Cross-modal signaling in giant pandas  

作　　者：XU Meng WANG ZhiPeng LIU DingZhen WEI RongPing ZHANG GuiQuan ZHANG HeMin ZHOU XiaoPing LI DeSheng 

机构地区：[1]Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering of Ministry of Education,College of Life Sciences,Beijing Normal University,Beijing 100875,China [2]Key Laboratory for Reproduction and Conservation Genetics of Endangered Wildlife of Sichuan,China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda,Wolong 623006,China

出　　处：《Chinese Science Bulletin》2012年第4期344-348,共5页

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(30470233 and 31170297);the International Cooperative Project for the Giant Panda,State Forestry Administration(WH0306,WH0309)

摘　　要：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.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 un- known. 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.

关 键 词：雌性大熊猫 化学信号 模态 反应行为 发达国家 观测时间 实验记录 标记行为 

分 类 号：Q959.7[生物学—动物学] S865.31[农业科学—野生动物驯养]