A bamboo feeding experiment was conducted to study the effects of seasons, bamboo age, slope orientations where bamboo grows and felling-feeding time on bamboo intake of the giant panda. We found that the type of bamboo that captive giant pandas feed on was abundant in spring and summer, but relatively homogeneous in winter. With the increase of bamboo age, the intake of bamboo leaves decreased, while bamboo culms increased. The feed intake of 1-year-old bamboo leaves and 5-year-old bamboo culms reached the highest respectively. The slope orientation also affected the panda's bamboo intake, and the bamboo growing on sunny slopes or semi-sunny slopes was more favored by captive giant pandas. Moreover, the bamboo intake reached the highest when felling-feeding time was less than 24 h. In short, we confirmed that seasons, bamboo age, slope orientations and felling-feeding time were factors affecting bamboo intake for captive giant pandas. This study was expected to provide scientific guidance improving the feeding behavior management of captive giant pandas.

Fecal Metabolomics Reveals the Foraging Strategies of Giant Pandas for Different Parts of Bamboo.

Climate change-induced food shortages pose major threats to wildlife conservation, and the exclusive reliance of giant pandas on bamboo makes them particularly vulnerable. The aim of this study was to provide insight into the reasons for the foraging strategies of giant pandas to selectively forage for different bamboo parts (bamboo shoot, culm, and leaf) during different seasons. This study used a metabolomic approach to analyze the fecal metabolites of giant pandas and conducted a correlation analysis with their gut microbiota. The results indicate that the fecal metabolites of giant pandas differ significantly depending on the bamboo parts they forage on, with higher sugar content observed when they consume bamboo culm with high fiber content. By functional annotation, culm group metabolites were enriched in the galactose metabolic pathway, while shoot group metabolites were enriched in the phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis pathways. Moreover, Streptococcus showed a significant positive correlation with glucose and acetic acid content. Therefore, the foraging strategy of giant pandas is based on the ability to utilize the nutrient content of different bamboo parts. Captive feeding and habitat construction should enrich bamboo species to allow them to express their natural foraging strategies and improve their welfare and reproductive status.

Giant panda-focused conservation has limited value in maintaining biodiversity and carbon sequestration

Biodiversity and climate are interconnected through carbon. Drivers of climate change and biodiversity loss interact in complex ways to produce outcomes that may be synergistic, and biodiversity loss and climate change reinforce each other. Prioritizing the conservation of flagship and umbrella species is often used as a surrogate strategy for broader conservation goals, but it is unclear whether these efforts truly benefit biodiversity and carbon stocks. Conservation of the giant panda offers a paradigm to test these assumptions. Here, using the benchmark estimates of ecosystem carbon stocks and species richness, we investigated the relationships among the giant panda, biodiversity, and carbon stocks and assessed the implications of giant panda conservation for biodiversity and carbon-focused conservation efforts. We found that giant panda density and species richness were significantly positively correlated, while no correlation was found between giant panda density and soil carbon or total carbon density. The established nature reserves protect 26 % of the giant panda conservation region, but these areas contain <21 % of the ranges of other species and <21 % of total carbon stocks. More seriously, giant panda habitats are still facing high risks of habitat fragmentation. Habitat fragmentation is negatively correlated with giant panda density, species richness, and total carbon density. The ongoing giant panda habitat fragmentation is likely to cause an additional 12.24 Tg C of carbon emissions over 30 years. Thus, giant panda-focused conservation efforts have effectively prevented giant panda extinction but have been less effective in maintaining biodiversity and high‑carbon ecosystems. It is urgent for China to contribute to the development of an effective and representative national park system that integrates climate change issues into national biodiversity strategies and vice versa in dealing with the dual environmental challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change under a post-2020 framework.

A snapshot of climate drivers and temporal variation of Ixodes ovatus abundance from a giant panda living in the wild.

Ticks and tick-borne diseases have negative impacts on the health of wild animals including endangered and vulnerable species. The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), a vulnerable and iconic flagship species, is threatened by tick infestation as well. Not only can ticks cause anemia and immunosuppression in the giant panda, but also bacterial and viral diseases. However, previous studies regarding tick infestation on giant pandas were limited in scope as case reports from sick or dead animals. In this study, an investigation focusing on the tick infestation of a reintroduced giant panda at the Daxiangling Reintroduction Base in Sichuan, China was conducted. Ticks were routinely collected and identified from the ears of the giant panda from March to September in 2021. A linear model was used to test the correlation between tick abundance and climate factors. All ticks were identified as Ixodes ovatus. Tick abundance was significantly different among months. Results from the linear model showed temperature positively correlated to tick abundance, while air pressure had a negative correlation with tick abundance. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first reported investigation of tick species and abundance on a healthy giant panda living in the natural environment, and provides important information for the conservation of giant pandas and other species sharing the same habitat.

