Adaptive strategies for culm form and aboveground biomass allocation of clonal ramets in interface area of mixed forest with Pleioblastus amarus-Cunninghamia lanceolata

Abstract

Pleioblastus amarus, a bamboo species with wide distribution, can be utilized for its high quality shoot and timber. In order to explore the change characteristics of the culm form and the biomass distribution pattern of aboveground components in the interface area of P. amarus and to understand how the bamboo species adapt to heterogeneous habitats, pure stand of P. amarus, Cunninghamia lanceolata and mixed forest with P. amarus and C. lanceolata were selected to investigate culm form, culm, branch and leaf biomass of 1-2 year-old P. amarus in the central and boundary zone of the pure forest and mixed forests, and the differences culm shape and aboveground module biomass accumulation, allocation and allometric grouth relationship were analyzed. The results were as follows: (1) The differences of biomass accumulation and allocation of one-year old P. amarus in the interface area increased. Furthermore, the relative biomass of module and leaf biomass allocation under the interface area of P. amarus forest increased, while the relative biomass of module and leaf biomass allocation under the mixed forest interface decreased. However, the differences of biomass accumulation and allocation of two-year old bamboos decreased, and there was no significant difference on relative biomass of module and biomass allocation of two-year old bamboos on the two sides of the interface area. (2) Culm shape characteristics and the allometric growth relationship of module biomass of the one-year old bamboo changed slightly, while allometric growth rate of culm biomass of two-year old bamboo in the interface area of P. amarus stand increased, and those of the branches and leaves decreased. All the above results indicate that the culm shape and biomass allocation pattern of P. amarus obviously change under the interface area by balancing the relationship of resource allocation to enhance suitability and fitness to heterogeneous environment.

Keywords

• pleioblastus amarus
• heterogeneous environment
• interface area
• culm form
• biomass
• allometric growth