A Red Pandas Food Web  

By Brooke Fischer 
 
Many animals are becoming endangered and the Red Panda is one of 
those animals. The Red Panda can be found living in the mountain forests of 
Nepal, Myanmar, and china. The climate in the mountain forest is chilly because 
of the high elevation. ”The Red Panda has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, 
and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs.” A Red Panda's diet consists 
of bamboo, shrubs, berries, tree bark, and small birds. Red Pandas mainly eat 
bamboo. The red panda spends most of their time in trees. Red Pandas are 
endangered. According to sciencing.com, “human actions, such as deforestation, 
poaching, accidental trapping and an illegal pet trade that have caused the wild 
population of red pandas to shrink to just around 10,000 individuals.” 
 
   One of the Red Panda’s ecosystems is the Nepal mountain forests. In 
the Nepal mountain forests some of the nonliving components are rocks, soil, 
and clouds. In the Red Panda’s ecosystem the producers are lichens, grass, 
bamboo, shrubs, trees, and berries. The herbivores In a Red Pandas 
ecosystem are the Monal, insects, Musk Deer, and Snow Partridges. The 
carnivores In The Red Panda’s ecosystem are the Red Panda, Snow leopard, 
Asiatic black bear, clouded leopard,and the leopard cat. The decomposers In the 
ecosystem are fungi and bacteria. The Nonliving components In the Red 
Pandas ecosystem are important too. They help plants grow they help animal 
and plants live and they can provide shelter for animals. The nonliving 
components work together with living components. A non living component works 
with a living component such as plants the nonliving components like water help 
them grow and water can also hydrate animals. In conclusion, this how the​ living 
and nonliving components in an ecosystem work together to help the ecosystem 
work. 
 
  Energy flowing is important to all ecosystems. Energy starts with 
producers getting their energy from the sun. Then the energy is transferred to 
the herbivores, when they eat the plants. The energy is transferred again when 
a carnivore eats a another animal. As energy travels through an ecosystem, it 
gets less and less. It states that on utahscience that, ​“The total energy passed 
from one level to the next is only about one-tenth of the energy received from 
the previous organism. There force, as you move up the food chain, there is 
less energy available. Animals located at the top of the food chain need a lot 
more food to meet their energy needs.​” If a producer was removed from the 
ecosystem, a herbivore would get less energy and have more competition with 
other animals for plants. There would be less herborves, which would affect the 
carnivores. They would get less food and their might be less carnivores too. 
Energy flows in The Red Panda’s ecosystem and all animals are important in 
ensuring energy is passed successfully.  
 
Nitrogen is in the atmosphere. When clouds are forming it gets polled into 
those clouds. When it rains the water has nitrogen in it and it goes into the soil. 
The plants suck that up through their roots. When a herbivore eats a plant that 
nitrogen in the plant is transferred. When a carnivore eats a herbvovier the 
nitrogen in their body from the plant is transferred to the carnivore . When an 
animal dies the decomposers put that nitrogen back into the soil and some of 
that nitrogen is released back into the atmosphere and the cycle repeats 
itself. If nitrogen stopped cycling, plants could not make chlorophyll which used 
to make photosynthesis to make plants food and energy to help them live. Also 
Nitrogen helps build are bodies. Plus herbivores would not get their food and 
part of a human's diet should be gone. ALso plants make oxygen without oxygen 
animals and humans would die. To conclude,, that is why nitrogen is very 
important to all living things. 
 
In summary, it was a great experience to learn about the Red Pandas 
Ecosystem, and It's predators and its prey. Also to learn and inform myself 
why it's endangered. It was great to learn why nitrogen is important before and 
how it cycles. Before this I would have never know how much goes into the 
cycle of nitrogen and why it's very important living things. Now I have more 
appreciation for plants, animals, and decomposers. 
 
Sites: 
“Where Do Red Pandas Live? And Other Red Panda Facts.” ​WWF​, World Wildlife Fund, 
www.worldwildlife.org/stories/where-do-red-pandas-live-and-other-red-panda-facts​. 
Sartore, Joel. “Red Panda.” ​National Geographic​, 10 Sept. 2010, 
www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/r/red-panda/ 
https://www.britannica.com/science/mountain-ecosystem 
http://justfunfacts.com/interesting-facts-about-red-pandas/​. 
Sartore, Joel. “Red Panda.” ​National Geographic​, 10 Sept. 2010, 
www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/r/red-panda/​. 
Sartore, Joel. “Red Panda.” ​National Geographic​, 10 Sept. 2010, 
www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/r/red-panda/​. 
Isabella. “Just Fun Facts.” ​Fun and Interesting Site​, 1 Jan. 1968, 
justfunfacts.com/interesting-facts-about-red-pandas/. 
“Ecosystem.” ​Ducksters Educational Site​, ​www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/nitrogen_cycle.php​. 
Cook, Maria. “Why Are the Red Pandas Endangered?” ​Sciencing​, 19 Apr. 2018, 
sciencing.com/red-pandas-endangered-6775531.html. 
“Energy Flow in Ecosystems.” ​Utah's Cold Desert​, 
utahscience.oremjr.alpine.k12.ut.us/sciber99/8th/energy/sciber/ecosys.htm.