Climate change is wiping out bamboo, which puts giant pandas in danger.

Only 1,500 giant pandas survive in the wild today. Wang He/Getty Images

Giant pandas reside in the bamboo rainforests of China, and they rely solely on bamboo for food. Only 1,500 giant pandas exist in the wild today, according to National Geographic.

The creatures spend half of their day eating and consume up to 15% of their body weight in bamboo. But the tree-like plant is particularly vulnerable to effects from climate change, especially increasing temperatures, because of its unique reproductive cycle — bamboo only flowers every three decades, as reported by the Guardian.

A 2012 study published in the journal Nature Climate Change illustrated the importance of bamboo to the survival of giant pandas and other animals that rely on the plant for food and shelter. The scientists studied the bamboo in the Qinling Mountains of China and concluded that most species of bamboo will likely die off completely by the end of this century.