For solitary species that aggregate to breed, signals, such as sound or odor, transmitted across the landscape can play an important role in mate choice and coordinating breeding activity. Recent work on vocalizations of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), bleats and chirps that are emitted during periods of reproductive activity, has revealed that auditory communication in this species is more complicated and developed than once believed. However, playback experiments using these calls have recorded only a few behaviors over short observation times and the influence of these calls on the signaling behavior of receivers remains unknown. Here, we present results from a pilot study in which we played the bleats of male and female giant pandas in estrus to captive animals and measured vocal and chemical signaling response behavior. We found an increase in scent marking behavior, but not vocalizations, in males and females following the playback of calls made by members of the opposite sex in estrus. To our knowledge, this is the first study to detect a chemical communication response, which was marking, to an auditory signal in giant pandas. Our findings reveal a previously unknown relationship between acoustic and chemical signals in this high profile species and suggest that these two forms of signaling may be interdependent in the social lives of giant pandas.
Chemical communication plays an important role in kin selection and mate choice in mammals. The covariance of odor-genes of rodents has been documented and kinship odor has been proposed and termed, yet little is known of the relationship between genetic relatedness and chemical composition of kinship odors. Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) rely substantially on chemical communication to mediate their social interactions. To examine the relationship between genetic relatedness and compounds in the urine/anogenital gland secretions, we compared the similarities between genetic relatedness and the chemical profiles of anogenital gland secretions and urine via lineage construction and GC-MS (gas chromatography and mass spectrometry). We found that information about kinship odors was present only in the urine of male adults in the mating season but absent in the non-mating season. Adult females and all sub-adults did not have such kinship odors in either mating or non-mating season. Therefore, kinship odor in the panda was contingent on age, sex, and season. This is the first report about the condition-dependent expression of kinship odor, which may have a sig- nificant implication in the practice of panda conservation in relation to chemical communication and sexual selection.
LIU DingZhenWEI RongPingZHANG GuiQuanYUAN HongWANG ZhiPengSUN LixingZHANG JianxuZHANG HeMin
The effects of individual removal by zoo managers on behavior and fecal glucocorticoid changes in snub-nosed monkeys(Rhinopithecus roxellana) were investigated at Beijing Zoo.The results showed that the effect of the removal of three subordinate individuals(DD,male,4 years;XZZ,male,3 years and LL,female,3 years) from a group varied across the remaining group members that may be related to individual's social status,gender and age.The dominant male was impacted less than subordinate individuals in both the frequency and time duration for the four main behavioral categories.The frequency of stereotypic behavior significantly decreased in the dominant female after the removal of three animals(Z= 2.862,P=0.003).Fluctuations were found in both the behavioral frequency and time duration in other remaining individuals.These findings suggest that small,socially stable groups were somewhat resilient to changes in member composition.Moreover,the cortisol level did not change significantly in the remaining members.An alternative method of hormone assay using fecal samples for vulnerable animals was presented,and that may be useful for monitoring wild golden monkeys and other endangered species of animal.