Species coexistence and niche interaction between sympatric giant panda and Chinese red panda: A spatiotemporal approach.

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and the Chinese red panda (Ailurus styani) are distributed in the same region in the mountain forest ecosystem on the eastern edge of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau and share the same food sources. In order to understand how sympatric giant pandas and Chinese red pandas maintain interspecific relationships to achieve stable coexistence, we used species distribution models and diurnal activity rhythms to analyze the spatial and temporal niche characteristics of giant pandas and Chinese red pandas in the Daxiangling Mountain system based on 187 camera traps data. The results show that: (1) In the Daxiangling Mountains, the total area of suitable habitats for giant pandas and Chinese red pandas is 717.61 km2 and 730.00 km2, respectively, accounting for 17.78% and 18.25%, respectively, of the study area. (2) The top five environmental factors contributing to the model of giant panda and Chinese red panda are precipitation seasonality, temperature seasonality, distance to the road, and elevation and vegetation type. (3) The total overlapping area of suitable habitats for giant pandas and Chinese red pandas is 342.23 km2, of which the overlapping area of highly suitable habitats is 98.91 km2. The overlapping index of suitable habitats is 0.472, and the overlapping index of highly suitable habitats is 0.348, which indicates that the two achieve spatial niches are separated to achieve stable coexistence. (4) The overlapping index of the daily activity rhythm of giant panda and Chinese red panda is 0.87, which is significantly different (p < .05). The existence of Chinese red panda will significantly affect the daily activity rhythm of giant panda (p < .001). This research can provide scientific reference for the researches about population and habitat protection of giant pandas and Chinese red pandas, so as to understand the driving mechanism of resource allocation and population dynamics of sympatric species.

Coping with giant panda nature reserve protection dilemmas in China: Social capital’s role in forest conservation

Coping with giant panda nature reserve protection dilemmas in China: Social capital’s role in forest conservation

Estimating the household costs of human–wildlife conflict in China’s giant panda national park

Human–wildlife conflict is a major cause of losses resulting from the establishment of protected areas, most of which are borne by the communities within these areas. It is therefore important to establish a compensation system for such losses. This study measures the total costs of human-wildlife conflict by surveying communities within and surrounding China's Giant Panda National Park. The results show that the primary visible costs from human–wildlife conflict, which include crop loss, livestock depredation, property damage, and human fatalities and injury, were 2185.6 Yuan ($316.9) per household. Approximately 64.9% of households were affected by this conflict in 2020. For each affected household, the average visible costs per capita was 952.6 Yuan ($138.1) or 7.2% of per capita net income. When converting well-being losses caused by human-wildlife conflict into economic costs, we consider visible costs and hidden costs (e.g., transaction, opportunity, and health costs). This study shows that human–wildlife conflict reduced per capita net income by 15.3% and significantly affected household well-being. The average cost of the well-being loss caused by human-wildlife conflict was 38.5 % of per capita net income.

Prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Congenetic Raoultella Isolates from captive giant pandas.

To study antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Raoultella strains isolated from captive giant pandas. Non-duplicate fecal samples were collected from 128 giant pandas during 2017-2019. All isolated microbial strains were tested for antimicrobial drug susceptibility using BD verification panels. Four extended-spectrum β-lactamase resistance genes, nine virulence genes and six capsular serotype genes were detected using PCR. 42 K. pneumoniae and nine Raoultella strains were isolated from different giant pandas. Antibiotic resistance rates were 1.9%-23.5%, except for ampicillin, and 7.8% of the isolates were multidrug-resistant to 7-10 antibiotic classes. This is the first time that a multidrug-resistant R. ornithinolytica strain has been isolated from captive giant pandas. The blaTEM, blaCTX-M, blaSHV and blaDHA genes were detected in four MDR ESBL- K. pneumoniae strains. The rmpA, iutA, ybtS, iroN and iroB genes were positively detected in 11.7% of the isolates. Capsular serotype (K2, K5, K54 and K57) genes were all detected in four K. pneumoniae strains, and one was identified as hypervirulent. This study showed that MDR ESBL- K. pneumoniae, hypervirulent K. pneumoniae, MDR R. ornithinolytica and the colistin-resistant strain may pose risks to captive giant pandas and their keepers, and that the diversity of antibiotic resistance and virulence genes in Klebsiella and Raoultella should be monitored regularly.

