Q86 — Giant Panda Fecal-Smearing Behavior and the TRPM8 Cold Receptor

Theoretical 2 Real exam question — full text reproduced under IBO's CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license

In 2007, Chinese scientists encountered a giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca, covered with feces (photo). Scientists installed cameras in the habitat of the great pandas to study this strange case. Chemical analysis of fresh, up-to-5-days-old feces showed that it contained higher amounts of two volatile compounds, beta-caryophyllene (BCP) and beta-caryophyllene oxide (BCPO), compared to feces older than 5 days. Recently, a “cold receptor” TRPM8 has been found in mammalian skin. Experiments on white mice have shown that BCP/BCPOs inhibit the activity of this receptor.

Photograph of a giant panda standing on a wooden boardwalk in a forest, its fur covered with dried feces. Figure 1. A giant panda covered with feces.

Combined histogram and line-graph figure. Top: number of feces-smearing behavior events and average time spent per event, both peaking during the winter months (November-March). Bottom: monthly average, maximum, and minimum temperature, with the coldest months shaded, showing the behavior peak coincides with the coldest part of the year. Figure 2. The relationship between behavior (indicated by behavior number and average time spent) and local climate data.

Using the information above, determine which of the statements are true or which are false.

A. A layer of dried feces can also serve as an insulator and protect from the cold, regardless of its chemical activity on the Panda's body.

B. There is a non-linear relationship between ambient temperature and probability of a giant panda being covered with fresh feces.

C. A likely explanation for pandas covering their bodies with fresh feces is to avoid blood-sucking arthropods that grow in their fur.

D. The habit of constantly covering their body with fresh feces can lead to behavior that is detrimental to the health of giant pandas in conditions of prolonged cold.

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Question reproduced from IBO 2022, Theoretical Paper 2, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — attributed to the International Biology Olympiad. Open the full exam PDF · Community solutions (unofficial)