Gregarious bamboo flowering opens a window of opportunity for regeneration in a temperate forest of Patagonia

Rare gregarious flowering of understorey bamboo species occurs in temperate and subtropical forests around the world, but the ecological consequences of this phenomenon for forest regeneration are not well understood. Field experiments were conducted in an old-growth temperate forest in Patagonia, A...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The New phytologist 2009-03, Vol.181 (4), p.880-889
Main Authors: Giordano, Carla V., Sánchez, Rodolfo A., Austin, Amy T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Argentina
bamboo flowering
Bamboos
Chusquea
Chusquea culeou
Ecosystem
Fagus - growth & development
Fagus - physiology
Fagus - radiation effects
Flowers - growth & development
Flowers - physiology
Forest ecology
Forest regeneration
Germination
Light
light quality
Microhabitats
Nothofagus
Nothofagusforest
Overstory
phytochrome
red:far red ratios
Regeneration
Sasa - growth & development
Sasa - physiology
Sasa - radiation effects
Seed germination
Seedlings
Seeds
Understory
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Summary:Rare gregarious flowering of understorey bamboo species occurs in temperate and subtropical forests around the world, but the ecological consequences of this phenomenon for forest regeneration are not well understood. Field experiments were conducted in an old-growth temperate forest in Patagonia, Argentina after a massive bamboo flowering event, to examine whether light quality and other changes in microhabitats could affect seed germination and growth of overstorey species. Germination of southern beech (Nothofagus obliqua) was positively correlated with red:far red (R:FR) ratios in a range of microhabitats generated by the death of the understorey bamboo (Chusquea culeou). Experimental modification of understorey R:FR ratios to mimic alternative light environments reversed this germination response in plots with senescent understorey, but not in plots with live bamboo. Laboratory incubations demonstrated a significant interaction between R:FR ratios and thermal amplitude in promoting seed germination. Microhabitats also significantly affected the growth of emerged seedlings. Microenvironmental changes generated by this flowering event appear to have opened a window of opportunity for germination and growth of overstorey species. We demonstrate that natural gradients in light quality associated with this ecological phenomenon are a major component affecting forest regeneration in this ecosystem.
ISSN:0028-646X
1469-8137
DOI:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02708.x