Large-scale genome sequencing of giant pandas improves the understanding of population structure and future conservation initiatives.

ABSTRACT: The extinction risk of the giant panda has been demoted from "endangered" to "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, but its habitat is more fragmented than ever before, resulting in 33 isolated giant panda populations according to the fourth national survey released by the Chinese government. Further comprehensive investigations of the genetic background and in-depth assessments of the conservation status of wild populations are still necessary and urgently needed. Here, we sequenced the genomes of 612 giant pandas with an average depth of ~26× and generated a high-resolution map of genomic variation with more than 20 million variants covering wild individuals from six mountain ranges and captive representatives in China. We identified distinct genetic

SUBMITTER: Lan T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11388402 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature