Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Genomic data from historical specimens can provide insights into populations and processes no longer evident from modern samples. Identifying viable sources of historical DNA is key to this. Here we aimed to explore the viability of trophy hunting paws as sources of historical DNA, and to use this data for preliminary analyses to evaluate changes in population structuring over time. We aimed to search for the presence of genomic signals of the putative recent introduction of Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) from Asia to the UK previously identified using modern data, by analysis of two trophy paws from 1929 to 1952. Substantial proportions of endogenous DNA (77–85%) were identified in both samples for which genomic DNA extraction and sequencing was attempted, illustrating the potential of such specimens for historical DNA research. Autosomal variation suggests that the historical specimens cluster closest to modern specimens from Wales, and not with the variation identified in the East of England, putatively associated with the recent introduction of Eurasian otters from Asia. Similarly, the divergent mitochondrial lineage found in modern otters from the East of England and Asia, was not found in the historical British specimens. Although limited inferences can be made from a sample size of two, this preliminary dataset indicates the huge potential of historical trophy paw samples to assess past population genetic dynamics, calling for further research in this area.

The metabolic, immune, and endocrine systems show profound seasonal changes in animals, including humans. In addition, morbidity from cardiovascular and psychiatric diseases is more severe and mortality rate is higher in winter. However, their molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Here we report the seasonal transcriptome of 80 tissues collected over 1 year from male and female rhesus macaques kept in a semi-natural outdoor environment. We find seasonal changes in plasma metabolites and hormones. Transcriptome analysis identifies sex differences in seasonally oscillating genes (SOGs) in all tissues studied, and we generate the web database ‘Non-Human Primate Seasonal Transcriptome Atlas (NHPSTA).’ Transcriptional regulatory network analysis, siRNA knockdown, and mutant mouse analyses reveal regulation of SOGs by GA-binding protein (GABP). We also demonstrate seasonal oscillations in the expression of disease risk factor genes and drug interacting genes. NHPSTA provides a molecular resource for seasonally regulated physiology and targets for therapeutic interventions for seasonally regulated diseases.

The Asian longhorned tick (ALT), Haemaphysalis longicornis, is a three‐host hard tick native to East Asia. Its opportunistic feeding habits make it an acute agricultural and medical threat, capable of spreading various zoonotic pathogens. An affinity for livestock and companion animals has allowed parthenogenetic populations of ALT to travel to and establish in overseas locations including the United States. To better understand the population dynamics of this rapidly expanding species, we sequenced the complete mitogenome of specimens collected from native and invasive ranges and performed phylogeographic analyses. As well as illustrating the diversity of Australasian and US ALT haplotypes, these methods have allowed us to estimate the source and frequency of successful introductions to the US. We highlight four potential introductions of parthenogenetic ALT, with likely origin populations identified in the Republic of Korea and Japan. These findings provide insight into potential routes of entry for ALT and other invasive tick species.

Background Despite the presence of a large number of toxic components, primarily juglone, in walnut green husks, these components have failed to prevent infestations of the specialized pest Atrijuglans aristata. At present, it remains unclear whether detoxification genes play a pivotal role in enhancing host fitness of A. aristata. In this study, we explored the adaptation mechanisms of A. aristata to host plants by identifying and expressing gene families associated with detoxification, as well as assessing the binding affinity of their protein products with juglone. Results We identified 84 P450 (P450 monooxygenases), 48 COE (carboxylesterases), 34 GST (glutathione S-transferases), 26 UGT (UDP-glycosyltransferases), and 57 ABC (ATP-binding cassette) transporter genes in the genome of A. aristata. The P450 gene family of A. aristata was divided into four classes based on phylogenetic relationships. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that 383 genes in the larval guts of A. aristata were significantly down-regulated after starvation treatment compared with normal feeding. These genes were frequently enriched in pathways related to P450 detoxification metabolism. Through homology modeling and molecular docking analysis of the 12 significantly down-regulated P450 genes, it was found that all 12 proteins exhibited strong binding affinities with the ligand molecule juglone. Conclusions The gene number of the detoxification-related families in the A. aristata genome is close to that of other specialized insect species. Twelve candidate P450 genes identified in comparative transcriptome analysis are inferred to be involved in host adaptation of A. aristata. These results provide a theoretical basis for the management of walnut pests.

