Can native clonal moso bamboo encroach on adjacent natural forest without human intervention?
Native species are generally thought not to encroach on adjacent natural forest without human intervention. However, the phenomenon that native moso bamboo may encroach on surrounding natural forests by itself occurred in China. To certificate this encroaching process, we employed the transition front approach to monitor the native moso bamboo population dynamics in native Chinese fir and evergreen broadleaved forest bordering moso bamboo forest in Tianmu Mountain Nature Reserve during the period between 2005 and 2014. The results showed that the bamboo front moved toward the Chinese fir/evergreen broadleaved stand with the new bamboo produced yearly. Moso bamboo encroached at a rate of 1.28 m yr(-1) in Chinese fir forest and 1.04 m yr(-1) in evergreen broadleaved forest, and produced 533/437 new culms hm(-2) yr(-1) in the encroaching natural Chinese fir/evergreen broadleaved forest. Moso bamboo coverage was increasing while adjacent natural forest area decreasing continuously. These results indicate that native moso bamboo was encroaching adjacent natural forest gradually without human intervention. It should be considered to try to create a management regime that humans could selectively remove culms to decrease encroachment.
Jiyang College, Zhejiang A &F University, Zhuji, Zhejiang 311800, PR China.|Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.|Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration, Zhejiang A &F University, Linan, Zhejiang 311300, PR China.
Shangbin
S
Bai
Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.|Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration, Zhejiang A &F University, Linan, Zhejiang 311300, PR China.
Yixiang
Y
Wang
Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Richard T
RT
Conant
Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration, Zhejiang A &F University, Linan, Zhejiang 311300, PR China.
Guomo
G
Zhou
Jiyang College, Zhejiang A &F University, Zhuji, Zhejiang 311800, PR China.
Yong
Y
Xu
Jiyang College, Zhejiang A &F University, Zhuji, Zhejiang 311800, PR China.
Nan
N
Wang
Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration, Zhejiang A &F University, Linan, Zhejiang 311300, PR China.
Feiyan
F
Fang
Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration, Zhejiang A &F University, Linan, Zhejiang 311300, PR China.
Juan
J
Chen
D031723:Bambusa / Q000254:growth & development*; D044822:Biodiversity; D002681:China; D032486:Cunninghamia; D065928:Forests; D006801:Humans; D058865:Introduced Species