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Yan Z, Xu Q, Yao Y, Ayala J, Hou R, Wang H. Fecal Metabolomics Reveals the Foraging Strategies of Giant Pandas for Different Parts of Bamboo. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13081278. [PMID: 37106841 PMCID: PMC10135075 DOI: 10.3390/ani13081278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Yan
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu 610081, China
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu 610081, China
- Sichuan Academy of Giant Panda, Chengdu 610081, China
| | - Qin Xu
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu 610081, China
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu 610081, China
- Sichuan Academy of Giant Panda, Chengdu 610081, China
| | - Ying Yao
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu 610081, China
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu 610081, China
- Sichuan Academy of Giant Panda, Chengdu 610081, China
| | - James Ayala
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu 610081, China
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu 610081, China
- Sichuan Academy of Giant Panda, Chengdu 610081, China
| | - Rong Hou
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu 610081, China
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu 610081, China
- Sichuan Academy of Giant Panda, Chengdu 610081, China
| | - Hairui Wang
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu 610081, China
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu 610081, China
- Sichuan Academy of Giant Panda, Chengdu 610081, China
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Zeng Y, Han H, Gong Y, Qubi S, Chen M, Qiu L, Huang Y, Zhou H, Wei W. Feeding habits and foraging patch selection strategy of the giant panda in the Meigu Dafengding National Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:49125-49135. [PMID: 36773257 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-25769-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
Despite retaining a digestive system with carnivorous characteristics, the giant panda has now specialized to eat bamboo. Therefore, research on its feeding habits and foraging strategies has always been an important field in the study of giant panda population ecology. Located in the core distribution area of the giant panda population in the Liangshan mountains, the Meigu Dafengding Nature Reserve acts as the link between the major panda reserves in the Liangshan mountains and the key corridor zone connecting the giant panda populations in the east and west. This study was performed in 2017 and aimed to determine the feeding habits of giant pandas in this region, the heterogeneity of food resources in different seasons, and the selection strategy for foraging patches. To achieve this, we used the line transect method to investigate the giant panda population, collected fresh feces, analyzed the nutritional composition of bamboo samples, and set up a sampling grid of foraging patches in different seasonal distribution areas. It was found that wild giant pandas in the region spend most of the year at lower elevations(1939-3296 m) foraging for Yushania maculata and Yushania ailuropodina, and only move to higher elevations(2844-3770 m) in summer for Bashania fangiana. Their preferred foraging patches(n = 65) had certain topographical features, such as gentle slopes(< 25°) and closer proximity to water sources(< 500 m), and the nutritional quality of bamboo resources in foraging patches was significantly better than in those they avoided or rarely used. The food habits and foraging patch selection strategies of giant pandas in the Liangshan and Qinling mountains are relatively similar, and the results of this study can help provide a scientific basis for the conservation and management of wild giant panda habitats in different mountain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
| | - Han Han
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
- Liziping Giant Panda's Ecology and Conservation Observation and Research Station of Sichuan Province, Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province, Nanchong, China
| | - Yihua Gong
- Sichuan Meigu Dafengding National Nature Reserve Administration, Meigu, China
| | - Shibu Qubi
- Sichuan Meigu Dafengding National Nature Reserve Administration, Meigu, China
| | - Minghua Chen
- Sichuan Meigu Dafengding National Nature Reserve Administration, Meigu, China
| | - Lan Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
| | - Youyou Huang
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
| | - Hong Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
- Liziping Giant Panda's Ecology and Conservation Observation and Research Station of Sichuan Province, Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province, Nanchong, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, China.
- Liziping Giant Panda's Ecology and Conservation Observation and Research Station of Sichuan Province, Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province, Nanchong, China.
