(Press-News.org)
Bamboo invasion has been widely observed across Asia (e.g., China, Japan, and India), North America, South America (e.g., Brazil and Peru) and Africa. Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis), a large-running bamboo species native to subtropical China, is known for its invasive nature and ability to encroach upon adjacent communities, particularly derived forests. While some plot-based studies exist, our understanding of how forest structural dynamics and diameter–height allometric relationships respond to bamboo invasion has remained limited.
In a study published in the KeAi journal Forest Ecosystems, researchers from China systematically assessed forest structural dynamics and the interactive effects of invasion, climate, and soil on diameter–height allometry across a broad spatial scale.
“The invasion of P. edulis has caused numerous negative ecological impacts on forest ecosystems, including the suppression of tree growth, loss of local biodiversity, reduction of ecosystem carbon stocks, and disruption of nitrogen cycling,” said co-author Qingpei Yang, a professor of bamboo ecology at the Key Laboratory for Bamboo Germplasm Resources and Utilization, Jiangxi Agricultural University. “However, the mechanisms underlying these invasion-induced changes in ecosystem processes and functions remain poorly understood.”
Forest structure underpins ecosystem functioning, with the allometric relationship between DBH and height reflecting the balance between vertical and lateral growth strategies. Based on a large-scale field community survey, the data reveal that bamboo invasion decreases the mean and maximum diameter at breast height (DBH), maximum height, and total basal area (TBA) of stands, while increasing mean height and stem density.
Additionally, the scaling exponent of DBH–height decreases significantly for bamboo but increases indirectly for trees due to higher stem densities following the invasion.
“Notably, bamboo exhibits a higher scaling exponent than trees, particularly in mixed forests, suggesting a greater allocation of biomass to height growth,” added Yang. This phenotypic plasticity in diameter–height allometry may allow bamboo to outcompete trees, contributing to its invasive success.
“Through this large-scale study, we have quantified the general patterns of changes in forest structure and the shifts between vertical and lateral growth strategies under bamboo invasion,” said Ming Ouyang, the lead researcher of the study. “As community structure controls ecosystem functioning, future studies should further investigate the causes and consequences of bamboo invasion from a structure–function perspective.”
###
Contact the author: Ming Ouyang, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, and Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Transboundary Ecosecurity of Southwest, Yunnan University, Kunming, China, mingouyang@pku.edu.cn
The publisher KeAi was established by Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd to unfold quality research globally. In 2013, our focus shifted to open access publishing. We now proudly publish more than 200 world-class, open access, English language journals, spanning all scientific disciplines. Many of these are titles we publish in partnership with prestigious societies and academic institutions, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).
END
Developing reliable methods to replace dead or damaged tissue is one of the primary goals of regenerative medicine. With steady advances in tissue engineering and biomedicine, we are almost at a point where growing cell sheets in the lab and transplanting them onto damaged or diseased organs is becoming a reality rather than fiction. Notably, myoblast cell sheets have already been used to successfully treat severe heart failure, demonstrating the potential of this technology.
However, there are still a few unsolved challenges ...
Earth's tropical rain belt, responsible for monsoons that sustain billions of people and vibrant ecosystems, has long been a reliable feature of the planet's climate. But new research reveals this vital system wasn't always so dependable. A study published in Geophysical Research Letters shows that during the early Eocene—the hottest period in the last 65 million years—the rain belt's seasonal shifts weakened dramatically. These ancient changes could offer critical warnings about the impact of modern global warming.
A Greenhouse Climate 50 Million Years ...
Rice paddies, responsible for approximately 10% of global anthropogenic methane (CH₄) emissions, are increasingly recognized as a key contributor to global warming. Reducing emissions from rice cultivation is essential to achieving international climate goals, especially in light of commitments to carbon neutrality and peak emissions targets.
A team led by Prof. LI Tingting from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences has validated an independently developed methane emission model, CH4MOD, at the global scale. This research highlights the advantages of process-based models over the commonly ...
Women who experience infertility but do not use fertility treatments have a higher risk of developing a group of conditions called systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARD) in the nine years after a naturally conceived birth compared to women without fertility problems.
The new research, published today (Thursday) in Human Reproduction [1], one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals, found that this was true even after accounting for higher rates of pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy), preterm birth ...
Colorful auroras appeared around Japan's Honshu and Hokkaido islands on May 11, 2024, sparked by an intense magnetic storm. Usually, auroras observed at low latitudes appear red due to the emission of oxygen atoms. But on this day, a salmon pink aurora was observed throughout the night, while an unusually tall, blue-dominant aurora appeared shortly before midnight.
Smartphone videos and amateur photos captured the event, enabling scientists to combine public data with their own research and study the phenomenon.
In a ...
Higher rates of certain cancers in countries, such as the UK, may be linked to two particular strains of bacteria. Targeting these with treatments or vaccines could help reduce the risk of colorectal, bladder, and prostate cancers.
Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Helsinki, and collaborators investigated the differences in cancer incidence for colorectal, bladder and prostate cancers, and compared these to global data tracking Escherichia coli (E.coli) strains. Specifically, they looked at the dominant two E.coli strains that produce a substance that has been previously identified as a risk factor for colorectal cancer.
Their ...
Embargoed for release: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 6:30 PM ET
Key points:
Study participants who consumed at least five servings of any chocolate per week showed a 10% lower risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) compared to those who rarely or never ate chocolate. Dark chocolate had an even bigger impact: Participants who consumed at least five servings of this chocolate per week showed a 21% lower risk of T2D.
Consumption of milk chocolate, but not dark chocolate, was not associated with T2D risk; it was associated ...
Eating five servings of dark chocolate a week is associated with a reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a long-term US study published by The BMJ today.
Global rates of type 2 diabetes are set to rise to 700 million by 2045. Chocolate contains high levels of flavanols (a natural compound found in fruits and vegetables) which have been shown to promote heart health and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. But the link between chocolate consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes remains controversial due to inconsistent results.
In addition, most previous studies have not looked at whether eating dark and milk chocolate – which have different ...
An investigation published by The BMJ today reveals widespread influence of food and drink brands in schools and nurseries – through breakfast clubs, nutrition guidance, and healthy eating campaigns - while rates of obesity in the UK have worsened.
Experts say the tactics are “subtle but very problematic” and require much greater scrutiny and pushback.
Organisations influencing food provision and education in schools include Kellogg’s, Greggs, Nestle, and the British Nutrition Foundation, a “policy development” charity ...
Better information and regulation are essential to protect consumers from potential harms of tests advertised directly to consumers, argue experts in The BMJ today.
Emma Gram at the University of Copenhagen and colleagues warn that consumers are at risk of buying products that do more harm than good and say the public needs high quality information and effective communication to protect consumers from unbalanced and misleading marketing.
Advances in diagnostic technology and digital health have increased the variety and volume of direct-to-consumer (DTC) tests, ...
