Measuring ecosystem services and ecological sensitivity for comprehensive conservation in Giant Panda National Park.

China announced the development of its first 5 national parks in 2021, the primary objective of which is to conserve the natural state and integrity of natural ecosystems. As such, ecosystem services and biodiversity levels are crucial assessment factors for the parks. For Giant Panda National Park (GPNP), we evaluated ecological sensitivity based on water and soil erosion and rocky desertification; ecosystem services based on headwater conservation, soil and water conservation, and biodiversity conservation; and presence of giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and sympatric species (e.g., takin [Budorcas taxicolor], Asiatic black bear [Ursus thibetanus]) habitat suitability derived from niche modeling to identify the ecosystem status and assess ecological problems within the park. From our results, we proposed ecologically critical areas to target to meet the park's goals. The suitable habitat for pandas and sympatric species encompassed 62.98% of the park and occurred mainly in the Minshan Mountains. One quarter of the total area (25.67%) contained areas important for ecosystem services. Ecologically sensitive and extremely sensitive areas covered 88.78% of the park and were distributed mainly in Qionglaishan and Minshan Mountains. This coverage indicated that there was much habitat for pandas and sympatric species but that the ecosystems in GPNP are vulnerable. Therefore, ecologically critical areas encompassed all suitable habitats for all the species examined and areas important and extremely important to ecosystem service provision,ecologically sensitive and extremely sensitive areas, encompassed 15.17% of panda habitat, accounted for 16.37% of the GPNP area, and were distributed mainly in the Minshan Mountains. Our results indicated where conservation efforts should be focused in the park and that by identifying ecologically critical areas managers can provide targeted protection for wildlife habitat and ecosystems and effectively and efficiently protect the composite ecosystem. Additionally, our methods can be used to inform development of new national parks.

Medición de los servicios ambientales y la sensibilidad ecológica para una conservación integral en el Parque Nacional del Panda Gigante Resumen China anunció el crecimiento de sus primeros cinco parques nacionales en 2021, con el objetivo principal de conservar el estado natural y la integridad de los ecosistemas naturales. Para ello, los servicios ambientales y los niveles de biodiversidad son factores cruciales de evaluación para los parques. Para poder identificar el estado del ecosistema y evaluar los problemas ecológicos dentro del Parque Nacional del Panda Gigante (PNPG), analizamos la sensibilidad ecológica con base en la erosión del agua y del suelo y la desertificación rocosa; los servicios ambientales con base en el suministro de conservación del agua, del agua y del suelo y de la biodiversidad; y la idoneidad de hábitat del panda gigante (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) y de especies simpátricas (takín [Budorcas taxicolor], oso negro asiático [Ursus thibetanus]) derivada del modelo de nichos. A partir de nuestros resultados proponemos enfocarnos en áreas ecológicamente críticas para lograr los objetivos del parque. El hábitat idóneo para los pandas y las especies simpátricas englobó el 62.98% del parque y se ubicó principalmente en las montañas Minshan. Un cuarto del área total (25.67%) albergó áreas importantes para los servicios ambientales. Las áreas ecológicamente sensibles y extremadamente sensibles cubrieron el 88.78% del parque y se distribuyeron en las montañas Minshan y Qionglaishan. Esta cobertura indica que hay bastante hábitat para los pandas y las especies simpátricas pero que los ecosistemas en el PNPG son vulnerables. Por lo tanto, las áreas ecológicamente críticas englobaron todos los hábitats para todas las especies analizadas y todas las áreas importantes y extremadamente importantes para el suministro de servicios ambientales. Las áreas ecológicamente sensibles y extremadamente sensibles englobaron el 15.17% del hábitat del panda, representaron el 16.37% del área del PNPG y se localizaron principalmente en las montañas Minshan. Nuestros resultados indican en dónde se deben enfocar los esfuerzos de conservación dentro del parque y que, si identificamos las áreas ecológicamente críticas, los gestores pueden proporcionar una protección focalizada para el hábitat y los ecosistemas y así proteger efectiva y eficientemente el ecosistema compuesto. Además, nuestro método puede usarse para guiar el desarrollo de nuevos parques nacionales.

大熊猫国家公园能实现物种和生态完整性的多重保护 中国在2021年宣布设立首批5个国家公园, 保护自然生态系统的真实性和完整性是其优先目标, 而生态系统服务和生物多样性水平是关键的评估要素。大熊猫国家公园作为首批唯一以单一物种命名的国家公园, 通过评估其生态系统服务、生态敏感性, 同时结合大熊猫及同域分布物种(羚牛、亚洲黑熊)的栖息地适宜性, 以揭示其国家公园内生态系统的状态及其面临的问题, 明确其生态关键区以实现多重保护的目标。我们发现大熊猫国家公园包含了超过62.98%的大熊猫和同域物种的适宜栖息地, 主要分布在岷山山系;其次, 大熊猫国家公园包含了25.67%的生态系统服务重要区域和高达88.78%的生态敏感区域, 主要分布在岷山山系和邛崃山山系。这表明尽管大熊猫国家公园内包含了大熊猫及同域物种所需的大面积适宜栖息地, 但是其生态系统具有较强的脆弱性。若将同时包含大熊猫及同域物种的适宜栖息地、生态系统服务重要和极重要区、生态敏感和极敏感的区域定义为生态关键区, 其面积占比为16.37%, 覆盖了15.17%的大熊猫栖息地, 主要分布在岷山山系。因此, 基于生态关键区制定新的科学的、针对性的保护措施, 不仅可以更好的来保护野生动物栖息地和应对生态系统的威胁, 而且也有效且高效地保护多重生态系统。.

