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Bamboo dominance reduces tree regeneration in a disturbed tropical forest

  • Community ecology - Original Paper
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Abstract

Human disturbance may change dominance hierarchies of plant communities, and may cause substantial changes in biotic environmental conditions if the new dominant species have properties that differ from the previous dominant species. We examined the effects of bamboos (Bambusa tulda and Cephalostachyum pergracile) and their litter on the overall woody seedling abundance, species richness and diversity in a mixed deciduous forest in northeastern Thailand. These bamboo species are gaining dominance after human disturbance. Our results show that seedling abundance and species richness were reduced by bamboo canopies. Seedling abundance and species diversity under bamboo canopies were affected by bamboo litter, whereas seedling abundance and species diversity outside bamboo canopies did not respond to the mixed-tree litter manipulation. Removal of bamboo litter increased seedling abundance and species diversity. However, bamboo litter addition did not affect seedling abundance or species diversity compared to either control or litter removal. This may indicate that the effect of natural amount of bamboo litter is as high as for litter addition in preventing seedling establishment by woody species and hence in minimizing resource competition. We conclude that undergrowth bamboos and their litter affect tree seedling regeneration differently from mixed-tree litter, causing changes in plant community composition and species diversity. Increased human disturbance, causing a shift in dominance structure of these forests, may result in a concomitant reduction in their overall woody species abundance, richness and diversity. Thus, management of bamboos by controlling their distribution in areas of high bamboo density can be an important forest restoration method.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to La-aw Ampornpan and Amnat Yensabai from Srinakharinwirot University (SWU) for administrative support in Na Haeo. We thank Panya Waiboonya, Witoon Purahong and Phanuwat Prempree for assistance in the field. The study is financed by the Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB). The research complied with current laws in Thailand.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, The Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432, Ås, Norway

    Panadda Larpkern, Stein R. Moe & Ørjan Totland

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  1. Panadda Larpkern
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  2. Stein R. Moe
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  3. Ørjan Totland
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Correspondence to Panadda Larpkern.

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Communicated by Andy Hector.

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Larpkern, P., Moe, S.R. & Totland, Ø. Bamboo dominance reduces tree regeneration in a disturbed tropical forest. Oecologia 165, 161–168 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-010-1707-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-010-1707-0

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