The Factors Influencing Wildlife to Use Existing Bridges and Culverts in Giant Panda National Park

Roads, acting as barriers, hamper wildlife movements and disrupt habitat connectivity. Bridges and culverts are common structures on roads, and some of them can function to allow wildlife passage. This study investigated the effects of traffic, the surrounding landscape, human disturbance, and bridge and culvert structures on the utilization of bridges and culverts as dedicated passages by wildlife, using motion-activated infrared camera traps along a 64 km road in Giant Panda National Park, Sichuan, China. The results show that both species richness and counts of wildlife recorded at the bridge and culvert were significantly lower than those observed at sites distant from roads. No large-sized wildlife was recorded at the bridges and culverts. Human activities and traffic volume significantly and negatively affect medium-sized wildlife utilization of bridges and culverts. We conclude that bridges and culverts serve as wildlife crossings, but their efficacy is weak. This emphasizes the necessity of retrofitting bridges and culverts via mitigation facilities such as noise and light barriers, and vegetation restoration on both sides of the roads in Giant Panda National Park.

Genetic architecture for skeletal muscle glycolytic potential in Chinese Erhualian pigs revealed by a genome-wide association study using 1.4M SNP array.

Introduction: Muscle glycolytic potential (GP) is a key factor affecting multiple meat quality traits. It is calculated based on the contents of residual glycogen and glucose (RG), glucose-6-phosphate (G6P), and lactate (LAT) contents in muscle. However, the genetic mechanism of glycolytic metabolism in skeletal muscle of pigs remains poorly understood. With a history of more than 400years and some unique characteristics, the Erhualian pig is called the "giant panda" (very precious) in the world's pig species by Chinese animal husbandry. Methods: Here, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using 1.4M single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) chips for longissimus RG, G6P, LAT, and GP levels in 301 purebred Erhualian pigs. Results: We found that the average GP value of Erhualian was unusually low (68.09μmol/g), but the variation was large (10.4-112.7μmol/g). The SNP-based heritability estimates for the four traits ranged from 0.16-0.32. In total, our GWAS revealed 31 quantitative trait loci (QTLs), including eight for RG, nine for G6P, nine for LAT, five for GP. Of these loci, eight were genome-wide significant (p < 3.8 × 10-7), and six loci were common to two or three traits. Multiple promising candidate genes such as FTO, MINPP1, RIPOR2, SCL8A3, LIFR and SRGAP1 were identified. The genotype combinations of the five GP-associated SNPs also showed significant effect on other meat quality traits. Discussion: These results not only provide insights into the genetic architecture of GP related traits in Erhualian, but also are useful for pig breeding programs involving this breed.

Natural selection and convergent evolution of the HOX gene family in Carnivora

HOX genes play a central role in the development and regulation of limb patterns. For mammals in the order Carnivora, limbs have evolved in different forms, and there are interesting cases of phenotypic convergence, such as the pseudothumb of the giant and red pandas, and the flippers or specialized limbs of the pinnipeds and sea otter. However, the molecular bases of limb development remain largely unclear. Here, we studied the molecular evolution of the HOX9 ~ 13 genes of 14 representative species in Carnivora and explored the molecular evolution of other HOX genes. We found that only one limb development gene, HOXC10, underwent convergent evolution between giant and red pandas and was thus an important candidate gene related to the development of pseudothumbs. No signals of amino acid convergence and natural selection were found in HOX9 ~ 13 genes between pinnipeds and sea otter, but there was evidence of positive selection and rapid evolution in four pinniped species. Overall, few HOX genes evolve via natural selection or convergent evolution, and these could be important candidate genes for further functional validation. Our findings provide insights into potential molecular mechanisms of the development of specialized pseudothumbs and flippers (or specialized limbs).

