Giant Panda Teacher Packet - Memphis Zoo

More documents

Recommendations

Info

The only time a specific type of bamboo may not be available year round is after it has flowered. There areabout 33 different types or species of bamboo that are eaten by giant pandas in the wild and each one flowerswhen it is ready to sexually reproduce. The bamboo eaten by giant pandas usually produces new vegetationfrom its horizontal roots called rhizomes, but every 15-120 years the bamboo reproduces sexually. Flowersbloom on the branches near the top of the main woody stem and then the bamboo starts to die-off. Newbamboo stems start to grow from the seeds that were produced during pollination of its flowers. Usuallywhen a species of bamboo flowers, every member of that same species flowers at the same time regardless ofits location. As a result, an entire species of bamboo can die off simultaneously. This can be a major threatto giant pandas that do not have an alternative source of bamboo in the area they live in.Entire species of bamboo have been flowering and dying for millions of years. It has not been until recentlythat bamboo die-offs have become a threat to healthy giant pandas. In the past, the bamboo die offs haveactually benefited the giant pandas. Giant pandas do not like to travel far from where they were born whichcan increase the chance of related giant pandas mating. Inbreeding can result in genetic defects, reducedfertility and still-births. The bamboo die off would decrease the chances of inbreeding by forcing them tomove out of their home territory in order to find another source of food.Unfortunately today, many of the giant pandas living in the wild do not always have the option of moving toa new territory when an entire species of bamboo they depend on dies off. Roads, railways, farmlands andforests that have been cleared of its vegetation have fragmented the habitats of giant pandas. It is this humanintervention in the giant pandas’ habitat that causes bamboo die offs to be a major threat to their survival. Inthe Min Mountains between 1974 and 1977 at least 138 giant pandas were found dead when the main sourceof bamboo flowered and died. Since then there have been other deadly bamboo die offs in other mountainranges but fortunately the number of deaths was lower.Based on these past experiences, it is clear that the giant pandas’ habitat must be preserved in order to ensureits survival. It is estimated that there are 25 populations of giant pandas remaining in the wild. Thesepopulations must be able to move to other territories to find food if there is ever a food shortage in theirhome territory and to find other giant pandas for mating. As of today, there are thirteen nature reserveslocated throughout the Min, Qionglai, Liangshan and Qinling mountain ranges that offer protection for thegiant panda and its habitat. In these areas, forests cannot be cleared for timber harvesting and land cannot beused for agriculture. It is estimated that 35% of the giant panda population lives in these reserves.Conservationists and Chinese government officials want to establish additional panda reserves so that agreater percentage of giant pandas will have protection.Materials:Required:• apples• signsProcedures:Preparation:1) Go to the grocery store and buy different types of apples: red delicious, golden delicious,Rome, granny smith, etc. You will only need one of each type.2) Make four separate signs with writing large enough to be read across a room and tape eachone in one of the corners of your room.Sign #1 Arrow BambooSign #2 Stone BambooSign #3 Sword BambooSign #4 Umbrella Bamboo32
Introduction:1) Show the students the different types of apples that you brought to class. Tell the students thenames of the apples and discuss how each one tastes.2) Ask the students if they decided to eat only apples for breakfast, lunch and supper, which typeof apple would they want to eat?3) Tell the students that they are going to discuss a situation that involves the apple they justchose. This created or ”made up” situation should help them understand one reason it isdifficult for giant pandas to survive.4) Tell the students that apples grow throughout the United States and the world, but you wantthem to pretend that apples only grow in West Memphis, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee.The type of apple they decided to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner is the only type of applethat grows in Memphis, TN. It also grows in West Memphis, AR along with other types ofapples.i. They wake up one morning and hear on the news that all the apple trees inMemphis are starting to die. The same type of apple trees that are starting todie in Memphis are also starting to die in West Memphis, AR. They need tokeep eating apples. Ask the students what do they need to do in order tosurvive. They should say …go to West Memphis, AR. If they say go to thegrocery store tell them that grocery stores do not exist in this story.ii. After they say go to West Memphis, AR, ask them how they would get there.They should say that they would cross over one of the bridges that cross theMississippi River. You may have to remind them that the Mississippi River isthe borderline between Arkansas and Tennessee. Once they get to the riverthey learn that all bridges that cross the Mississippi River have been closed forconstruction and will not be open for a while. They do not have access to aboat or a plane and they cannot swim across the river because it is toodangerous.iii. Ask the students what they should do now. Some may say go around the river.They cannot do that because the states that border Tennessee have become toocrowded and no additional people are allowed to enter those states.iv. Ask the students what happens now. The only other option is to wait for theapple trees to grow back from the seeds that remained after the dying applesrotted into the ground. It takes years for an apple tree to grow from a seed intoa tree that is able to produce apples. That is too long to wait. Explain to themthat since they are unable to get out of Tennessee in order to get to the otherapple trees in Arkansas they die of starvation.33
Page 2 and 3: Giant Panda Teacher PacketWritten b
Page 4 and 5: Table of ContentsSection 1 - Pre-tr
Page 6 and 7: Scent SenseGoal: To understand that
Page 9 and 10: Conducting Activity:1) Tell each st
Page 11: Extensions/Going Further:1) Find pi
Page 15 and 16: • Schoolyard Habitat Worksheet th
Page 18 and 19: Panda - Bamboo Relay RaceGoal: Stud
Page 20 and 21: Panda GameForestGiant Panda DenSafe
Page 22 and 23: 3) As they watch the movie, have th
Page 24 and 25: Post-tripActivities24
Page 26 and 27: Introduction:1) Begin the activity
Page 28 and 29: Giant Panda RefugesGoal: To underst
Page 30 and 31: Discussion:1) While the students ar
Page 34 and 35: Conducting Activity:1) Tell the stu
Page 37 and 38: Explorer Talk ShowGoal: Students wi
Page 39 and 40: 5) Tell them that they are going to
Page 41 and 42: Second Script (Pere Armand David)In
Page 43 and 44: Fourth Script (Ruth Harkness)Interv
Page 45 and 46: Fifth Script (Quentin Young)Intervi
Page 47 and 48: Procedures:Preparation:1) Photocopy
Page 49 and 50: Panda PuzzleGoal: Students will be
Page 51: Discussion:1) Once you have reviewe

Giant Panda Teacher Packet - Memphis Zoo

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?