Fatty acid metabolization and insulin regulation prevent liver injury from lipid accumulation in Himalayan marmots.

Fat storage and weight gain are dominant traits for hibernating mammals. However, excessive fat accumulation may cause liver damage. Here, we explore the lipid accumulation and metabolic processes of the Himalayan marmot (Marmota himalayana), a hibernating rodent species. We find that the unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) content in food was consistent with a large increase in the body mass of Himalayan marmots. Metagenomic analysis shows that Firmicutes Bacterium CAG:110 plays a synergistic role by synthesizing UFAs, which is demonstrated by fecal transplantation experiments, indicating that the gut microbiome promotes fat storage in Himalayan marmots for hibernation. Microscopic examination results indicate that the risk of fatty liver appears at maximum weight; however, liver function is not affected. Upregulations of UFA catabolism and insulin-like growth factor binding protein genes provide an entry point for avoiding liver injury.

Convergent Evolution of Himalayan Marmot with Some High-Altitude Animals through ND3 Protein.

The Himalayan marmot (Marmota himalayana) mainly lives on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and it adopts multiple strategies to adapt to high-altitude environments. According to the principle of convergent evolution as expressed in genes and traits, the Himalayan marmot might display similar changes to other local species at the molecular level. In this study, we obtained high-quality sequences of the CYTB gene, CYTB protein, ND3 gene, and ND3 protein of representative species (n = 20) from NCBI, and divided them into the marmot group (n = 11), the plateau group (n = 8), and the Himalayan marmot (n = 1). To explore whether plateau species have convergent evolution on the microscale level, we built a phylogenetic tree, calculated genetic distance, and analyzed the conservation and space structure of Himalayan marmot ND3 protein. The marmot group and Himalayan marmots were in the same branch of the phylogenetic tree for the CYTB gene and CYTB protein, and mean genetic distance was 0.106 and 0.055, respectively, which was significantly lower than the plateau group. However, the plateau group and the Himalayan marmot were in the same branch of the phylogenetic tree, and the genetic distance was only 10% of the marmot group for the ND3 protein, except Marmota flaviventris. In addition, some sites of the ND3 amino acid sequence of Himalayan marmots were conserved from the plateau group, but not the marmot group. This could lead to different structures and functional diversifications. These findings indicate that Himalayan marmots have adapted to the plateau environment partly through convergent evolution of the ND3 protein with other plateau animals, however, this protein is not the only strategy to adapt to high altitudes, as there may have other methods to adapt to this environment.

Role of AMPK in the expression of tight junction proteins in heat-treated porcine Sertoli cells.

Hyperthermia can cause dysfunction of the tight junctions (TJs) in testes. Adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) participates in the regulation of TJs in testis. However, whether AMPK regulates the expression of TJ proteins in the response of Sertoli cells to heat treatment remains unknown. We subjected Sertoli cells from 3-week-old piglets to heat treatment (43 °C, 30 min), which decreased cell viability, and increased the early apoptosis rate. These effects were reversible and the cells gradually recovered to normal viability at 48 h post-heat treatment. Expression of TJ proteins (claudin 11, JAMA, occludin, and ZO1) was detected in immature porcine Sertoli cells. The mRNA and protein levels of TJ proteins significantly decreased at 1 h after heat exposure, but recovered with increasing recovery time. Additionally, the expression of claudin 11 in the cytoplasm was also markedly decreased by heat treatment. AMPK phosphorylation, the cellular ATP level, and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase B (CaMKKB) level, but not the liver kinase B1 (LKB1) level, were downregulated by heat treatment. More importantly, activation or overexpression of AMPK, which is a regulator of the assembly of TJs, partially rescued the heat treatment-induced downregulation of TJ proteins. By contrast, AMPK knockdown using small interfering RNA (siRNA) further decreased the expression levels of TJ proteins. In addition, claudin 11 was almost undetectable post heat treatment. Collectively, this study demonstrated that heat treatment could reversibly perturb the expression of TJ proteins in immature porcine Sertoli cells by inhibiting the AMPK signaling pathway.

Heat stress-induced autophagy promotes lactate secretion in cultured immature boar Sertoli cells by inhibiting apoptosis and driving SLC2A3, LDHA, and SLC16A1 expression.

This study aimed to determine whether heat stress (HS) could induce autophagy in immature boar Sertoli cells (SCs) and test whether HS-induced autophagy could regulate lactate secretion by SCs. Cultured immature boar SCs were incubated at 43 °C for 30 minutes. The ratio of LC3B-II to LC3B-I and the mRNA transcript levels of LC3B showed time-dependent changes 0 to 48 hours after HS treatment, which peaked at 24 hours and increased by 30.25% or 260%, respectively, compared with control SCs. The density of autolysosomes, which were labeled with a red dye, was higher at 24 hours than at any other time point. However, the apoptosis rate, cleavage of caspase-3, and mRNA transcript levels of CASP3 (caspase-3) at 24 hours after HS were lower than at 12 hours. Furthermore, lactate secretion, and mRNA transcript levels of SLC2A3 (GLUT3), LDHA (LDHA), and SLC16A1 (MCT1) also showed time-dependent changes with a peak at 24 hours. In addition, LY294002 (20 µM) significantly inhibited changes in ratio of LC3B-II to LC3B-I, LC3B mRNA transcript levels, and autolysosome formation. It also resulted in significantly less lactate secretion and increased apoptosis but showed no effect on B-cell lymphoma-2 expression in heat-treated immature SCs. These findings indicated that HS-induced autophagy regulates lactate secretion by inhibiting apoptosis and increasing mRNA transcript and protein levels of SLC2A3, LDHA, and SLC16A1, which suggests that HS-induced autophagy may enhance lactate secretion by SCs.