Optimizing the Giant Panda National Park's zoning designations as an example for extending conservation from flagship species to regional biodiversity

Informed zoning of protected areas to designate where certain activities can take place is important to their success. The conventional strategy has been to design protected areas based on flagship species; however, this has often proven ineffective for protecting other sympatric wildlife. Here, using China's Giant Panda National Park (GPNP) as an example, we evaluated the effectiveness of integrating multiple conservation parameters for flagship and sympatric endangered species to optimize zoning designations, without compromising or jeopardizing the primary goal of protecting giant pandas. We conducted a stepwise spatial prioritization according to taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity for 48 endangered bird and 23 mammal species. Conservation priority areas for each taxon were spatially congruent across diversity indices but differed between taxa. Species richness provided only a weak indicator of conservation values. The current designation scheme for giant panda protection performs moderately well in terms of sheltering sympatric endangered birds and mammals, but there is still scope for improvement. After balancing competing land uses, we identified 7731 km2 with the highest conservation values across taxa and diversity indices, with 26 % of this optimal priority area lying outside of current core protection zones of the GPNP. We recommend that GPNP's current zoning designation criteria are modified to conserve a broader range of species alongside giant pandas, especially to better protect sites from human disturbance. Our findings also have the broader potential to inform conservation planning for protected areas worldwide, enabling the protection of flagship species to be integrated with broader regional biodiversity conservation.

New Fossil Giant Panda Relatives (Ailuropodinae, Ursidae): A Basal Lineage of Gigantic Mio-Pliocene Cursorial Carnivores

Among the fossil members of the giant panda subfamily of ursid carnivorans, Ailuropodinae, one group of species is of giant size, those of Indarctos. Indarctos species have some dental resemblances to and may be closely related to Agriotherium, although there are other clear differences between these taxa, and no known species has definitive shared derived traits that could link these two genera. Here we describe a rich suite of fossil material from both North America and eastern Asia, all belonging to a new genus, Huracan, which possesses characters shared with both Agriotherium and Indarctos but also has diagnostic autapomorphies. The new taxon was distributed widely in the Holarctic during the latest Miocene, including at least four species: the type species Huracan schneideri (previously Agriotherium schneideri) from the latest Hemphillian (Hh4) and possibly early Blancan North American Land Mammal “Ages” (NALMAs), North America; H. coffeyi from the early Late Hemphillian (Hh3) NALMA, North America; H. qiui, sp. nov., from the Baodean Asian Land Mammal “Age” (ALMA), northern China; and H. roblesi from the MN13 zone (latest Miocene–earliest Pliocene) of Spain. Huracan is the nearest sister taxon to Agriotherium, the latter herein considered to be an ailuropodine (in the tribe Agriotheriini) rather than a hemicyonid, and the common ancestor of both genera evolved from Indarctos (with resultant paraphyly of that taxon) or another Indarctos-like ailuropodine bear, likely in eastern Asia. The dentitions of Huracan and Agriotherium both are more specialised for carnivory than most Indarctos species, indicating a radiation of diverse ecological carnivores earlier in the history of the later-diverging, highly specialized herbivores in the giant panda lineage. Their postcranial morphology suggests that species in both genera (Huracan and Agriotherium) were more cursorial than species assigned to Indarctos, and thus well adapted to more open habitats. These derived traits may explain the worldwide replacement of Indarctos species by Huracan and Agriotherium species during the latest Miocene, in response to significant global cooling and expansion of C4 grasslands that occurred at that time.

Comparative Analysis of Olfactory Receptor Repertoires Sheds Light on the Diet Adaptation of the Bamboo-Eating Giant Panda Based on the Chromosome-Level Genome

