Investigation And Evaluation Of Bamboos As Food Source For Giant Pandas In Shennongjia

This research focused on Bamboos as food source for giant pandas(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)in Shennongjia national nature reserve.In the field,the GVG(GPS,VEDIO,GIS)system was adopted for sampling and interpretation.The distribution map of bamboo resources was drawn by combining the survey fact,remote sensing image,DEM and other data.The coverage area and concentration area of different bamboos were compared to reveal regularity of spatial distribution.On this basis,at first,overground bamboo samples of different bamboo species in different regions were collected,and the biomass was calculated by measuring the total weight,branch and leaf weight and rod weight.The biomass distribution of different bamboo species in Shennongjia was compared and analyzed with the data.Secondly,LSD method was used to evaluate the effects of different bamboo on the biomass of individual plant and the biomass distribution differences of different bamboo organs.In the end,the bearing capacity of bamboos as food source for giant pandas was analyzed in Shennongjia nature reserve,and the bearing capacity of giant panda MAR and available biomass were estimated.The main results are as follows:(1)The comprehensive analysis method of remote sensing interpretation and field survey was adopted to obtain the distribution map of bamboos as food source for giant panda in Shennongjia.The result showed that the distribution range of bamboo presented a difference with the elevation in Shennongjia.This area was covered by Indocalamus wilsoni,Fargesia nitida,Indocalamus tessellatus,Fargesia spathacea,Yushania niitakayamensis and Fargesia murielae from low to high,but overlapping distribution still existed.Except Fargesia murielae,all the other bamboos showed the difference of slope direction.Through data analysis,it was found that the correlation between biomass and altitude was not significant.The spatial distribution of main bamboos of Shennongjia was compared.Based on DEM map and statistical data,it was obvious that Fargesia murielae was not covered by trees,while other bamboos were distributed under trees at an altitude of more than 1,200 m.The distribution areas of bamboos from small to large were as follows: Fargesia spathacea > Fargesia nitida > Fargesia murielae.(2)The biomass distribution results in various regions of Shennongjia were as follows: the total biomass of Fargesia spathacea distributed in Muyu village and Bancang village was higher,about 214,000 t and 115,000 t respectively.The total biomass of Fargesia nitida in Changfang village was the highest,about 73,000 t.Indocalamus tessellatus distributed in Jiuchong and Pingqian village of the highest total biomass,which was about 7000 t and 6000 t respectively.The villages with the largest distribution area and the largest coverage ratio of edible bamboos are: Changfang village.The biomass distribution of bamboo branches and leaves was the same as that of total biomass in Shennongjia.According to comparing the biomass of different bamboos with LSD method,it was easy to find that Indocalamus tessellatus showed extremely significant difference from Fargesia nitida,Fargesia spathaceaand and Fargesia murielae.Average individual biomass sequence was: Indocalamus wilsoni > Fargesia spathacea > Fargesia nitida > Fargesia murielae > Indocalamus longiauritus > Indocalamus tessellatus > Yushania niitakayamensis.Each organ biomass allocation results for different bamboo species: Fargesia nitida had the greatest weight difference between branches and leaves.Indocalamus tessellatus showed smallest weight difference between branches and leaves.Indocalamus tessellatus rod weight was slightly below the branches and leaves weight,which was different with other bamboos.These differences were related to the growth status of bamboo species and the accumulation and transportation of bamboo biomass.(3)Two methods were used to analyze the bearing capacity of giant pandas in the amount of bamboo.According to the giant panda MAR assessment method,Shennongjia area could meet the needs of up to 6 giant panda populations living in the habitat for a long time.Measured in the amount of bamboo only,the number of bamboo branches and leaves in shennongjia can feed up to 18,000 giant pandas every year,and there is no problem of insufficient supply of bamboo.