14 DAY TRIAL // A group of genetics experts has recently determined that the landscapes in which pandas live have a tremendous importance for the way the animals transmit their genes. Giant pandas are already threatened with extinction, due to over-hunting and habitat reduction, and so any new knowledge that could shed some light on how to protect the species is welcomed. These animals feed exclusively on bamboo, and they can be found in some remote parts of continental China, AlphaGalileo reports.
In a series of genetic analyses of the creature, scientists determined that the movement of genes within the panda population falls under the influence of the area where the animal lives. In other words, genetic subgroups can appear within the species depending on their degree of isolation from other individuals. For example, inside a tightly-isolated forest clearing, one group could separate through minute genetic differences from another group, living just miles away, outside of the forest. The same holds true for animals living on a mountaintop, or in a reclusive valley, investigators believe.
The groups are additionally isolated by areas of land that completely lack bamboo. Given that this is the preferred food of the pandas, is stands to reason that little to no individuals would risk venturing into an area that lacks their source of nourishment. As such, members of one group cannot reach any other group, regardless of how close they may be to each other in reality. “These results suggest that gene flow will be enhanced if the connectivity between the currently fragmented bamboo forests is increased. This may be of importance to conservation efforts as gene flow is one of the most important factors for maintaining genetic diversity within a species and counteracting the negative effects of habitat fragmentation” says Chinese Academy of Sciences expert Fuwen Wei.
He is the leader of a research team that investigated areas of the Xiaoxiangling and Daxiangling mountains, in an attempt to gain more data on the genetic diversity of panda groups. The conclusions of the investigation were published in the latest issue of the open-access scientist journal BMC Genetics. “It is vital to reconnect the fragmented habitats and increase the connectivity of bamboo resources within a habitat to restore population viability of the giant panda in these regions,” the scientists write in the journal entry. They say that 192 individual samples containing panda DNA revealed the existence of 53 unique genotypes, a clear indicator of genetic fragmentation.