Spatiotemporal differences induced changes in the structure and function of the gut microbiota in an endangered ungulate.

The composition and function of animal gut microbiota are shaped by various factors, among which diet is one of the major factors. Diet is affected by seasonal shifts and geographical differences, which in turn impact the host's nutritional levels. To adapt to these environmental changes, the gut microbiome often produces matching responses.

Comparison Study on the Trophic Niche of Red Pandas Using Stable Isotope Analysis.

The red panda (Ailurus), a rare and endangered mammal native to the Himalayan-Hengduan Mountains, has a specialized bamboo diet. Combining morphological and genomic evidence, red pandas have been classified as and . However, previous studies focused on ecological aspects such as foraging behaviors, habitat use and threats within specific distributions; hence, there is still a gap in quantitative comparative studies on the trophic niches of these two species.

Effects of expansion of protected areas and habitat transformation on spatiotemporal variation in human-wildlife conflict.

Land-use changes and the expansion of protected areas (PAs) have fostered increased interactions between humans and wildlife, resulting in an escalation of human-wildlife conflict (HWC) globally. However, HWC spatiotemporal pattern variation and its associations with PAs and land-use change remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we mapped and analyzed HWCs from 1990 to 2022 across China.

Habitat connectivity drives panda recovery.

Globally, the majority of habitat loss is irreversible, and most species will never recover their former ranges. We have learned a great deal about what leads to population decline and extinction, but less about recovery. The recently downlisted giant panda provides a unique opportunity to understand the mechanisms of species recovery.

Combined effects of climate and land-use changes on the alpha and beta functional diversities of terrestrial mammals in China.

Climate and land-use changes are predicted to impact biodiversity, threatening ecosystem services and functions. However, their combined effects on the functional diversity of mammals at the regional scale remain unclear, especially at the beta level. Here, we use projected climate and land-use changes in China to investigate their potential effects on the alpha and beta functional diversities of terrestrial mammals under low- and high-emission scenarios.

Taking a color photo: A homozygous 25-bp deletion in may cause brown-and-white coat color in giant pandas.

Brown-and-white giant pandas (hereafter brown pandas) are distinct coat color mutants found exclusively in the Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi, China. However, its genetic mechanism has remained unclear since their discovery in 1985. Here, we identified the genetic basis for this coat color variation using a combination of field ecological data, population genomic data, and a CRISPR-Cas9 knockout mouse model.

Identifying priority protection areas of key food resources of the giant panda.

Animals that live in seasonal environments adjust their reproduction cycle to optimize seasonal forage quality. Giant pandas ( ) 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.

Community structure of the solitary giant pandas is maintained by indirect social connections.

Background: Indirect interactions between individual solitary mammals, such as the giant panda, are often overlooked because of their nature, yet are important for maintaining the necessary sociality in solitary species.

Methods And Results: Here, we determined the genetic identity of all giant panda individuals in a local population and matched these identities with their associations to determine social network of this solitary animal. Total thirty-five giant panda individuals were found in our field survey, and we constructed genetic and social networks for thirty-three individuals who successfully obtained genetic, age and sex information.

A single nucleotide mutation in the dual-oxidase 2 () gene causes some of the panda's unique metabolic phenotypes.

The giant panda () is an iconic bear native to China, famous for eating almost exclusively bamboo. This unusual dietary behavior for a carnivore is enabled by several key adaptations including low physical activity, reduced organ sizes and hypothyroidism leading to lowered energy expenditure. These adaptive phenotypes have been hypothesized to arise from a panda-unique single-nucleotide mutation in the dual-oxidase 2 () gene, involved in thyroid hormone synthesis.

Seasonal shift of the gut microbiome synchronizes host peripheral circadian rhythm for physiological adaptation to a low-fat diet in the giant panda.

Characteristics of the gut microbiome vary synchronously with changes in host diet. However, the underlying effects of these fluctuations remain unclear. Here, we performed fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) of diet-specific feces from an endangered mammal (the giant panda) into a germ-free mouse model.

The giant panda is cryptic.

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is an iconic mammal, but the function of its black-and-white coloration is mysterious. Using photographs of giant pandas taken in the wild and state-of-the-art image analysis, we confirm the counterintuitive hypothesis that their coloration provides camouflage in their natural environment. The black fur blends into dark shades and tree trunks, whereas white fur matches foliage and snow when present, and intermediate pelage tones match rocks and ground.

Geographic distributions shape the functional traits in a large mammalian family.

Traits of organisms are shaped by their living environments and also determined in part by their phylogenetic relationships. For example, phylogenetic relationships often affect the geographic distributions of animals and cause variation in their living environments, which usually play key roles in the life history and determine the functional traits of species. As an ancient family of mammals, bears widely distribute and have evolved some specific strategies for survival and reproduction during their long-term evolutionary histories.

