title: Free mate choice enhances conservation breeding in the endangered giant panda.
abstract: Conservation breeding programmes have become an increasingly important tool to save endangered species, yet despite the allocation of significant resources, efforts to create self-sustaining populations have met with limited success. The iconic giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) embodies the struggles associated with ex situ species conservation. Here we show that behavioural mate preferences in giant pandas predict reproductive outcomes. Giant pandas paired with preferred partners have significantly higher copulation and birth rates. Reproductive rates increase further when both partners show mutual preference for one another. If managers were to incorporate mate preferences more fully into breeding management, the production of giant panda offspring for China's reintroduction programme might be greatly expedited. When extended to the increasing numbers of species dependent on ex situ conservation breeding to avoid extinction, our findings highlight that mate preference and other aspects of informed behavioural management could make the difference between success and failure of these programmes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Applied Animal Ecology, Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, 15600 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, California 92027, USA.|PDXWildlife, 9233 SW Brier Pl., Portland, Oregon 97219, USA.|Biology Department, Portland State University, 1719 SW 10th Avenue, SRTC rm 246, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA.|Conservation Division, Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Road, Portland, Oregon 97221-9704, USA.
authors.forename: Meghan S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Martin-Wintle
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Portland State University, 1719 SW 10th Avenue, SRTC rm 246, Portland, Oregon 97201, USA.|Conservation Division, Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Road, Portland, Oregon 97221-9704, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shepherdson
authors.affiliation: China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Wolong, Sichuan 623006, PR China.
authors.forename: Guiquan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Wolong, Sichuan 623006, PR China.
authors.forename: Hemin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Wolong, Sichuan 623006, PR China.
authors.forename: Desheng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Wolong, Sichuan 623006, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiaoping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Wolong, Sichuan 623006, PR China.
authors.forename: Rengui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Division of Applied Animal Ecology, Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, 15600 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, California 92027, USA.
authors.forename: Ronald R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Swaisgood
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D002681:China; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003307:Copulation; D056727:Endangered Species; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D052586:Mating Preference, Animal; D001503:Ursidae / Q000502:physiology*