High nutrient utilization and resorption efficiency promote bamboo expansion and invasion

Area of Science:

• Forest Ecology
• Plant Physiology
• Invasive Species Biology

Background:

• Bamboos are invasive woody plants that encroach on tree plantations, creating mixed stands.
• The impact of bamboo invasion on nutrient cycling, specifically carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P), is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how bamboo invasion affects leaf C, N, and P concentrations, stoichiometry, and utilization patterns in mixed plantations.
• To analyze the role of N and P utilization and resorption in bamboo expansion.

Main Methods:

• Studied four stands of Pleioblastus amarus invading Chinese fir plantations.
• Analyzed mature and withered leaves of young and old bamboos for C, N, and P concentrations and stoichiometry.
• Assessed N and P resorption efficiency and allometric growth relationships using Partial Least Squares Path Modeling (PLS-PM).

Main Results:

• Bamboo invasion decreased leaf C, N, and P concentrations and altered C:N and C:P ratios.
• N and P resorption efficiency and allometric growth exponents for leaf C, N, and P were reduced by bamboo invasion.
• PLS-PM confirmed negative impacts of bamboo invasion on leaf nutrient concentrations and N and P utilization/resorption.

Conclusions:

• High N and P utilization and resorption efficiency in bamboos facilitate their expansion and invasion into tree plantations.
• Understanding nutrient dynamics is crucial for managing bamboo-tree mixed stands and controlling invasive bamboo spread.