Background Jianfengling on southwestern Hainan Island is sanctuary for a diverse range of wild animals. However, the exact extent of mammal species diversity and conservation status in Jianfengling remains largely unknown, despite their crucial role in maintaining the ecological balance. This study focused on the diversity and distribution status of mammal species in Jianfengling, Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, China. Results The survey, which spans from October 2020 to November 2021, with 41,571 camera days and 8,091 independent detections, revealed 15 mammalian species belonging to 6 orders and 10 families. Among these, one was categorized as Critically Endangered, one as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, two were categorized as Critically Endangered or Endangered on the Red List of China’s Vertebrates, and five were China’s national first-class or second-class key protected wildlife. Notably, populations of the Chinese pangolin ( Manis pentadactyla ) were confirmed to persist in the wild of Jianfengling. In terms of the relative abundance indices (RAIs) of mammals captured by camera traps, the most prevalent species identified was Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine ( Atherurus macrourus ), followed by the wild boar ( Sus scrofa ), pallas’s squirrel ( Callosciurus erythraeus ), and Hainan muntjac ( Muntiacus nigripes ). The monitoring also captured a significant number of domestic dogs, as well as human disturbances. Conclusion These findings underscore the importance of conserving these mammals and emphasize the need for conservation efforts to protect their habitats and reduce human activities that threaten their survival, thereby maintaining the ecological balance of the region.

Umbrella species are widely used as conservation strategies for the design of reserves. However, empirical data on their potential effectiveness, particularly in the context of climate change, is limited and inconclusive. Here, we evaluated the potential umbrella effectiveness of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and its reserve network in the Qinling Mountains for the conservation of sympatric golden snub‐nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) under climate change. We modeled their current and future habitat suitability index (HSI) by using the MaxEnt model and analyzed their current and future spatial congruence of HSI. Their suitable areas were also overlaid onto the boundaries and management zones of the reserve network. Subsequently, we designed a series of indices to assess the potential umbrella effectiveness of the reserve network under climate change. Our results indicate that their habitat spatial congruence will remain high in the future. The suitable habitat of giant pandas overlaps substantially with that of golden snub‐nosed monkeys in both present and future. Importantly, the umbrella effectiveness of the reserve network for the golden snub‐nosed monkey will not decrease. However, there are still some protection gaps shared by them outside the reserve network. Overall, our results demonstrate that the giant panda and its reserve network can serve as an effective umbrella for the golden snub‐nosed monkey under climate change, providing theoretical support to the application of umbrella species under climate change.

Anthropogenic climate change affects biological diversity by altering their suitable habitat ranges. The Himalayan region is one of the world's most sensitive biodiversity hotspots to global climate change. The Chitwan Annapurna Landscape (CHAL) in the central Himalayas serves as a vital north–south linkage among the protected areas in central Nepal and provides suitable habitats for threatened mammals in different ecological zones, such as snow leopards (in the alpine zone), Himalayan red panda (in the temperate zone), and one‐horned rhinoceros (in the lowland tropical zone). The biodiversity of CHAL is threatened by climate change and land use alterations. This study assessed the potential impacts of climate and land cover changes on the above three key threatened mammals in CHAL by employing maximum entropy (MaxEnt) modeling to predict the current potential habitat and project it for future climate change scenarios under different greenhouse gas concentrations. Further, we used the cellular automata and Markov Chain models to simulate and predict the temporal and spatial changes in land cover of CHAL. Our results indicate that the snow leopard and Himalayan red panda will experience more significant vulnerability than the one‐horned rhinoceros in all future climate scenarios. Approximately 36.3% and 41.8% of the suitable habitat of the snow leopard and 32.5% and 56% of the Himalayan red panda in CHAL are projected to be lost in 2050 and 2070, respectively, under representative concentration pathway (RCP6.0). Climate refugia, representing areas of suitable habitat for 2070 (under the RCP6.0) in CHAL, are projected to cover 958 km² (80.37% of the current range), 1052 km² (43.73% of the current range), and 2375 km² (58.21% of the current range) for one‐horned rhinoceros, Himalayan red panda, and snow leopard, respectively. Among the land cover attributes in CHAL, snow cover is predicted to decrease by 24% in 2070. Our findings indicate that species inhabiting alpine and temperate environments are more susceptible to human‐induced climate change than those inhabiting lowland tropical areas. These findings will help to implement the adaptation actions that are crucial to addressing future conservation challenges arising from climate and land cover change.

