Identification of Different Digestive Microbes in Panda Species Boots Conservation Efforts

Researchers in a new finding reveal that the giant and red pandas have different digestive microbes.

Pandas, the rarest member of the bear family, are the world's most threatened animals. Gastrointestinal diseases are a major cause of death among pandas both in the wild and captivity.The giant panda is listed as an endangered species and the red panda as vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Though gastrointestinal diseases is known to be the major cause of mortality in them not much is known about their digestive process.

The study, led by researchers at Mississippi State University, focuses on the digestive system of the pandas, known to prefer fibrous bamboo.  Led by Candace Williams, an MSU doctoral student in biochemistry, this new research was conducted in collaboration with researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Memphis Zoo and the National Zoo, Washington.  Though the study looks separately at the giant panda and the red panda, the two are known to have several similar characteristics.The team basically determined whether or not there existed any similarity in the microbes that play a major role in their diet that mostly consists of plants. 

The researchers worked on the fecal samples that were collected from  two giant pandas and one red panda at the Memphis Zoo, fecal  samples of a red panda at the National Zoo were also used.  With the help of advance genetic sequencing, the researchers determined the kind of gastrointestinal bacteria present in the samples.

 "The procedure revealed all microbes in the fecal matter, including some that were not known,"  Ashli Brown Johnson, MSU scientist, said. "Study of these microbes may have unrealized potential for agriculture, biomass digestion for bioenergy crops or other discovery research applications."

Plant material in fecal matter obstructed the identification of microbes. A method to segregate the two was developed by students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This method enabled the researchers to clearly identify the digestive microbes."Our results revealed significant differences between the microbes found in the two panda species," Johnson said. "While they have some similar microbes in their digestive tracts, each panda species has a different dominant microbe present."

The identification of these gastrointestinal bacteria can help researchers plan effective reforestation through China's mountainous region, the habitat of pandas.  Within this home range there are nearly 50 panda reserves that are established by the Chinese government.  Apart from this the government has banned logging with an aim to preserve the habitat of these vanishing species.

"With gastrointestinal disease causing the greatest natural mortality of red and giant pandas, a greater understanding of the digestive microbes will assist in maintaining captive panda populations housed at zoos," Williams said

Apart from the gastrointestinal disease the panda population faces threat from farming, deforestation and other developmental projects due to which they are forced to move out of the lowland areas where they once dominated in huge numbers.

The finding was presented at the American Society for Microbiology in Boston in May.