Microhabitat use and separation between giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), takin (Budorcas taxicolor), and goral (Naemorhedus griseus) in Tangjiahe Nature Reserve, China

AbstractHuman activities have been a main cause of floral and faunal species extinction and loss of local and global biodiversity. Habitat and population can become fragmented and isolated under anthropogenic disturbances. In this study, we focus on the effect of human activities on the habitat and population of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in the north slopes of Daxiangling Mountains, Sichuan province, China. Based on eight months of field investigation in 2004, we found that the distribution of the giant panda population has been limited to remnants of habitat due to human activities such as road construction, mining and hydropower stations. There is 100.60 km2 area suitable for the giant panda (including moderately suitable, suitable and most suitable), which only accounts for 21.33% of the bamboo area. Based on a dispersal model COST, there were 79.94 km2 areas (17.12%) (including moderately suitable, suitable and most suitable) for giant panda utilization in reality. Only 16.35 km2 areas (3.5%) of total bamboo area were most suitable. The areas that suitable for panda had decreased 20.66 km2 from 2000 in total due to people activities. The results of this study can be used to provide basic information to build nature reserve for protecting giant panda in Daxiangling Mountains.

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Habitat use by giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in relation to roads in the Wanglang Nature Reserve, People’s Republic of China

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2014-0088 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 92 (8) ◽

pp. 715-719 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Dongwei Kang ◽

Xiaorong Wang ◽

Hongwei Yang ◽

Lijuan Duan ◽

Junqing Li

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Giant Panda ◽

Nature Reserve ◽

People’S Republic Of China ◽

Ailuropoda Melanoleuca ◽

People's Republic Of China ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Giant Pandas ◽

Republic Of China ◽

Wanglang Nature Reserve

The impacts of roads on wildlife and their habitats have been widely recognized. To assess the effects of roads on habitat use of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca (David, 1869)), we investigated the giant panda habitats and the roadside habitats in Wanglang Nature Reserve, People’s Republic of China. We found that giant pandas did not use the road-affected habitats, and compared with giant panda habitats, road-affected habitats were characterized by lower bamboo density and grazing disturbances. Therefore, our study demonstrated that roads negatively affected the habitat use of giant pandas, and such affected habitats could not meet the needs of these animals. These results suggest that to minimize the negative effects of roads on the conservation of species, a full evaluation of the effects of roads on wildlife and their habitats should be conducted before road construction, and effective protection measures should be taken to control for these negative effects.

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Atmospheric deposition exposes pandas to toxic pollutants

10.1101/079632 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Yi-ping Chen ◽

Ying-juan Zheng ◽

Qiang Liu ◽

Yi Song ◽

Zhi-sheng An ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Atmospheric Deposition ◽

Giant Panda ◽

Nature Reserve ◽

Wild Animal ◽

Ailuropoda Melanoleuca ◽

Giant Pandas ◽

Toxic Emissions ◽

The World ◽

Endangered Animals

AbstractThe giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is one of the most endangered animals in the world, and it is recognized worldwide as a symbol for conservation. A previous study showed that wild and captive pandas were exposed to toxins in their diet of bamboo, but the ultimate origin of these toxins is unknown. Here we show that atmospheric deposition is the origin of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the diets of captive and wild Qinling giant pandas. Atmospheric deposition averaged 115 and 49 g⋅m−2⋅yr−1 at China’s Shaanxi Wild Animal Research Center (SWARC) and Foping National Nature Reserve (FNNR), respectively. Atmospheric deposition of heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Pb, Hg, Co, Cu, Zn, Mn and Ni) and POPs at SWARC was higher than at FNNR. Soil concentrations of the aforementioned heavy metals other than As and Zn also were significantly higher at SWARC than at FNNR. We conclude that efforts to conserve the Qinling subspecies of panda may be compromised by air pollution attendant to China’s economic development. Improvement of air quality and reductions of toxic emissions are urgently required to protect China’s iconic species.

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