Black and white and read all over: the past, present and future of giant panda genetics

Wei, Fuwen; Hu, Yibo; Zhu, Lifeng; Bruford, Michael William; Zhan, Xiangjiang; Zhang, Lei

doi:10.1111/mec.12096

Cited by 131 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 81 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Within past years, much progress has been made in research employing neutral markers such as mtDNA and microsatellites, which are very informative for exploring the evolutionary history of extant pandas. Moderate to relative high levels of diversity have been detected using these neutral markers in the giant panda, and a consistent anthropogenic pressure has been revealed in the recent population decline (Zhang et al, 2007;Qi et al, 2012;Wei et al, 2012;Zhao et al, 2013). Population fragmentation and demographic isolation were also shown to be significant in affecting dispersal and gene flow in wild pandas (Hu et al, 2010;Zhu et al, 2010;Wei et al, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Moderate to relative high levels of diversity have been detected using these neutral markers in the giant panda, and a consistent anthropogenic pressure has been revealed in the recent population decline (Zhang et al, 2007;Qi et al, 2012;Wei et al, 2012;Zhao et al, 2013). Population fragmentation and demographic isolation were also shown to be significant in affecting dispersal and gene flow in wild pandas (Hu et al, 2010;Zhu et al, 2010;Wei et al, 2012). Nevertheless, direct information on contemporary selection processes involving the interaction of individuals with their environment can only be provided by genes under selection (Sommer, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Major histocompatibility complex alleles associated with parasite susceptibility in wild giant pandas

Zhang

et al. 2014

Heredity

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) polymorphism is thought to be driven by antagonistic coevolution between pathogens and hosts, mediated through either overdominance or frequency-dependent selection. However, investigations under natural conditions are still rare for endangered mammals which often exhibit depleted variation, and the mechanism of selection underlying the maintenance of characteristics remains a considerable debate. In this study, 87 wild giant pandas were used to investigate MHC variation associated with parasite load. With the knowledge of the MHC profile provided by the genomic data of the giant panda, seven DRB1, seven DQA1 and eight DQA2 alleles were identified at each single locus. Positive selection evidenced by a significantly higher number of non-synonymous substitutions per non-synonymous codon site relative to synonymous substitutions per synonymous codon site could only be detected at the DRB1 locus, which leads to the speculation that DRB1 may have a more important role in dealing with parasite infection for pandas. Coprological analyses revealed that 55.17% of individuals exhibited infection with 1-2 helminthes and 95.3% of infected pandas carried Baylisascaris shroederi. Using a generalized linear model, we found that Aime-DRB1*10 was significantly associated with parasite infection, but no resistant alleles could be detected. MHC heterozygosity of the pandas was found to be uncorrelated with the infection status or the infection intensity. These results suggested that the possible selection mechanisms in extant wild pandas may be frequency dependent rather than being determined by overdominance selection. Our findings could guide the candidate selection for the ongoing reintroduction or translocation of pandas.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Major histocompatibility complex alleles associated with parasite susceptibility in wild giant pandas

Zhang

et al. 2014

Heredity

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In 1988, the Chinese government enacted the Wildlife Protection Law whereby conservation of giant pandas became a priority and significant in situ and ex situ conservation programs were implemented. Currently, over 65 giant panda reserves are established across the range, and captive breeding of animals is so successful that plans are underway to release captive-born animals into the wild (State Forestry Administration of China 2006, Wei et al 2012.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic consequences of historical anthropogenic and ecological events on giant pandas

Zhu

et al. 2013

Ecology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) was taken to the brink of extinction in the 1980s through a combination of deforestation, large-scale loss of bamboo in the core of its range, poaching, and zoo collection, causing over 1000 deaths from the 1950s. It was thought that the drastic population decline was likely to impose a severe impact on population viability. Here, based on temporal genotyping of individuals, we show that this rapid decline did not significantly reduce the overall effective population size and genetic variation of this species, or of the two focal populations (Minshan and Qionglai ) that declined the most. These results are contrary to previously assumptions, probably because the population decline has not produced the expected negative impact due to the short time scale involved (at most 10 generations), or because previous surveys underestimated the population size at the time of decline. However, if present-day habitat fragmentation and limited migration of giant pandas remains, we predict a loss of genetic diversity across the giant pandas' range in the near future. Thus, our findings highlight the substantial resilience of this species when facing demographic and environmental stochasticity, but key conservation strategies, such as enhancing habitat connectivity and habitat restoration should be immediately implemented to retain the extant genetic variation and maintain long-term evolutionary potential of this endangered species.

show abstract

“…Wild populations remain under pressure due to habitat fragmentation and demographic isolation, and some are at risk of extinction (Wei et al 2012). In order to supplement and reinforce extant populations, scientists have been working on translocating rescued wild giant pandas into reserves and releasing captive-born individuals into the wild.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Giant panda reintroduction: factors affecting public support

Liu

Wei

et al. 2016

Biodivers Conserv

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Reintroducing captive-born individuals of some extirpated flagship animal species is a helpful and remedy measure for promoting biodiversity conservation, and a successful reintroduction relies heavily on public support. However, little information is available on the factors affecting the public support for reintroduction of large carnivore species. In order to evaluate public support and willingness to pay for the Giant Panda Reintroduction Project (GPRP), we conducted 1100 interviews in August 2014 at Huaying city, Sichuan, China, close to where captive-born giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) will be reintroduced. The results showed that local people strongly support this project and that 78.5 % of them are willing to pay an annual contribution. Per capita annual payments averaged USD31, and the potential value of donations to the GPRP in Huaying is about 11 million USD per year. Factors like interviewees' residential area, occupation, education level, liking of wildlife, level of concern for wildlife conservation, the degree of familiarity with giant pandas, and the frequency of visiting captive giant pandas significantly affected their attitudes and willingness to pay for the project. The notion of ''because I love pandas'' was the main reason why respondents were willing to pay for the project; respondents' doubts about the appropriate use of donated funds made them be unwilling to pay for the Communicated by Dirk Sven Schmeller.Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article

show abstract

Black and white and read all over: the past, present and future of giant panda genetics

Cited by 131 publications

References 81 publications

Major histocompatibility complex alleles associated with parasite susceptibility in wild giant pandas

Major histocompatibility complex alleles associated with parasite susceptibility in wild giant pandas

Genetic consequences of historical anthropogenic and ecological events on giant pandas

Giant panda reintroduction: factors affecting public support

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About