Abstract:
Fargesia denudata, the staple food of giant panda in Tangjiahe Nature Reserve, Sichuan Provincem, was studied, and the changes of biomass and water content of
F. denudata in feeding plots and control plots were investigated, so as to explore the impact of wild giant panda feeding on the biomass of
F. denudata clonal population. The results showed that the dry matter content of
F. denudate at different ages increased after feeding, and the dry matter content of culms, branches and leaves in feeding plots was all higher than those of the control plots. There was no significant difference in the biomass of each component of
F. denudata between the feeding plots and the control plots. At the individual level, the water content of
F. denudata in different quadrats decreased after giant panda feeding. At the component level, however, the water content of one-year-old bamboo stems and two-year-old and perennial-year-old bamboo leaves of
F. denudata increased significantly after giant panda feeding. The results showed that wild giant panda feeding had little impact on the biomass of
F. denudata clonal population, and the bamboo biomass could recover to its pre-feeding level through its own growth, thereby continuously providing food resources for giant pandas.