Fuwen Wei

Chinese Academy of Sciences | CAS · Institute of Zoology

Contemporary biodiversity patterns are shaped by not only modern climate but also factors such as past climate fluctuations. Investigating the relative degree of paleoclimate legacy could help us understand the formation of current biodiversity patterns. However, an assessment of this issue in China is lacking. Here, we investigated the phylogeneti...

Metabolism is the basis for sustaining life and essential to the adaptive evolution of organisms. With the development of high-throughput sequencing technology, genetic mechanisms of adaptive evolution, including metabolic adaptation, have been extensively resolved by omics approaches, but a deep understanding of genetic and epigenetic metabolic ad...

Background Indirect interactions between individual solitary mammals, such as the giant panda, are often overlooked because of their nature, yet are important for maintaining the necessary sociality in solitary species. Methods and results Here, we determined the genetic identity of all giant panda individuals in a local population and matched the...

Marine biodiversity plays important roles in ocean ecosystem services and has substantial economic value. Species diversity (SR), genetic diversity (GD) and phylogenetic diversity (PD), which reflect the number, evolutionary potential and evolutionary history of species in ecosystem functioning, are three important dimensions of biodiversity. Marin...

17 Bats are reservoirs for multiple coronaviruses (CoVs). However, the phylogenetic 18 diversity and transmission of global bat-borne CoVs remain poorly understood. Here, 19 we performed a Bayesian phylogeographic analysis based on 3,594 bat CoV RdRp 20 gene sequences to study the phylogenetic diversity and transmission of bat-borne 21 CoVs and the...

Aim Global warming is threatening species survival worldwide. Cold‐adapted montane ungulates may be among the first species to be affected by global warming. Here, we investigate the behavioural thermoregulation hypothesis that montane ungulates buffer the effects of warming climate through behavioural adjustment. Location Foping National Nature R...

Incorrect species delimitation will lead to inappropriate conservation decisions, especially for threatened species. The takin (Budorcas taxicolor) is a large artiodactyl endemic to the Himalayan-Hengduan-Qinling Mountains and is well-known as its threatened status and the peculiar appearance. However, the speciation, intraspecies taxonomy, evoluti...

Multiple factors influence gut microbiome diversity in vertebrate hosts. Most previous studies have only investigated specific factors and certain host species or taxa. However, a comprehensive assessment of the relative contributions of individual factors towards gut microbial diversity within a broader evolutionary context remains lacking. Here,...

Characteristics of the gut microbiome vary synchronously with changes in host diet. However, the underlying effects of these fluctuations remain unclear. Here, we performed fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) of diet-specific feces from an endangered mammal (the giant panda) into a germ-free mouse model. We demonstrated that the butyrate-produci...

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has launched two long-term, target-based conservation Strategic Plans in the past two decades. We compiled an index-based assessment framework to evaluate target achievements of the CBD using long-term indicators. The CBD Index is steadily increasing, with the Goal Indices for biodiversity mainstreaming,...

This chapter introduces the latest research advances of red panda genomics. Using next-generation sequencing technology, the genome of Chinese red panda has been de novo sequenced and assembled, providing an important genetic resource for red panda study and conservation. Comparative genomics reveals the genetic mechanisms of morphological (pseudo-...

This chapter gave a detailed introduction about the wild red panda populations in China. The results were from the field surveys. The wild red pandas were found in Sichuan, Yunnan, Tibet provinces of China. Now in Qinghai, Shaanxi, Gansu and Guizhou, no red pandas were found for a long time. The authors introduced the status of wild red panda popul...

This chapter summarized the research advances on the red panda ecology, including population ecology, foraging ecology, pathogen study and community ecology. Population ecology was introduced from two aspects of species distribution and habitat status. Foraging ecology was summarized in detail, including diet, dependence on water, latrine, feeding,...

In this chapter, we summarized the conservation initiatives of red pandas in China, including laws and regulations, public education, nature reserves and important conservation projects. Specifically, we introduced important conservation projects such as the Natural Forest Protection Project, Grain to Green Project, National Wildlife Conservation a...

Muntjac deer have experienced drastic karyotype changes during their speciation, making it an ideal model for studying mechanisms and functional consequences of mammalian chromosome evolution. Here we generated chromosome-level genomes for Hydropotes inermis (2n = 70), Muntiacus reevesi (2n = 46), female and male M. crinifrons (2n = 8/9) and a cont...

The giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ) is an iconic mammal, but the function of its black-and-white coloration is mysterious. Using photographs of giant pandas taken in the wild and state-of-the-art image analysis, we confirm the counterintuitive hypothesis that their coloration provides camouflage in their natural environment. The black fur bl...

The mammal gut is a rich reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and the relationship between bacterial communities and ARGs has been widely studied. Despite ecological significance of microeukaryotes (fungi and protists), our understanding of their roles in the mammal gut microbiome and antibiotic resistome is still limited. Here, we used...

ａｎ ｄｉｖｅｒｓｉｔｙ ｉｎ Ｃｈｉｎａ ｒａｎｋｓ ｉｔ ａｓ ｏｎｅ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ ｋｅｙ ｇｒｏｕｐｓ ｉｎ ｍａｉｎｔａｉｎｉｎｇ ｅｃｏｌｏｇｉｃａｌ ｆｕｎｃｔｉｏｎ． Ｓｉｎｃｅ Ｍｒ． Ｊｏｈｎ Ｒ． Ｒｅｅｖｅｓ ｃｏｎｄｕｃｔｅｄ ｔｈｅ ｆｉｒｓｔ ｍａｍｍａｌｉａｎ ｓｕｒｖｅｙ ｉｎ Ｇｕａｎｇｄｏｎｇ，Ｃｈｉｎａ，ｆｒｏｍ １８２９ ｔｏ １８３４，Ｃｈｉｎｅｓｅ ｍａｍｍａｌｔａｘｏｎｏｍｉｃ ａｎｄ ｓｙｓｔｅｍａｔｉｃ ｒｅｓｅａｒｃｈｅｓ ｈａｖｅ ｍａｄｅ ｒｅｍａｒｋａｂｌｅ ｐｒｏｇｒｅｓｓ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｐａｓｔ ２００ ｙｅａｒｓ． Ｐｒｅｓｅｎｔｌｙ，ｔｈｅ ｎｕｍｂｅｒ ｏｆ ｍａｍｍａｌ ｓｐｅｃｉｅｓ ｉｎ Ｃｈｉｎａ ｈａｓ ｒｅａｃ...

Background Flavonoids are important plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) that have been widely used for their health-promoting effects. However, little is known about overall flavonoid metabolism and the interactive effects between flavonoids and the gut microbiota. The flavonoid-rich bamboo and the giant panda provide an ideal system to bridge this...

Traits of organisms are shaped by their living environments and also determined in part by their phylogenetic relationships. For example, phylogenetic relationships often affect the geographic distributions of animals and cause variation in their living environments, which usually play key roles in the life history and determine the functional trai...

Ｃｈｉｎａ ｉｓ ｏｎｅ ｏｆ ｔｈｅ ｃｏｕｎｔｒｉｅｓ ｗｉｔｈ ｔｈｅ ｈｉｇｈｅｓｔ ｄｉｖｅｒｓｉｔｙ ｏｆ ｍａｍｍａｌｉａｎ ｓｐｅｃｉｅｓ Ｋｎｏｗｌｅｄｇｅ ｏｆ ｍａｍｍａｌｉａｎ ｄｉｖｅｒｓｉｔｙ ａｎｄ ｔｈｅｉｒ ｔａｘｏｎｏｍｙ ｉｓ ｆｕｎｄａｍｅｎｔａｌ ｔｏ ｍａｍｍａｌｉａｎ ｒｅｓｅａｒｃｈ ａｎｄ ｉｓ ｔｈｅ ｂａｓｉｓ ｏｆ ｓｃｉｅｎｔｉｆｉｃ ｃｏｎｓｅｒｖａｔｉｏｎ ｏｆ ｗｉｌｄ ｐｏｐｕｌａｔｉｏｎｓ． Ｔｏ ｃｌａｒｉｆｙ ｔｈｅ ｓｐｅｃｉｅｓ ｄｉｖｅｒｓｉｔｙ ａｎｄ ｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔ ｔａｘｏｎｏｍｉｃ ｉｎｆｏｒｍａｔｉｏｎ ｓｕｃｈ ａｓ ｔｈｅ ｔａｘｏｎｏｍｉｃ ｐｏｓｉｔｉｏｎ ｏｆ ｍａｍｍａｌｓ ｉｎ Ｃｈｉｎ...

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is an iconic bear native to China, famous for eating almost exclusively bamboo. This unusual dietary behavior for a carnivore is enabled by several key adaptations including low physical activity, reduced organ sizes and hypothyroidism leading to lowered energy expenditure. These adaptive phenotypes have bee...

In this work, we discussed and counter-commented Paul J. Weldon's comments on our recent paper (Zhou et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 117:32493, 2020a), where we reported that BCP/BCPO (beta-caryophyllene/caryophyllene oxide) in fresh horse manure is sufficient to drive manure rolling behavior (HMR) in giant panda and attenuate the cold sensitivity of...

Mammalian chemosignals—or scent marks—are characterized by astounding chemical diversity, reflecting both complex biochemical pathways that produce them and rich information exchange with conspecifics. The microbiome of scent glands was thought to play prominent role in the chemical signal synthesis, with diverse microbiota metabolizing glandular p...

Genetic diversity and phylogenetic diversity reflect the evolutionary potential and history of species, respectively. However, the levels and spatial patterns of genetic and phylogenetic diversity of wildlife at the regional scale have largely remained unclear. Here, we performed meta-analyses of genetic diversity in Chinese terrestrial vertebrates...

Significance In nature, it is extremely rare to observe attraction to fecal matter between wild mammalian species. Horse manure rolling (HMR) behavior described in this study is frequently observed in QIN pandas at low habitat temperature. Based on integrated analysis from climatic data, animal behaviors, and molecular assays, HMR is found as a tem...

Bears have fascinated people since ancient times. The relationship between bears and humans dates back thousands of years, during which time we have also competed with bears for shelter and food. In modern times, bears have come under pressure through encroachment on their habitats, climate change, and illegal trade in their body parts, including t...

Many factors, including the inner status of the individuals and external environment, can influence the parasite infections and stress physiology in mammals. Here, we explored the influence of the sex, age, reproductive season and seasonal food availability on the parasitism and stress physiology in wild giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) throug...

Antagonistic coevolution between host and parasite drives species evolution. However, most of the studies only focus on parasitism adaptation and do not explore the coevolution mechanisms from the perspective of both host and parasite. Here, through the de novo sequencing and assembly of the genomes of giant panda roundworm, red panda roundworm, an...

Gut microbiota plays a critical role in host physiology and health. The coevolution between the host and its gut microbes facilitates animal adaptation to its specific ecological niche. Multiple factors such as host diet and phylogeny modulate the structure and function of gut microbiota. However, the relative contribution of each factor in shaping...

Climate change is one of the most pervasive threats to biodiversity globally, yet the influence of climate relative to other drivers of species depletion and range contraction remain difficult to disentangle. Here, we examine climatic and non-climatic correlates of giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) distribution using a large-scale 30 year datase...

Ahead of landmark biodiversity and climate conferences in 2021, China's policy innovations in land-use planning and the Ecological Conservation Redline offer lessons for other countries in developing integrated strategies on climate, biodiversity, and desertification. Spatial planning is also critical for greening international supply chains and th...

Sensitivity to bitter tastes provides animals with an important means of interacting with their environment and thus, influences their dietary preferences. Genetic variants encoding functionally distinct receptor types contribute to variation in bitter taste sensitivity. Our previous study showed that two nonsynonymous sites, A52V and Q296H, in the...

Protected areas form the backbone of biodiversity conservation, yet their effectiveness is often not known nor even evaluated. China—best known for its record of ecological degradation in the face of rapidly increasing gross domestic product and resource consumption—has in recent years enacted a series of policies and programs to conserve its natur...

Foraging selection of mammalian herbivores is thought to be not only governed by nutrients, but also influenced by plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) in their diets. Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are well-known bamboo specialists and little is known about the effects of PSMs in bamboos on their foraging selection. Flavonoids are the most fa...

The red panda ( Ailurus fulgens ), an endangered Himalaya-endemic mammal, has been classified as two subspecies or even two species – the Himalayan red panda ( A. fulgens ) and the Chinese red panda ( Ailurus styani ) – based on differences in morphology and biogeography. However, this classification has remained controversial largely due to lack o...

Background: Chromosome evolution is an important driver of speciation and species evolution. Previous studies have detected chromosome rearrangement events among different Carnivora species using chromosome painting strategies. However, few of these studies have focused on chromosome evolution at a nucleotide resolution due to the limited availabi...

The red panda Ailurus fulgens, an endangered herbivorous member of the order Carnivora that is endemic to the eastern Himalayan broadleaf and coniferous forests, is surviving under threats induced by human activity and climate change. The distribution range of the red panda in Nepal represents an understudied remnant population at the edge of its w...

Competition often occurs between two or more sympatric species that use similar ecological niches. During competition, a superior species may exclude the competitor from parts of its fundamental niche or make it go extinct. Determining the potential competition between two sympatric species including an endangered one has important implications for...

Giant pandas are unusual in belonging to a primarily carnivorous clade and yet being extremely specialized herbivores that feed almost exclusively on highly fibrous bamboo [1]. Paradoxically, they appear inconsistently adapted to their plant diet, bearing a mix of herbivore and carnivore traits. Herbivore traits include a skull, jaw musculature, an...

Small features in ecological systems are often underrepresented in conservation monitoring, management and policy. Tree cavities and other forms of refuge play disproportionately large ecological roles due to their importance for shelter and rearing vulnerable offspring. Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) cubs are highly altricial, and dependent...

As certain extreme weather events are becoming frequent and intense, conservationists must identify areas across species' ranges recurrently affected, especially with regard to threatened species. Focusing on the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and historical flood frequency distribution, we determined overlaps between panda distribution affec...

Seasonally reproducing animals show many behavioral and physiological changes during the mating period, including increased signaling for intrasexual competition and mate attraction. We collected 102 anogenital gland secretions (AGS) from marking trees in Foping Nature Reserve, and used gas chromatography mass spectrometry analyze these chemical co...

The ancestral panda Ailurarctos lufengensis, excavated from the late Miocene, is thought to be carnivorous or omnivorous [1]. Today, giant pandas exclusively consume bamboo and have distinctive tooth, skull, and muscle characteristics adapted to a tough and fibrous bamboo diet during their long evolution [1, 2]. A special feature, the pseudo-thumb,...

Multifaceted approaches are required to monitor wildlife populations and improve conservation efforts. In the last decade, increasing evidence suggests that metagenomic analysis offers valuable perspectives and tools for identifying microbial communities and functions. It has become clear that gut microbiome plays a critical role in health, nutriti...

Conservation genetics and genomics are two independent disciplines that focus on using new techniques in genetics and genomics to solve problems in conservation biology. During the past two decades, conservation genetics and genomics have experienced rapid progress. Here, we summarize the research advances in the conservation genetics and genomics...

Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have provided an avenue for the association between common genetic variants and complex traits. However, using SNP as a genetic marker, GWAS has been confined to detect genetic basis traits only for within species but not for the large-scale inter-species traits. Here, we propose a practical statistical approa...

An upsurge in anthropogenic impacts has hastened the decline of the red panda (Ailurus fulgens). The red panda is a global conservation icon, but holistic conservation management has been hampered by research being restricted to certain locations and population clusters. Building a comprehensive potential habitat map for the red panda is imperative...

In the face of the current global ecological crisis and the threats it poses to human survival and security, the fundamental solution is to resolve the deep contradiction between conservation and economic development. We considered the 3 key and basic questions of why to protect, how much to protect, and where to protect natural areas. Human surviv...

Major histocompatibility complex genes (MHC), a gene cluster that controls the immune response to parasites, are regarded as an important determinant of mate choice. However, MHC‐based mate choice studies are especially rare for endangered animals. The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), a flagship species, has suffered habitat loss and fragmenta...

Understanding the interaction between life history, demography and population genetics in threatened species is critical for the conservations of viable populations. In the context of habitat loss and fragmentation, identifying the factors that underpin the structuring of genetic variation within populations can allow conservationists to evaluate h...

The explosively accumulated mammalian genomes have provided a valuable resource to characterize the evolution of the Y chromosome. Unexpectedly, the Y‐chromosome sequence has been characterized in only a small handful of species, with a majority of them being model organisms. Thus, identification of Y‐linked scaffolds from unordered genome sequence...

Ecosystem services (the benefits to humans from ecosystems) are estimated globally at $125 trillion/year [1, 2]. Similar assessments at national and regional scales show how these services support our lives [3]. All valuations recognize the role of biodiversity, which continues to decrease around the world in maintaining these services [4, 5]. The...

Present-day giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are estimated to have diverged from their closest relatives, all other bears, ∼20 million years ago, based on molecular data [1]. With fewer than 2,500 individuals living today [2], it is unclear how well genetic data from extant and historical giant pandas [3] reflect the past [3]. To date, there h...

Carnivorous members of the Carnivora reside at the apex of food chains and consume meat-only diets, rich in purine, fats and protein. Here, we aimed to identify potential adaptive evolutionary signatures compatible with high purine and fat metabolism based on analysis of host genomes and symbiotic gut microbial metagenomes. We found that the gut mi...