在植物-食草动物协同进化过程中，植物通过产生次生代谢产物（PSMs）抵御动物觅食或降低其种群数量，动物则可通过觅食策略的调整或生理机制的改变进行应对。大熊猫属于食肉目动物，其食物99%以上由竹子组成。竹中含有大量的PSMs,如单宁、生物碱和黄酮类化合物等。因而，PSMs可能是构成影响大熊猫觅食和繁殖的重要因素。在GPS项圈技术的支撑下，申请项目通过野外直接跟踪观察大熊猫的觅食和繁殖行为、室内HPLC-ELSD等技术分析竹中PSMs含量和粪样PSMs代谢产物含量以及放射免疫法检测粪样中生殖激素水平，比较研究雌雄大熊猫在不同繁殖阶段对食物的选择，探讨竹中主要PSMs与觅食和繁殖活动的关系。预期研究成果将会对竹中主要PSMs对大熊猫食物选择和繁殖策略的影响有一个全面的了解，并有利于深入认识野生大熊猫优化觅食对策的形成及种群调节机制，同时亦能为改善圈养大熊猫饲养管理、提高自然繁殖水平提供理论参考。

During the co-evolution of plant and herbivores, plants could produce secondary metabolites (PSMs) to deter herbivores from foraging, mammalian herbivores have an array of strategies for coping with PSMs, including behavioral, physiological, and biochemical adaptations. The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is an endangered, obligate herbivore that diverged early within an otherwise carnivorous clade. Unique within the order Carnivora, pandas specialize (>99%) on various species of bamboo. Recent studies had found that PSMs in bamboos maybe the main factors that influence the foraging strategy and reproductive activity of giant pandas. In this project, we will conduct a study of behavior ecology of giant panda in the Qinling Mountains by tracking collared animals, observing their foraging and reproductive behaviors, collecting bamboo and feces samples for PSMs and reproductive hormone analysis. Correlation analysis should be do to understand the relationships among foraging strategy, reproductive behavior and PSMs in bamboos. The project not only puts fundamental insight into the optimal foraging theory and the regulation mechanism of population, but also can provides the based theory to improve the level of natural reproduction of captive giant pandas.