Panda bears have evolved over time to consume a specific diet that primarily consists of bamboo. Historically, bamboo was an abundant food source for pandas since very few animals were able to digest bamboo's rough exterior. Pandas must eat large quantities of bamboo because it contains very little nutritional value. Environmental changes over time such as warmer temperatures and changing rainfall patterns have reduced the amount of naturally occurring bamboo. Deforestation and human development have also reduced the amount of bamboo, which created the possibility pandas will become extinct in the future.

Question

Panda bears have evolved over time to consume a specific diet that primarily consists of bamboo.  Historically, bamboo was an abundant food source for pandas since very few animals were able to digest bamboo's rough exterior.  Pandas must eat large quantities of bamboo because it contains very little nutritional value.  Environmental changes over time such as warmer temperatures and changing rainfall patterns have reduced the amount of naturally occurring bamboo. Deforestation and human development have also reduced the amount of bamboo,  which created the possibility pandas will become extinct in the future.

What TWO environmental factors are MOST likely causing pandas to become extinct?

increased predators
high levels of acid rain
climate changes
reduced soil availability
greater intraspecies competition

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The TWO environmental factors that are MOST likely causing pandas to become extinct are:

Climate changes - Changes in temperatures and rainfall patterns can affect the growth and availability of bamboo, which is the primary food source for pandas.
Deforestation and human development - While not listed in your options, the reduction of bamboo habitats due to human activities aligns with the broader effects of climate change. In this context, climate changes particularly influence bamboo growth, whereas human development directly leads to habitat loss. However, since “deforestation” appears to be the missing term, it is essential to highlight the impact of climate changes as a significant concern.

If I were to choose two from the options presented, the most relevant would be climate changes and possibly greater intraspecies competition, although the latter would be less direct in comparison to habitat loss.