Interdependence
Giant Pandas help their population, community, ecosystem, and biome through spreading bamboo seeds all throughout the forest. Their community also benefits from the vegetative growth that they provide. The pandas also bring about tourism to their ecosystem which helps the economy of the people living in and around this area of China. The bamboo seeds that are planted as a result of the panda cause the biome to maintain its bamboo forests. This also causes many species to be able to thrive and live off of and in the bamboo. It also helps keep the pandas alive since they are able to have their bamboo abundance. Even though pandas mainly eat bamboo they still occasionally eat small rodents and fish found in their habitat. Pandas also have predators that very seldom come into their habitat but still are capable of eating them. They are organisms like leopards and tigers. Giant pandas will also defend themselves if they feel threatened by another organism. These animals also have a beneficial with bamboo plants because while they are getting the nutrients they need from these plants they also carry around the seeds and drop them along the way allowing the bamboo species to thrive.
Flow of Energy
A food chain shows the role of each organism and its predators in relation to the amount of energy each organism gets from the other. In a Giant Pandas food chain there are four main groups the Tertiary Consumer, Secondary Consumer, the Primary Consumer, and the Primary Producer. The producers in a food chain are normally plants because they produce energy through photosynthesis which is how they grow and thrive. This energy is passed on to the Primary Consumer which in this case is the Giant Panda whose main source of food is bamboo (Primary Producer). The Secondary Consumer then eats the Primary. In this ecosystem the Leopard usually eats the Giant Panda bear cubs because the adult pandas are very intimidating out in the wild because of their size. The Leopard is then eaten by the Bengal Tiger which in this situation is the Tertiary Consumer and is at the top of the Panda Bears food chain. In the first image below the yellow arrows show the passing of energy between each producer/consumer. The second image is of an energy pyramid which shows the flow of energy compared to population for the food chain. With bamboo being the main source of food for the Giant Panda it is extremely important for this plant to contain major nutrients. However bamboo has very low nutritious value therefore Giant Pandas must spend most of their day eating pounds and pounds of bamboo to allow them to survive and get the nutrients that they need.
Succession
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica ecological succession is the process where the structure of the biological community changes overtime. There are two types primary and secondary. Primary succession occurs in lifeless areas and secondary succession occurs in area where organisms used to live but have been removed and not all life/nutrients have been removed. Both types make continual changes to species living in the communities due to interferences that alter the environment. The changes that take place are not random allowing the succession to be predicted. Only a small number of organisms able to survive succession because of h disturbed the habitats can be. Succession affects the environment in that the species that are found in certain habitats are continuously changing. It alters what things thrive better and changes minerals and natural resources that can be found within a certain landscape. One successional change that will supposedly affect giant pandas is climate change in their region. This drastic change will cause many bamboo plants to not thrive and grow therefore limiting the pandas food source.
Human Impact
Currently Giant Pandas are one of many endangered species. One of the causes of this status is humans. Even though laws have restricted people from poaching these bears hunters that hunt for other animals in the Giant Panda's territory accidently kill the pandas instead of their desired target. Habitat loss is another major impact that humans are having on Giant Pandas. These pandas once lived in the lower elevations of China but because of roads, railroads, farming and other city-like things have caused them to have to move higher up into mountains. This building of roads between forests also prevents mating between the Giant Pandas causing a decrease in population. It also makes it more difficult for the pandas to access their main source of food, bamboo. China sees the heavy impact that they are having on the Giant Pandas and have created around 50 reserves but only 61% of the pandas are being protected by these reserves.
Plant Adaptations
In the Giant Pandas ecosystem one main plant is bamboo. Bamboo is a perennial plant which means that it lives longer than two years. This behavioral adaptation allows for bamboo to be a long lasting source of food for the pandas. The bamboo also has multiple vascular bundles that are smaller in size that allow it to retain excess water that flows by since bamboo plants need large amounts of water in order to thrive. These bundles also increase air pressure in the vascular cavities that allow for more water to get higher up in the plant. Bamboo also contains sclerenchyma cells that have thick cell walls that bring about strength and support.
Giant Panda's Physical & Behavioral Adaptations
Giant Pandas usually prefer to be alone but occasionally they will interact with other pandas by leaving scent marks or giving a special call.They interact either directly after giving birth or when they are mating. Another behavioral adaptation that Giant Pandas have is that rather than growling like regular bears they bleat in order to communicate. The scent marks that they leave are to insure that another panda does not invade their space and to signal when a panda is ready to mate. If there are multiple male pandas present they will fight for the female. Giant Pandas also eat sitting right up like they are in a chair in order to allow them an easier and less strainful way of getting the bamboo. Their physical adaptations include large molars and a strong jaw to help them chomp on the hard bamboo, their paws have a thumb that makes it easier for them to grab hold of bamboo, and many more. The molars and jaw also affect the size of the pandas head because it has to accommodate for the large muscles that help in chewing up the bamboo(image 3). The esophagus, stomach lining, intestines, and colon are all adapted to deal with the pandas diet. The esophagus lining is very strong so that it doesn't get ripped when the bamboo goes down. The stomach is similar to the esophagus in that it is very muscular in order to digest the bamboo. The intestines are short because the cellulose in the bamboo goes straight through it. This means that the colon needs to be bigger because of how seldom the panda gets rid of waist. Giant pandas move on all four legs. Their heels don't have any padding(image 4) and their legs are very muscular since they are always moving. Their most important adaptation is their "pseudo thumb" (image 1 & 2)which is an elongated and enlarged wrist bone that is covered by fleshy pad of skin which helps them hold onto the bamboo more easily.