Study shows not all pandas are the same
Print Edition
Chinese researchers have released the genomes of two giant panda subspecies, revealing the evolutionary characteristics of the giant panda.
Black-and-white giant pandas might all look similar, but there are two different types living in China, namely the Qinling and Sichuan subspecies.
The pandas from southwest China鈥檚 Sichuan Province have bigger, longer heads and look more similar to bears. Those from the Qinling Mountains of the northwestern Shaanxi Province have rounder heads with shorter noses, meaning they look more like cats.
In a recent issue of Science Bulletin, researchers from Zhejiang University, the BGI Life Science Research Institution, the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda and other research institutes reported the genomes of the two giant panda subspecies, including the first genome assembly of the Qinling subspecies.
Compared with the first giant panda genome published in 2010, the quality of the two newly released genomes has been much improved with the development of sequencing technologies.
They found that giant pandas split into the Sichuan and Qinling subspecies about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.
Genomic analyses showed that the loss of regulatory elements in the DACH2 gene and changes in the SYT6 gene may be responsible for the giant panda鈥檚 low fertility rate.
The IQCD gene may be the key why Sichuan giant pandas have a relatively high fertility rate compared with the Qinling subspecies. Fang Guosheng from Zhejiang University said that interaction between the two subspecies should be avoided in captive breeding programs.
Hybrid offspring may have genetic defects, affecting reproduction and survival of giant panda species.
In 2018, Shaanxi Province launched an ecological corridor program designed to connect the fragmented habitats of giant pandas to promote the gene flow diversity of one of the world鈥檚 most famous animals.
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