As we humans continue our detrimental activities on the planet, the biodiversity loss is now seen as a big threat to entire ecosystem in which we all live. This issue becomes even more critical as we see a rapid increase in the number of animal species being listed as endangered, and a far greater rate of species extinction. We all know that felines play a crucial part in our ecosystems, it is therefore safe to argue that their conservation could play an important role in minimizing the biodiversity loss. Advanced reproductive biotechnologies including testicular tissue cryopreservation and transplantation are considered as effective tools for the conservation of animal species. As we have seen with the Giant Panda, these biotechnologies could offer new possibilities for the conservation of other endangered species including felines. Although previously a few wild feline spp. were conserved by this method, little is known about the factors influencing the efficiency of these methods. Therefore, if we are to maximize the conservation efforts, further optimization of these biotechnologies is required to achieve better conservation results. In this article, we present an overview of testicular tissue of felines and the factors influencing testicular tissue cryopreservation and testicular graft recovery in felines.

The oriental genus Labidolanguria Fowler, 1908, previously remained unknown in China, is revised in this study. A new species, Labidolanguria liangi Huang, sp. nov., is described and illustrated from the Xizang Autonomous Region. Two new combinations are proposed: Labidolanguria apicata (Zia, 1959), comb. nov., and L. sauteri (Fowler, 1913), comb. nov. This genus now comprises four recognized species in Asian, and a key is provided for their identification. The relationship of the genus Labidolanguria to closely related genera is discussed.

Interspecific interactions are crucial for maintaining ecological balance. Foraging and food consumption are fundamental for the survival of animals. In natural environments, wild rodents feed on various insect species, including moth larvae, and odor-guided evaluation of potential food resources is a critical step in initiating feeding behavior. However, the mechanisms by which rodents seek and feed on insect prey remain poorly understood. Herein, we employed a laboratory-based predator-prey interaction system using mice and cotton bollworm larvae to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying food-seeking and feeding behaviors at both cellular and neural circuit levels. We demonstrate that mice exhibit a strong preference for consuming fed larvae, and this preference is dependent on the main olfactory system. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed significant differences in the chemical profiles of fed and unfed larvae, with fed larvae containing a higher level of linoleic acid (LA) and a lower level of (Z)-9-tricosene ((Z)-9-TE). Behavioral assays showed that mice, as well as Brand’s voles and brown rats, are attracted to LA but avoid (Z)-9-TE in a two-choice odor preference test. Furthermore, we identified that the dopaminergic pathway from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the medial olfactory tubercle (mOT) plays a central role in mediating this preference. Chemogenetic inhibition of this pathway abolished the preference for LA over (Z)-9-TE, while chemogenetic activation reversed this effect. Additionally, fiber photometry recordings and pharmacology revealed that mOT D1 and D2 spiny projection neurons (SPNs) preferentially mediate attraction to LA and avoidance of (Z)-9-TE, respectively. These findings provide a framework for rodents’ food forage and consumption in the complicated natural environment.

