Adaptive changes in the intestinal microbiota of giant pandas following reintroduction
Abstract The biggest challenge during the reintroduction of captive giant pandas into the wild is their ability to adapt to the natural environment, and the role of gut microbiota in this process remains unknown. Here, the gut microbiota was analyzed and categorized into training, exploration (1–3 m...
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| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16136-9 |
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| author | Rui Ma Xiang Yu Wenlei Bi Jiabin Liu Zusheng Li Rong Hou Wei Wu Ping Li Hui He Mei Zhang Xi Yang Hong Yang Xiaodong Gu Haijun Gu Qian Zhang Dunwu Qi |
| author_facet | Rui Ma Xiang Yu Wenlei Bi Jiabin Liu Zusheng Li Rong Hou Wei Wu Ping Li Hui He Mei Zhang Xi Yang Hong Yang Xiaodong Gu Haijun Gu Qian Zhang Dunwu Qi |
| author_sort | Rui Ma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The biggest challenge during the reintroduction of captive giant pandas into the wild is their ability to adapt to the natural environment, and the role of gut microbiota in this process remains unknown. Here, the gut microbiota was analyzed and categorized into training, exploration (1–3 months post-release) and stable period (4–6 months post-release) by activity intensity of released pandas. We found that the gut microbiota diversity of pandas was significantly higher during the stable period compared to the training period. Streptococcus was significantly enriched in the training period, but Clostridium became significantly enriched after being released. KEGG functional prediction analysis revealed that during the stable phase, carbohydrate and amino acids metabolism was significantly reduced, while pathways associated with cofactors and vitamins, other amino acids, lipids, nucleotide and energy metabolism were markedly enriched. This suggests that, after a three-month acclimation period, the transformation of the gut microbiota provides reintroduced giant pandas with more diverse energy acquisition strategies suited to the wild environment. This finding highlighted that the first 3 months post-release are a critical exploration period for digestive adaptation to the wild environment, which will help guide the implementation of future monitoring efforts post-release. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-10dd173f77d942b2b31c92ae236d497d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-10dd173f77d942b2b31c92ae236d497d2025-08-24T11:27:30ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111310.1038/s41598-025-16136-9Adaptive changes in the intestinal microbiota of giant pandas following reintroductionRui Ma0Xiang Yu1Wenlei Bi2Jiabin Liu3Zusheng Li4Rong Hou5Wei Wu6Ping Li7Hui He8Mei Zhang9Xi Yang10Hong Yang11Xiaodong Gu12Haijun Gu13Qian Zhang14Dunwu Qi15The Conservation of Endangered Wildlife Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda BreedingThe Conservation of Endangered Wildlife Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda BreedingThe Conservation of Endangered Wildlife Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda BreedingThe Conservation of Endangered Wildlife Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda BreedingThe Conservation of Endangered Wildlife Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda BreedingThe Conservation of Endangered Wildlife Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda BreedingThe Conservation of Endangered Wildlife Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda BreedingAdministration of Daxiangling Nature ReserveAdministration of Daxiangling Nature ReserveAdministration of Daxiangling Nature ReserveAdministration of Daxiangling Nature ReserveAdministration of Daxiangling Nature ReserveSichuan Forestry and Grassland BureauSichuan Forestry and Grassland BureauSichuan Forestry and Grassland BureauThe Conservation of Endangered Wildlife Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda BreedingAbstract The biggest challenge during the reintroduction of captive giant pandas into the wild is their ability to adapt to the natural environment, and the role of gut microbiota in this process remains unknown. Here, the gut microbiota was analyzed and categorized into training, exploration (1–3 months post-release) and stable period (4–6 months post-release) by activity intensity of released pandas. We found that the gut microbiota diversity of pandas was significantly higher during the stable period compared to the training period. Streptococcus was significantly enriched in the training period, but Clostridium became significantly enriched after being released. KEGG functional prediction analysis revealed that during the stable phase, carbohydrate and amino acids metabolism was significantly reduced, while pathways associated with cofactors and vitamins, other amino acids, lipids, nucleotide and energy metabolism were markedly enriched. This suggests that, after a three-month acclimation period, the transformation of the gut microbiota provides reintroduced giant pandas with more diverse energy acquisition strategies suited to the wild environment. This finding highlighted that the first 3 months post-release are a critical exploration period for digestive adaptation to the wild environment, which will help guide the implementation of future monitoring efforts post-release.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16136-9Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)ReintroductionGut microbiotaAdaptive changes |
| spellingShingle | Rui Ma Xiang Yu Wenlei Bi Jiabin Liu Zusheng Li Rong Hou Wei Wu Ping Li Hui He Mei Zhang Xi Yang Hong Yang Xiaodong Gu Haijun Gu Qian Zhang Dunwu Qi Adaptive changes in the intestinal microbiota of giant pandas following reintroduction Scientific Reports Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) Reintroduction Gut microbiota Adaptive changes |
| title | Adaptive changes in the intestinal microbiota of giant pandas following reintroduction |
| title_full | Adaptive changes in the intestinal microbiota of giant pandas following reintroduction |
| title_fullStr | Adaptive changes in the intestinal microbiota of giant pandas following reintroduction |
| title_full_unstemmed | Adaptive changes in the intestinal microbiota of giant pandas following reintroduction |
| title_short | Adaptive changes in the intestinal microbiota of giant pandas following reintroduction |
| title_sort | adaptive changes in the intestinal microbiota of giant pandas following reintroduction |
| topic | Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) Reintroduction Gut microbiota Adaptive changes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16136-9 |
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