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Luna-Aranguré C, Vázquez-Domínguez E. Of pandas, fossils, and bamboo forests: ecological niche modeling of the giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca) during the Last Glacial Maximum. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is the most basal living species in the phylogeny of the family Ursidae, with a specialized diet composed of a variety of bamboo species. The evolutionary history and past distribution patterns of the giant panda remain poorly understood. Our aim was to integratively apply distinct methods to evaluate the evolutionary history and distributional patterns of the giant panda; these included phylogeography, ecological niche modeling (ENM), and fossil data. To this end, we characterized the panda’s past and present ecological niches and the environmental conditions that define them. To estimate the panda’s phylogeographic patterns and the environmental conditions (precipitation and temperature) available across its historical geographic range, we evaluated its past distribution during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Considering that modeling biotic interactions (e.g., foraging, predation) is still an enormous challenge, we propose a novel modeling strategy based on the panda’s specialized diet, using an ensemble of three bamboo genera with distribution across the panda’s historical geographic range. Finally, we tested the accuracy of our approach by evaluating its ability to predict the LGM fossils. Our results support that the panda’s diversification across its distribution happened ca. 2.7 million years (Mya), coinciding with the likely period when the panda changed from a carnivorous to a vegetarian diet (from the Pleistocene to the Pliocene), acquiring its exclusively bamboo-feeding habits until the mid-Holocene. Our findings provide evidence of a historical directional niche change along which the panda has currently reached the lower limits of temperature and precipitation conditions existing on the geography where its food is available. Our proposed ENM based on the panda’s food habits accurately predicted 85.7% of the LGM fossils, in stark contrast with the traditional approach of modeling the distribution of species by using exclusively its own occurrences. These results provide insights on how to include Eltonian components to undertake more robust ENM when only abiotic variables are available. We emphasize the importance of integrating fossil information, whenever available, into the niche modeling process to include the historical component when estimating species ecological niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Luna-Aranguré
- Departamento de Ecología de la Biodiversidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, México
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Edificio D, 1er Piso, Unidad de Posgrado, Ciudad de México 04510, México
| | - Ella Vázquez-Domínguez
- Departamento de Ecología de la Biodiversidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México 04510, México
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Yan Z, Xu Q, Hsu WH, Esser SS, Ayala J, Hou R, Yao Y, Jiang D, Yuan S, Wang H. Consuming Different Structural Parts of Bamboo Induce Gut Microbiome Changes in Captive Giant Pandas. Curr Microbiol 2021; 78:2998-3009. [PMID: 34109451 PMCID: PMC8289812 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-021-02503-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Giant pandas consume different structural parts of bamboo (shoots, leaves and culms) during different seasons. Previous research showed different bamboo parts have varying nutritional content and that a long-term diet consisting of a single part of bamboo resulted in remarkable metabolic changes within captive giant pandas. However, the effects on the gut microbiome of giant pandas, as a result of a single bamboo part diet, have not been investigated. Here, we evaluated the changes in gut microbial communities based on single bamboo part diets and their potential implications by using 16S rRNA gene-based amplicon sequencing and metagenome shotgun sequencing. We found that the composition and function of the gut microbiome from captive giant pandas fed exclusively culms were significantly different from that of individuals fed shoots or leaves. During the culm feeding period, the gut microbiome showed strongest digestive capabilities for cellulose, hemicellulose and starch, and had the highest potential abilities for the biosynthesis of bile acids, fatty acids and amino acids. This suggests the microbiome aids in breaking down culm, which is more difficult for giant pandas to digest, as a means to compensate for the nutrient poor content of the culm. Genes related to fatty acid metabolism and tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes were more abundant during the leaf stage diet than that in the shoot and culm stages. Thus, the microbiome may help giant pandas, which typically have low lipase levels, with fat digestion. These results illustrate that adaptive changes in the gut microbiome community and function may be an important mechanism to aid giant panda digestion when consuming different structural parts of bamboo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Yan
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Sichuan Academy of Giant Panda, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation of Ministry of Education, Nanchong, 637009, China
| | - Qin Xu
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Sichuan Academy of Giant Panda, Chengdu, 610081, China
| | - Walter H Hsu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | | | - James Ayala
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Sichuan Academy of Giant Panda, Chengdu, 610081, China
| | - Rong Hou
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Sichuan Academy of Giant Panda, Chengdu, 610081, China
| | - Ying Yao
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Sichuan Academy of Giant Panda, Chengdu, 610081, China
| | - Dandan Jiang
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu, 610081, China
- Sichuan Academy of Giant Panda, Chengdu, 610081, China
| | - Shibin Yuan
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation of Ministry of Education, Nanchong, 637009, China.
| | - Hairui Wang
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu, 610081, China.
- Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu, 610081, China.
- Sichuan Academy of Giant Panda, Chengdu, 610081, China.
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Wei W, Han H, Zhou H, Hong M, Cao S, Zhang Z. Microhabitat use and separation between giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), takin (Budorcas taxicolor), and goral (Naemorhedus griseus) in Tangjiahe Nature Reserve, China. FOLIA ZOOLOGICA 2018. [DOI: 10.25225/fozo.v67.i3-4.a10.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wei
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China Wes
| | - Han Han
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China Wes
| | - Hong Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China Wes
| | - Mingsheng Hong
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China Wes
| | - Shanshan Cao
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China Wes
| | - Zejun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China Wes
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Chen C, Chen P, Hou R, Zhang Z, Feng F, Yang Z, Gu X, Qi D. The development and characteristics of feeding behaviour in captive giant pandas. FOLIA ZOOLOGICA 2017. [DOI: 10.25225/fozo.v66.i3.a7.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chao Chen
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu 610086, China
| | - Peng Chen
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu 610086, China
| | - Rong Hou
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu 610086, China
| | - Zhihe Zhang
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu 610086, China
| | - Feifei Feng
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu 610086, China
| | - Zhisong Yang
- College of Life, China West Normal University, Nanchong, Sichuan Province 637009, China
| | - Xiaodong Gu
- Sichuan Forestry Department, Wildlife Conservation Division, Chengdu 610000, China
| | - Dunwu Qi
- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Sichuan Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Chengdu 610086, China
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