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Feeding habits and foraging patch selection strategy of the giant panda in the Meigu Dafengding National Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, China

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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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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the staff of the Meigu Dafengding National Nature Reserve for their assistance with field data collection. We express our great thanks for the support from following projects: National Natural Science Foundation of China (32070524, 31801992, 41901224), Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province (2022JDJQ0060, 2022JDR0033), and the Second Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Comprehensive Scientific Survey (2019QZKK05010502).

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32070524, 31801992), Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province (2022JDJQ0060, 2022JDR0033), and the Second Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Comprehensive Scientific Survey (2019QZKK05010502).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, China

    Ying Zeng, Han Han, Lan Qiu, Youyou Huang, Hong Zhou & Wei Wei

  2. Liziping Giant Panda’s Ecology and Conservation Observation and Research Station of Sichuan Province, Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province, Nanchong, China

    Han Han, Hong Zhou & Wei Wei

  3. Sichuan Meigu Dafengding National Nature Reserve Administration, Meigu, China

    Yihua Gong, Shibu Qubi & Minghua Chen

Authors
  1. Ying Zeng
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  2. Han Han
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  8. Hong Zhou
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  9. Wei Wei
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Contributions

W. W and H. Z designed this project. Y. G, S. Q, and M. C conducted field investigation. W. W and Y. Z conducted the data query and statistics. Y. Z and H. Z wrote the manuscript, with contributions from W.W. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Wei Wei.

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Zeng, Y., Han, H., Gong, Y. et al. Feeding habits and foraging patch selection strategy of the giant panda in the Meigu Dafengding National Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 49125–49135 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-25769-0

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