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is the epitome of a flagship species for wildlife conservation and also an ideal model of adaptive evolution. As an obligate bamboo feeder, the giant panda relies on the olfaction for food recognition. The number of olfactory receptor (OR) genes and the rate of pseudogenes are the main factors affecting the olfactory ability of animals. In this study, we used the chromosome-level genome of the giant panda to identify OR genes and compared the genome sequences of OR genes with five other Ursidae species (spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), American black bear (Ursus americanus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), polar bear (Ursus maritimus) and Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus)). The giant panda had 639 OR genes, including 408 functional genes, 94 partial OR genes and 137 pseudogenes. Among them, 222 OR genes were detected and distributed on 18 chromosomes, and chromosome 8 had the most OR genes. A total of 448, 617, 582, 521 and 792 OR genes were identified in the spectacled bear, American black bear, brown bear, polar bear and Asian black bear, respectively. Clustering analysis based on the OR protein sequences of the six species showed that the OR genes distributed in 69 families and 438 subfamilies based on sequence similarity, and the six mammals shared 72 OR gene subfamilies, while the giant panda had 31 unique OR gene subfamilies (containing 35 genes). Among the 35 genes, there are 10 genes clustered into 8 clusters with 10 known human OR genes (OR8J3, OR51I1, OR10AC1, OR1S2, OR1S1, OR51S1, OR4M1, OR4M2, OR51T1 and OR5W2). However, the kind of odor molecules can be recognized by the 10 known human OR genes separately, which needs further research. The phylogenetic tree showed that 345 (about 84.56%) functional OR genes were clustered as Class-II, while only 63 (about 15.44%) functional OR genes were clustered as Class-I, which required further and more in-depth research. The potential odor specificity of some giant panda OR genes was identified through the similarity to human protein sequences. Sequences similar to OR2B1, OR10G3, OR11H6 and OR11H7P were giant panda-specific lacking, which may be related to the transformation and specialization from carnivore to herbivore of the giant panda. Since our reference to flavoring agents comes from human research, the possible flavoring agents from giant panda-specific OR genes need further investigation. Moreover, the conserved motifs of OR genes were highly conserved in Ursidae species. This systematic study of OR genes in the giant panda will provide a solid foundation for further research on the olfactory function and variation of the giant panda.

Mitochondrial Genomes Assembled from Non-Invasive eDNA Metagenomic Scat Samples in Critically Endangered Mammals.

The abundance of many large-bodied vertebrates, both in marine and terrestrial environments, has declined substantially due to global and regional climate stressors that define the Anthropocene. The development of genetic tools that can serve to monitor population's health non-intrusively and inform strategies for the recovery of these species is crucial. In this study, we formally evaluate whether whole mitochondrial genomes can be assembled from environmental DNA (eDNA) metagenomics scat samples. Mitogenomes of four different large vertebrates, the panda bear (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), the moon bear (Ursus thibetanus), the Java pangolin (Manis javanica), and the the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) were assembled and circularized using the pipeline GetOrganelle with a coverage ranging from 12x to 480x in 14 out of 18 different eDNA samples. Partial mitochondrial genomes were retrieved from three other eDNA samples. The complete mitochondrial genomes of the studied species were AT-rich and comprised 13 protein coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and a putative D-loop/control region. Synteny observed in all assembled mitogenomes was identical to that reported for specimens of the same and other closely related species. This study demonstrates that it is possible to assemble accurate whole mitochondrial chromosomes from eDNA samples (scats) using forthright bench and bioinformatics workflows. The retrieval of mitochondrial genomes from eDNA samples represents a tool to support bioprospecting, bio-monitoring, and other non-intrusive conservation strategies in species considered 'vulnerable', 'endangered', and/or 'critically endangered' by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

1051.Cathaya argyrophyllaChun &amp; Kuang: Pinaceae

SummaryThe ‘pearl of the forest’, also known as ‘yin shan’ or the ‘giant panda of the plant kingdom’,Cathaya argyrophyllais illustrated here (t. 1051) from a tree cultivated at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The discovery and phylogenetics of this species are discussed, and its introduction into horticulture is presented. A detailed description is provided here, and ecology, cytology, etymology and conservation are discussed. Advice on cultivation is also given.

STUDY OF FECAL GLUCOCORTICOID METABOLITE IN BEARS: A REVIEW

Fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) analysis is a non-invasive method to monitor animals' welfare in captivity and wild environments. Glucocorticoid also known as cortisol is a hormone that indicates the level of stress in animals and humans. This paper reviews the use of FGM analysis on bears and the methodologies used to study this hormone in every species of bear. The review method used was descriptive review. The bears that were included in this review are the brown bear (Ursus arctos), Polar bear (Ursus maritimus), Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus), American black bear (Ursus americanus), Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus), sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), Andean spectacled bear (Tremactos ornatus), and giant panda (Ailuropodia melanoleuca). Studies of FGM on polar bears showed that zoo-to-zoo transportation could cause an increase in FGM level during transportation and FGM is not suitable to be used to differentiate between pseudo-pregnancy and true pregnancy. In Malayan sun bear, FGM level is high in female bears that show agonistic behavior and is associated with low progesterone levels. In addition, studies on Malayan sun bear show that not only FGM can be analyzed from fecal samples, but also the reproductive hormones of estrogen and progesterone. In Asiatic black bears, FGM is higher in bears that live in a bile farm than forage outside the forest reserve. High parasite load in giant pandas is associated with a high level of FGM since parasite infection is considered a stressor that can elicit a stress response. Also both male and female panda have high FGM during the breeding season to increase metabolism to generate energy required for reproductive activities. The Alopecia syndrome in Andean spectacled bear has no significant relation to FGM level. Brown bears with several types of food in their diet have lower FGM than those with only one type of food. There is no specific study of FGM that focused on sloth bear and American black bear, but there were several studies on glucocorticoid in black bears that are not extracted from fecal samples. FGM can be analyzed using both enzyme-immunoassay (EIA) and radioimmunoassay (RIA) but, EIA is preferable due to safety reasons.

