Endangered Species: The Giant Panda by https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2 BIO 101 en-us 2023-05-02 11:27:47 UTC 2025-11-02 14:49:58 UTC hello@padlet.com Biome Characteristics irisalbarran https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2575073993 Pandas can only be located in the remote mountains of southwest China, amongst temperate forests at a 5,000-10,000 elevation from the ground. These forests are categorized as coniferous and have a thick understory of tall bamboo trees, which is 99% of a panda's diet.
Torrential rain and thick mist make up the climate, creating a cool and wet environment, which is ideal for pandas and for bamboo to grow, as well as other plants that require moist soil. The forest canopy and the mist surrounding it does not let in a lot of sunlight, but the plants that grow here don't require much of it and helps keep the area at low temperatures.
Human efforts to conserve the forests of these mountains have helped preserve this biome, with the Chinese government setting 13 nature reserves for panda habitats to be protected within.

]]> 2023-05-02 11:55:36 UTC https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2575073993 Panda in natural habitat irisalbarran https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2575077758 2023-05-02 11:59:20 UTC https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2575077758 Biotic Factors irisalbarran https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2575115683 Other animal species that live amongst the giant pandas in China's Qinling mountains are red pandas, dwarf blue sheep, pheasants, golden monkeys, the crested ibis, and the takin to name a few. Black bears, takin, and wild boars also compete with pandas for bamboo and its resources.
There are over 5,000 plant species that can be found in these forests besides the bamboo trees,  such as pine and fir trees, mushrooms, grass, ferns, as well as shrubs.


]]> 2023-05-02 12:30:38 UTC https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2575115683 Abiotic Factors irisalbarran https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2575166753 The climate of these mountains ranges from subtropical to temperate, with heavy rainfall and surrounded by dense mist. Not a lot of sunlight passes through, creating the misty atmosphere. Pandas thrive in this kind of cool and damp weather, so in the summer they migrate higher up in the mountains to avoid the heat. 
The high amount of rain provides enough water to support the bamboo trees, where pandas get most of their water source from. However, melting snowfall from the mountain tops creates enough rivers and streams as an additional water source for them and other species as well.
Low slopes are also important for pandas to help them move around the mountainous terrain. The elevation of these mountains also supports the understory of bamboo and the climate inside the forests, as well as help pandas stay farther away from human populated areas.

]]> 2023-05-02 13:08:54 UTC https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2575166753 Facts on their endangerment irisalbarran https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2575240111 The giant panda's current status according to the IUCN Red list is vulnerable, with little over 1,800 now in the wild. Severe deforestation in the past from humans cutting down bamboo trees and harvesting 75% of other plant species to use for traditional Chinese medicine. 
Their natural habitat has been destroyed from infrastructure development humans have made in the area, building roads, railways, dams, as well as tourist facilities. 
The increase in tourism itself has disrupted this habitat, with humans bringing in unnecessary waste and noise disturbing the creatures inside the forest.
In the past, pandas were poached for their fur by humans, but this has declined greatly with it now being illegal in China and recognized as a protected species. However, poachers remain a potential threat due to pandas accidentally still being killed and injured from the traps they set out to for other animals that are legally allowed to be hunted in the area.
My hypothesis on what would happen to the local ecosystem if pandas were to go instinct is that bamboo might begin to overgrow without pandas eating a large chunk of it, and eventually without pandas dispersing its seeds throughout the area there would be less opportunities for bamboo to grow in new areas that only pandas could reach. ]]> 2023-05-02 13:58:40 UTC https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2575240111 Predator-prey relationship irisalbarran https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2575269658 Snow leopards are potential predators to panda cubs, though not to fully grown pandas, outsizing any potential predators in their habitat. When born, baby pandas are about the size of a stick of butter, making them small enough at the beginning of their youth for leopards to hunt for food.]]> 2023-05-02 14:18:04 UTC https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2575269658 Panda size for reference irisalbarran https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2575273419 2023-05-02 14:20:40 UTC https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2575273419 Food Web irisalbarran https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2577158270 2023-05-03 18:25:32 UTC https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2577158270 Sources irisalbarran https://padlet.com/irisalbarran/hkoz5yov4tfmvaq2/wish/2577562867 WWF. “Giant Panda | Species | WWF.” World Wildlife Fund, 2023, www.worldwildlife.org/species/giant-panda.
Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Giant Panda.” Smithsonian’s National Zoo, 29 June 2018, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/giant-panda.
‌“Habitat: The Land of the Panda.” Panda.org, 2020, wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/giant_panda/panda/where_panda_lives_habitat/?
‌PKL. “Giant Pandas’ Habitat — Bamboo Forest in Western China.” China Highlights, 2019, www.chinahighlights.com/giant-panda/habitat.htm.
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