Multi-omics reveals the positive leverage of plant secondary metabolites on the gut microbiota in a non-model mammal.

Background: Flavonoids are important plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) that have been widely used for their health-promoting effects. However, little is known about overall flavonoid metabolism and the interactive effects between flavonoids and the gut microbiota. The flavonoid-rich bamboo and the giant panda provide an ideal system to bridge this gap.

Symbiotic bacteria mediate volatile chemical signal synthesis in a large solitary mammal species.

Mammalian chemosignals-or scent marks-are characterized by astounding chemical diversity, reflecting both complex biochemical pathways that produce them and rich information exchange with conspecifics. The microbiome of scent glands was thought to play prominent role in the chemical signal synthesis, with diverse microbiota metabolizing glandular products to produce odorants that may be used as chemosignals. Here, we use gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and metagenomic shotgun sequencing to explore this phenomenon in the anogenital gland secretions (AGS) of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca).

Why wild giant pandas frequently roll in horse manure.

Attraction to feces in wild mammalian species is extremely rare. Here we introduce the horse manure rolling (HMR) behavior of wild giant pandas (). Pandas not only frequently sniffed and wallowed in fresh horse manure, but also actively rubbed the fecal matter all over their bodies.

Seasonal dynamics of parasitism and stress physiology in wild giant pandas.

Many factors, including the inner status of the individuals and external environment, can influence the parasite infections and stress physiology in mammals. Here, we explored the influence of the sex, age, reproductive season and seasonal food availability on the parasitism and stress physiology in wild giant pandas () through nutrient and steroid hormone analysis and parasitic infection measurement. Diet composition had significant influences on the faecal cortisol levels and parasite load of wild giant pandas.

Genomic Signatures of Coevolution between Nonmodel Mammals and Parasitic Roundworms.

Antagonistic coevolution between host and parasite drives species evolution. However, most of the studies only focus on parasitism adaptation and do not explore the coevolution mechanisms from the perspective of both host and parasite. Here, through the de novo sequencing and assembly of the genomes of giant panda roundworm, red panda roundworm, and lion roundworm parasitic on tiger, we investigated the genomic mechanisms of coevolution between nonmodel mammals and their parasitic roundworms and those of roundworm parasitism in general.

Diet drives convergent evolution of gut microbiomes in bamboo-eating species.

Gut microbiota plays a critical role in host physiology and health. The coevolution between the host and its gut microbes facilitates animal adaptation to its specific ecological niche. Multiple factors such as host diet and phylogeny modulate the structure and function of gut microbiota.

Impact of sympatric carnivores on den selection of wild giant pandas.

Interspecific killing is a primary reason for the low survival rates of some animal species. The giant panda ( ) is an altricial eutherian mammal and thus, in comparison to other infants, panda cubs are highly vulnerable, which may significantly influence the selection of breeding sites by females. Here, we used infrared camera traps to monitor giant panda dens for 5.

Giant Pandas Are Macronutritional Carnivores.

Giant pandas are unusual in belonging to a primarily carnivorous clade and yet being extremely specialized herbivores that feed almost exclusively on highly fibrous bamboo [1]. Paradoxically, they appear inconsistently adapted to their plant diet, bearing a mix of herbivore and carnivore traits. Herbivore traits include a skull, jaw musculature, and dentition that are adapted for fibrous diets and a specialized "pseudo-thumb" used for handling bamboo [2, 3].

Diet Evolution and Habitat Contraction of Giant Pandas via Stable Isotope Analysis.

The ancestral panda Ailurarctos lufengensis, excavated from the late Miocene, is thought to be carnivorous or omnivorous [1]. Today, giant pandas exclusively consume bamboo and have distinctive tooth, skull, and muscle characteristics adapted to a tough and fibrous bamboo diet during their long evolution [1, 2]. A special feature, the pseudo-thumb, has evolved to permit the precise and efficient grasping of bamboo [3, 4].

Seasonal and reproductive variation in chemical constituents of scent signals in wild giant pandas.

Seasonally reproducing animals show many behavioral and physiological changes during the mating period, including increased signaling for intrasexual competition and mate attraction. We collected 102 anogenital gland secretions (AGS) from marking trees in Foping Nature Reserve, and used gas chromatography mass spectrometry analyze these chemical composition. Of these marks, all but one were from males, confirmed with DNA analysis.

Conservation metagenomics: a new branch of conservation biology.

Multifaceted approaches are required to monitor wildlife populations and improve conservation efforts. In the last decade, increasing evidence suggests that metagenomic analysis offers valuable perspectives and tools for identifying microbial communities and functions. It has become clear that gut microbiome plays a critical role in health, nutrition, and physiology of wildlife, including numerous endangered animals in the wild and in captivity.