Chin J Plant Ecol ›› 2013, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (8): 699-708.DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1258.2013.00073

• Research Articles •     Next Articles

Effect of clonal integration on ramet population regeneration of two Fargesia (bamboo) species under simulated ingesting interference

WEI Yu-Hang1,2,ZHOU Xiao-Bo3,CHEN Jin-Song1,CHEN Li-Min4,LI Jiao1,2,LIU Qing1,*()   

  1. 1Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization & Ecological Restoration Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
    2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    3Forestry Bureau of Lixian County in Aba Prefecture, Lixian, Sichuan 623100, China
    4Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve, Qingchuan, Sichuan 628109, China
  • Received:2013-03-21 Accepted:2013-06-02 Online:2013-03-21 Published:2013-08-07
  • Contact: LIU Qing

Abstract:

Aims Herbaceous species can have compensatory growth after grazing. Clonal integration contributes greatly to the re-growth of clonal plants. To date, however, very few studies have addressed how clonal integration affects bamboos’ regeneration at a ramet level. Our objectives were to test the following hypotheses: (1) clonal integration benefits bamboo’s compensatory growth greatly after grazing and (2) differences in branching pattern of rhizomes lead to different contributions of clonal integration to the compensatory effects.
Methods In Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve, we subjected Fargesia scabrida and F. denudata ramets within 1.2 m × 1.2 m plots to four clipping treatments, i.e., no clipping and 25%, 50% and 75% shoot removal, and kept rhizomes at the plot edges either connected or disconnected.
Important findings In plots with no clipping, rhizome severing stimulated new shoot generation and population recruitment of F. scabrida, but reduced the height and biomass of new shoots. The shooting rate and recruitment of F. denudata were significantly decreased in plots where rhizomes remained connected. When rhizomes were kept connected, 25% clipping reduced the biomass of F. scabrida, and 25% and 50% clipping reduced recruitment of F. denudata. However, rhizome severing increased the recruitment of F. denudata. Under 75% clipping, the recruitments of both bamboos did not decrease significantly, but the quality of new shoots declined. Such negative effects were negated or greatly ameliorated in F. scabrida when rhizomes were connected. In general, clonal integration contributes greatly to the growth of new ramets, but contributes little to compensatory growth of both bamboos after grazing.

Key words: clonal integration, compensatory growth, Fargesia denudata, Fargesia scabrida, population regeneration, ramet population