关键词: 小熊猫, 种群遗传管理, 亲子鉴定, 个体识别

Abstract: When the captive red panda population was established in China, individual identity was unclear, breeding and paternity records were incomplete or poorly kept and animal husbandry practices were not standardized. Because of these issues, problems like pedigree errors occurred frequently, which led to inbreeding risks. As the captive population of red panda grows, an accurate pedigree is required especially for the annual breeding plans. To address this issue, an accurate and standardized parentage test is needed. For this study，26 red panda microsatellite loci which were polymorphic and stable were discovered and used for paternity testing. The testing has been applied to several captive populations of red pandas, correcting the previous mistakes in pedigree. Moreover, the combined exclusion probability of these loci could reach 0.9999. Under the condition of one known/unknown parent, the specificity met the international human parental standard (0.9973) when eight or eleven microsatellite loci were applied. Finally, it was found that five loci could be used for the individual identification of red pandas. Thus, the testing can sufficiently improve the inbreeding problem of the captive red panda population. In summary, the application of the paternity testing system could help establish the correct pedigree, implement the scientific breeding plan, and avoid inbreeding. These factors should be an important improvement in the ex-situ conservation of red pandas.

Key words: Red panda(Ailurus fulgens), Population genetic management, Parental testing, Individual identify