The growth and formation of tissues, such as skeletal muscle, involve a complex interplay of spatiotemporal events, including cell migration, orientation, proliferation, and differentiation. With the continuous advancement of in vitro construction techniques, many studies have contributed to skeletal muscle tissue engineering (STME). This review summarizes recent advances in the ordered construction of skeletal muscle tissues, and evaluates the impact of engineering strategies on cell behavior and maturation, including biomaterials, manufacturing methods and training means. Biomaterials are used as scaffolds to provide a good microenvironment for myoblasts, manufacturing methods to guide the alignment of myoblasts through construction techniques, and external stimulation to further promote the myoblast orientation and maturation after construction, resulting in oriented and functional skeletal muscle tissues. Subsequently, we critically examine recent advancements in engineered composite skeletal muscle constructs, with particular emphasis on essential functionalization strategies including skeletal muscle vascularization, innervation and others. Concurrently, we evaluate emerging applications of STME in diverse translational areas such as volumetric muscle loss treatment, muscle-related disease models, drug screening, biohybrid robots, and cultured meat. Finally, future perspectives are proposed to provide guidance for rational design based on engineering strategies in STME.

Climate change is reshaping species distributions, yet the extent to which vulnerability to climate-driven range loss is shaped by evolutionary history versus ecological traits remains unresolved. Here, we integrate high-resolution species distribution models with spatial, life-history, and phylogenetic trait data for 26,202 terrestrial vertebrates worldwide. We find that vulnerability to climate change is poorly conserved across the vertebrate tree of life (phylogenetic D ≈ 0.84–0.90) but is strongly predicted by ecological traits such as narrow elevational and latitudinal ranges, large body size, and habitat specialization. These trait-vulnerability associations are consistent across amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Species already classified as threatened by IUCN face disproportionately higher risk, particularly when combined with narrow ecological niches. Our findings challenge the assumption that closely related species share similar climate sensitivities, and instead support a trait-based framework for understanding and predicting species' climate vulnerability. This work provides critical insights into the evolutionary ecology of extinction risk and identifies conservation priorities under rapid environmental change.

Diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) is a pathological condition characterised by reduced ovarian function, which refers to the decreased quality and quantity of oocytes, potentially causing female infertility and various health issues. Follicular fluid (FF) serves as the microenvironment for follicular development and oocyte maturation, gaining an in‐depth understanding of the metabolic state of FF will help us uncover the key biological processes involved in ovarian aging, while the specific underlying pathogenic mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we utilised pseudotargeted metabolomic analysis of FF to reveal the glycerophospholipid metabolism dysfunction mediated by GPD1L in DOR patients. We also found that GPD1L was downregulated in granulosa cells (GCs) of DOR patients, resulting in increased cell apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction. Moreover, our results demonstrated that the downregulated expression of GPD1L could induce follicular atresia and impair oocyte quality in mouse ovaries. Altogether, our research suggested that GPD1L in GCs and the key metabolites in the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway could potentially act as novel biomarkers of DOR diagnosis, paving the way for a new theoretical basis for understanding the pathogenesis of DOR.

Coccinellidae (ladybird beetles) comprises around 6900 described species with a worldwide distribution and exhibits a broad trophic diversity. Complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) are valuable resources in many research fields, such as genomics, population genetics, molecular evolution, and phylogenetics. Here we sequenced and report the complete mitogenome of Calvia chinensis, Micraspis discolor, Harmonia eucharis, and Oenopia kirbyi. By comparing with the 36 complete mitogenomes published in GenBank, we found that the long noncoding region (LNCR) between trnI and trnQ is present in the mitogenome of Chilocorini and Coccinellini, and the size of LNCR is positively correlated with their mitogenome size. The variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) was detected in the LNCR of Calvia chinensis and Oenopia kirbyi, indicating that the LNCR may be associated with the transcriptional regulation of the mitogenome. Heterogeneity in the base composition was encountered among the mitogenomes in Coccinellidae, especially in Noviini and some species of Epilachnini and Coccinellini, which may lead to unstable phylogenetic topologies. Phylogenetic relationships have been reconstructed by maximum likelihood and Bayesian inferences based on two mitogenomic datasets, PCG_rRNA (all 13 PCGs and two rRNAs) and PCG12_rRNA (all 13 PCGs with the third codon position excluded and two rRNAs). Our results are close to the subfamily and tribe classification system reported in previous studies and suggest the maximum likelihood analysis based on the PCG12_rRNA dataset is more sensitive in avoiding the false grouping of unrelated taxa with similar base composition in the reconstruction of the phylogeny.

The spiders of the Pholcus phungiformes species group in China are distributed across the Lüliang Mountains and the Yanshan-Taihang Mountains in northern China, and the Changbai Mountains, which border northeastern China and North Korea. This study presents the first collection of the P. phungiformes species group from mountainous regions situated between the Yanshan-Taihang and Changbai Mountains, revealing six new species: Pholcus chaoyang S. Li & Yao, sp. nov., P. hebei S. Li & Yao, sp. nov., P. huludao S. Li & Yao, sp. nov., P. jinzhou S. Li & Yao, sp. nov., P. liaoning S. Li & Yao, sp. nov., and P. qin S. Li & Yao, sp. nov. Detailed diagnoses, descriptions, photomicroscopy images, and DNA barcodes of new species are provided.

Conservation of designated source sites is a fundamental strategy for global tiger recovery. Reliable estimates of tiger Panthera tigris habitat use within these source sites are crucial for informing effective management strategies. In this study, we assessed tiger habitat use within the Bardia‐Banke Complex, one of the 42 global source sites, situated in the western Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) of Nepal. We conducted a grid‐based detection and non‐detection camera trap survey across 719 grid cells, each measuring 2 × 2 km². To assess tiger habitat use while accounting for imperfect detectability, we applied a single‐season occupancy model. We analyzed nine covariates that have the potential to influence tiger habitat use in the Complex, including terrain, co‐predators, prey, water availability, and disturbance. We found that fine scale (2 × 2 km²) tiger habitat use in the Complex was 0.43 (SE ± 0.0085, 95% CI: 0.414–0.448). Our analysis demonstrated that tigers used habitats unevenly across the Bardia‐Banke Complex. Our results showed that the terrain ruggedness index, prey index, and proximity to waterholes were key determinants of tiger habitat use. Tiger habitat use was positively associated with prey abundance and negatively associated with terrain ruggedness and distance to waterholes. We emphasize the importance of influencing habitat covariates that determine the probability of habitat use for taking appropriate habitat‐management decisions for tiger conservation in the TAL. We highlight the importance of periodic assessment of tiger habitat use in this globally significant source site to monitor changes in spatial habitat use patterns, serving as a measure of the effectiveness of wildlife management interventions.

Gelechioidea represents the most diverse superfamily of tiny boring pests in Lepidoptera that pose a serious threat to agricultural and forestry economic crops. However, the lack of high-quality genome of highly specialized species makes it difficult to draw general conclusions about the mechanism of the close binding relationship between pests and crops. In this study, based on second- and third-generation sequencing reads, we constructed a chromosome-level genome for the Atrijuglans aristata, a specialized boring pest, that specifically harms the green husk of cultivated walnuts. The genome is 480.99 Mb and spans 31 pseudo-chromosomes, including Z and a portion of W chromosome. Contig N50 and scaffold N50 of the genome are 2.68 Mb and 16.01 Mb respectively. The BUSCO completeness achieves 95.6% with a total of 22,542 protein-coding genes are annotated. As the first sequenced genome of Stathmopodidae family, this high-quality genome provides a genetic basis for the mining of genes for important functional traits in A. aristata, as well as an important reference for the study of host adaptation of the (insect) specialists.