Development and efficacy evaluation of remodeled canine parvovirus-like particles displaying major antigenic epitopes of a giant panda derived canine distemper virus.

Canine parvovirus (CPV) and Canine distemper virus (CDV) can cause fatal diseases in giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). The main capsid protein of CPV VP2 can be self-assembled to form virus-like particles (VLPs) in vitro, which is of great significance for potential vaccine development. In the present study, we remodeled the VP2 protein of a giant panda-derived CPV, where the major CDV F and N epitopes were incorporated in the N-terminal and loop2 region in two combinations to form chimeric VLPs. The reactivity ability and morphology of the recombinant proteins were confirmed by Western blot, hemagglutination (HA) test and electron microscopy. Subsequently, the immunogenicity of the VLPs was examined in vivo. Antigen-specific antibodies and neutralizing activity were measured by ELISA, hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test and serum neutralization test (SNT), respectively. In addition, antigen specific T cell activation were determined in splenic lymphocytes. The results indicated that the VLPs displayed good reaction with CDV/CPV antibodies, and the heterologous epitopes do not hamper solubility or activity. The VLPs showed decent HA activity, and resembled round-shaped particles with a diameter of 22-26 nm, which is identical to natural virions. VLPs could induce high levels of specific antibodies to CPV and CDV, shown by the indication of neutralizing antibodies in both VP2N and VP2L VLPs group. In addition, splenic lymphocytes of mice immunized with VLPs could proliferate rapidly after stimulation by specific antigen. Taken together, the CPV VP2 VLPs or chimeric VLPs are highly immunogenic, and henceforth could function as CPV/CDV vaccine candidates for giant pandas.

Bamboo Plant Part Preference Affects the Nutrients Digestibility and Intestinal Microbiota of Geriatric Giant Pandas

Bamboo part preference plays a critical role in influencing the nutrient utilization and gastrointestinal microbiota composition of captive giant pandas. However, the effects of bamboo part consumption on the nutrient digestibility and gut microbiome of geriatric giant pandas remain unknown. A total of 11 adult and 11 aged captive giant pandas were provided with bamboo shoots or bamboo leaves in the respective single-bamboo-part consumption period, and the nutrient digestibility and fecal microbiota of both adult and aged giant pandas in each period were evaluated. Bamboo shoot ingestion increased the crude protein digestibility and decreased the crude fiber digestibility of both age groups. The fecal microbiome of the bamboo shoot-fed giant pandas exhibited greater alpha diversity indices and significantly different beta diversity index than the bamboo leaf-fed counterparts regardless of age. Bamboo shoot feeding significantly changed the relative abundance of predominant taxa at both phylum and genus levels in adult and geriatric giant pandas. Bamboo shoot-enriched genera were positively correlated with crude protein digestibility and negatively correlated with crude fiber digestibility. Taken together, these results suggest that bamboo part consumption dominates over age in affecting the nutrient digestibility and gut microbiota composition of giant pandas.

Ubiquitous Love or Not? Animal Welfare and Animal-Informed Consent in Giant Panda Tourism

Scholars argue that the ubiquity of the "virtual panda"-the panda people meet in zoos and consume as souvenirs, online memes, or videos-exists in a state of hybridity between wild and domesticated. The species has garnered a significant amount of attention because of their iconic status and because of how cute they are to an adoring crowd. However, given the degree of regard tourists have for the panda, there is a dearth of research on different types of visitors to captive panda venues. In filling this gap, we investigated (1) how deeply Chinese "fans" and "non-fans" consider the welfare of captive giant pandas, and (2) if these groups differ in their assessment of whether giant pandas consent to being used as tourist attractions. In both aims, we apply a recent model on animal welfare and animal consent to giant pandas of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.