Reproductive characteristics in an understory bamboo and gradual environmental changes after its dieback provide an extended opportunity for overstory tree regeneration in a mixed cool‐temperate forest in central Japan

Abstract

The reproductive characteristics of understory bamboo and the effects of dieback on overstory tree seedlings through temporal changes in the environment at the forest floor have only been examined in a few bamboo species, due to the unpredictable occurrence of flowering events and long intervals between them but provide valuable information on tree regeneration and succession in a forest with dense dwarf bamboo cover.• We investigated environmental conditions and assessed seedlings (< 30-cm tall) of the dwarf bamboo Sasa borealis and overstory tree species at 44-50 measurement points during 2016-2021, which included a S. borealis mass flowering event in 2017. We also conducted seed germination tests to determine germination rates and patterns in S. borealis. Environmental factors affecting seedling recruitment of S. borealis and of overstory trees were analysed using spatiotemporal generalized linear mixed models in the Bayesian framework.• We observed gradual temporal changes in the environment, including increasing canopy openness and decreasing maximum height of dead S. borealis culms. The seeds germinated slowly and the emergence of current-year S. borealis seedlings peaked in spring-summer in 2019. The tree seedling density after 2019 increased significantly compared to that before the dieback. The model results suggest that tree seedling establishment was enhanced by increased light availability.• Continuous field observation beginning before S. borealis dieback revealed gradually enhanced tree recruitment in response to slow decay of the remaining dead culms and slow recovery of S. borealis. The seedling regeneration pattern of understory bamboo partly contributes to a prolonged opportunity for overstory tree regeneration.

Understory bamboo removal impacts on woody seedling regeneration in forest ecosystems: a meta-analysis

“…Specifically, the removal of understory bamboo would create a favorable environment for seedling height growth by alleviating resource competition, particularly for light (Gratzer et al 1999;Colleta et al 2001). Additionally, understory bamboo removal enhances tree seedling emergence by increasing understory openness and reducing leaf litter cover, which are likely the main factors promoting this process (Nakagawa et al 2023;Sayer 2006). Moreover, fluctuations in soil temperature resulting from understory bamboo removal also play a role in facilitating the emergence of pioneer seedling species (Abe et al 2002).…”