BACKGROUND: The red panda has been classified as an endangered species due to the decreased number in the world and disease is considered as a great threat to the health and survival of the cubs in captivity.
RESULTS: This study analyzed 32 red panda cub mortalities (15 females and 17 males, age less than two months) through gross necropsy, microbiological examination, and histopathological observation at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, China, during 2014-2020. The results showed that screenings for canine distemper virus, canine parvovirus, rotavirus and parasite infection were all negative, however bacteria such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas were isolated from the tissue samples of some cubs. The major causes of death were respiratory (43.75%) and digestive system disease (28.13%), followed by cardiovascular disease (12.5%) and neonatal stillbirths (9.38%). Renal system diseases and trauma were also detected, at lower incidence (one case for each). The mortality rate within 15 days of birth was 68.75% and gradually decreased with age, there was no significant difference in gender.
CONCLUSIONS: This study can provide a scientific basis for the analysis of the cause of death among red panda cubs in captivity, so as to improve the survival rate, help build the captive population and further the ex-situ conservation management of this endangered species. Additionally, our research may also provide insights into the in-situ conservation of wild red pandas by identifying emerging disease threats within the wild population and potential treatment for rescued individuals.

Chinese yew (Taxus wallichiana var. mairei) is ranked as a rare and endangered plant of first-grade protection of China. It has been widely cultivated in 17 provinces of China over the past few decades. However, little is known about the dispersion, rewilding, and ecological influence of Chinese yew\'s offspring during cultivation. Here, we report a noteworthy case of this species, via ex situ conservation, which has successfully spread into different secondary forests, thus forming a stable regenerating population in eastern China. The establishment of this yew population, which has > 900 individuals and 7 ha area, can be ascribed to two key ecological factors: (1) secondary forest near the parent yews that provided suitable microhabitats in which progeny yews could germinate and grow, and (2) seed-foraging and transportation by native birds. Thus, this case may offer a pathway for conserving endangered Chinese Taxus species, which can attract frugivorous birds to disperse their seeds. In addition, it is necessary to monitor the growth performance of progeny population in the field.

The strength and expertise that botanic gardens bring to conservation are based on their detailed knowledge and understanding of the care, management, and biology of a diversity of plant species. This emphasis on the organism has led to many ex-situ and in-situ conservation programs aimed at protecting endangered species, restoring threatened populations, and establishing living plant and seed collections of endangered species. In China, the scale and pace of change in land and resource use, often leading to environmental degradation, has created a strong emphasis on improving environmental conditions. If done properly, being \"green\" can be a surprisingly complex issue, because it should encompass and exploit the whole of plant diversity and function. Unfortunately, \'green\' often includes a small portion of this whole. Earth\'s rich plant diversity presents considerable opportunity but requires expertise and knowledge for stable and beneficial management. With the dawning of the Anthropocene, we should strive to live on a \"Garden Earth\", where we design and manage our environments, both built and natural, to create a healthy, beneficial living landscape for people and other organisms. The staff of botanic gardens worldwide and the living collections they maintain embody the best examples of sustainable, beautiful, and beneficial environments that thrive on plant diversity. This expertise should be a fundamental resource for agencies in all sectors responsible for managing and designing \"green\" infrastructure. Botanic gardens should actively engage and contribute to these opportunities, from large public infrastructure projects to small private conservation efforts. Here, we discuss several ongoing conservation efforts, primarily in China, and attempt to identify areas where botanic gardens could make a significant and meaningful difference.

BACKGROUND: Crop genetic resources are important components of biodiversity. However, with the large-scale promotion of mono-cropping, genetic diversity has largely been lost. Ex-situ conservation approaches were widely used to protect traditional crop varieties worldwide. However, this method fails to maintain the dynamic evolutionary processes of crop genetic resources in their original habitats, leading to genetic diversity reduction and even loss of the capacity of resistance to new diseases and pests. Therefore, on-farm conservation has been considered a crucial complement to ex-situ conservation. This study aimed at clarifying the genetic diversity differences between ex-situ conservation and on-farm conservation and to exploring the influence of traditional cultures on genetic diversity of rice landraces under on-farm conservation.
METHODS: The conservation status of rice landrace varieties, including Indica and Japonica, non-glutinous rice (Oryza sativa) and glutinous rice (Oryza sativa var. glutinosa Matsum), was obtained through ethno-biology investigation method in 12 villages of ethnic groups from Guizhou, Yunnan and Guangxi provinces of China. The genetic diversity between 24 pairs of the same rice landraces from different times were compared using simple sequence repeat (SSR) molecular markers technology. The landrace paris studied were collected in 1980 and maintained ex-situ, while 2014 samples were collected on-farm in southwest of China.
RESULTS: The results showed that many varieties of rice landraces have been preserved on-farm by local farmers for hundreds or thousands of years. The number of alleles (Na), effective number of alleles (Ne), Nei genetic diversity index (He) and Shannon information index (I) of rice landraces were significantly higher by 12.3-30.4 % under on-farm conservation than under ex-situ conservation. Compared with the ex-situ conservation approach, rice landraces under on-farm conservation programs had more alleles and higher genetic diversity. In every site we investigated, ethnic traditional cultures play a positive influence on rice landrace variety diversity and genetic diversity.
CONCLUSIONS: Most China\'s rice landraces were conserved in the ethnic areas of southwest China. On-farm conservation can effectively promote the allelic variation and increase the genetic diversity of rice landraces over the past 35 years. Moreover, ethnic traditional culture practices are a crucial foundation to increase genetic diversity of rice landraces and implement on-farm conservation.