ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Zoological Medicine
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1703367
Giant panda seasonal adaptations in feeding strategies and blood physiology
Provisionally accepted
Jiang Gu
Xiang Yu
Dunwu QiRong HouLong Zhang
Guanwei LanFeifei FengWenlei BiFei XueJiabin LiuChong HuangZusheng Li
Yanshan ZhouChao ChenWei WuPing LiXi YangMei ZhangHui HeHong Yang
Rui Ma*- Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu, China
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Understanding physiological adaptations of endangered giant pandas to seasonal changes is critical for improving conservation efforts, yet integrated analyses of blood parameters and feeding strategies remain limited. To decode seasonal adaptation mechanisms, we analyzed 36 monthly blood samples from 3 female pre-released training pandas alongside bamboo components across winter-spring and summer-autumn. Results showed significantly higher lymphocyte counts and urea levels, but lower serum aspartate aminotransferase, serum alkaline phosphatase, glucose and lipase in summer-autumn. correspondingly, pandas consumed significantly more hemicellulose, crude ash, crude protein and minerals (e.g., potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, chromium, copper and zinc) in summer and autumn, while greater intake of starch, lignin, cadmium in winter-spring, reflecting a shift from stems to leaves. Key blood parameters correlated with bamboo component intake. These findings indicate a nutrient-driven strategy favoring anabolic metabolism in resource-rich seasons, providing physiological thresholds for improved conservation and release programs.
Keywords: giant panda, Foraging strategy, Blood physiology and biochemistry, Adaptability, Reintroduction
Received: 11 Sep 2025; Accepted: 16 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gu, Yu, Qi, Hou, Zhang, Lan, Feng, Bi, Xue, Liu, Huang, Li, Zhou, Chen, Wu, Li, Yang, Zhang, He, Yang and Ma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Rui Ma, marui_pandabase@outlook.com
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