Application of the strip clear-cutting system in a running bamboo (Phyllostachys glauca McClure) forest: feasibility and sustainability assessments

Introduction

As a renewable forest resource, bamboo plays a role in sustainable forest development. However, traditional cutting systems, selection cutting (SeC) and clear-cutting (ClC), result in an unsustainable production of bamboo forests due to labor-consuming or bamboo degradation. Recently, a strip clear-cutting (StC) was theoretically proposed to promote the sustainability of bamboo production, while little is known about its application consequence.

Methods

Based on a 6-year experiment, we applied the strip clear-cutting system in a typical running bamboo (Phyllostachys glauca McClure) forest to assess its feasibility and sustainability. Using SeC and ClC as controls, we set three treatments with different strip widths (5 m, 10 m, and 20 m) for strip clear-cutting, simplified as StC-5, StC-10, and StC-20, respectively. Then, we investigated leaf physiological traits, bamboo size and productivity, population features, and economic benefits for all treatments.

Results

The stands managed by StC had high eco-physiological activities, such as net photosynthetic rate (P n), photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE), and photosynthetic phosphorus use efficiency (PPUE), and thus grew well, achieved a large diameter at breast height (DBH), and were tall. The stand biomass of StC (8.78 t hm-2 year-1) was 1.19-fold and 1.49-fold greater than that of SeC and ClC, respectively, and StC-10 and StC-20 were significantly higher than SeC or ClC (p< 0.05). The income and profit increased with the increase in stand density and biomass, and StC-20 and StC-10 were significantly higher than SeC or ClC (p< 0.05). Using principal components analysis and subordinate function analysis, we constructed a composite index to indicate the sustainability of bamboo forests. For the sustainability assessment, StC-10 had the highest productive sustainability (0.59 ± 0.06) and the second highest economic sustainability (0.59 ± 0.11) in all cutting treatments. StC-10 had the maximum overall sustainability, with a value of 0.53 ± 0.02, which was significantly higher than that of ClC (p< 0.05).

Conclusion

The results verified that StC for Phyllostachys glauca forests is feasible and sustainable as its sustainability index outweighs those of traditional cutting systems (SeC and ClC), and 10 m is the optimum distance for the strip width of StC. Our findings provide a new cutting system for managing other running bamboo forests sustainably.

An Isolated and Deeply Divergent Hynobius Species from Fujian, China

It is important to describe lineages before they go extinct, as we can only protect what we know. This is especially important in the case of microendemic species likely to be relict populations, such as Hynobius salamanders in southern China. Here, we unexpectedly sampled Hynobius individuals in Fujian province, China, and then worked on determining their taxonomic status. We describe Hynobius bambusicolus sp. nov. based on molecular and morphological data. The lineage is deeply divergent and clusters with the other southern Chinese Hynobius species based on the concatenated mtDNA gene fragments (>1500 bp), being the sister group to H. amjiensis based on the COI gene fragment, despite their geographic distance. In terms of morphology, the species can be identified through discrete characters enabling identification in the field by eye, an unusual convenience in Hynobius species. In addition, we noted some interesting life history traits in the species, such as vocalization and cannibalism. The species is likely to be incredibly rare, over a massively restricted distribution, fitting the definition of Critically Endangered following several lines of criteria and categories of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Evaluating the Rhizosphere and Endophytic Microbiomes of a Bamboo Plant in Response to the Long-Term Application of Heavy Organic Amendment

Root-associated bacteria play a major role in plant health and productivity. However, how organic amendment influences root-associated bacteria is uncertain in Lei bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) plantations. Here, we compared the rhizosphere and endophytic microbiomes in two Lei bamboo plantations with (IMS) and without (TMS) the application of organic amendment for 16 years. The results showed IMS significantly increased (p < 0.05) the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and significantly decreased (p < 0.05) the relative abundance of Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Verrucomicrobiota. The root endophytic Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria were significantly higher in abundance (p < 0.05) in the IMS than in the TMS, while Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were significantly lower in abundance. Five taxa were assigned to Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria, which were identified as keystones in the rhizosphere soil microbiome, while two species taxonomically affiliated with Proteobacteria were identified as keystones in the root endophytic microbiota, indicating this phylum can be an indicator for a root-associated microbiome in response to IMS. The soil pH, soil total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), available potassium (AK), and TOC:TP ratio were significantly correlated (p < 0.05) with the bacterial community composition of both rhizosphere soils and root endophytes. TMS increased the microbial network complexity of root endophytes but decreased the microbial network complexity of rhizosphere soil. Our results suggest IMS shapes the rhizosphere and endophytic bacterial community compositions and their interactions differently, which should be paid attention to when designing management practices for the sustainable development of forest ecosystems.

Changes of Root Endophytic Bacterial Community Along a Chronosequence of Intensively Managed Lei Bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) Forests in Subtropical China

Endophytic bacteria widely exist inside plant tissues and have an important role in plant growth and development and the alleviation of environmental stress. However, little is known about the response of root-associated bacterial endophytes of Lei bamboo (Phyllostachys praecox) to intensive management, which is a common management practice for high bamboo shoot production in subtropical China. In this study, we comparatively investigated the root endophytic bacterial community structures in a chronosequence of intensively managed (5a, 10a, 15a, and 20a) and extensively managed plantations (as control, Con). The results showed that endophytic Proteobacteria was the dominant bacterial phylum in the bamboo roots. Intensive management significantly increased (p < 0.05) the bacterial observed species and Chao1 (except 5a) indices associated with bamboo roots. The relative abundances of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria (except 15a) in the intensively managed bamboo roots significantly increased (p < 0.05) compared with those in Con, while the relative abundance of Proteobacteria significantly decreased in intensively managed bamboo roots (p < 0.05). The phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes were the biomarkers in Con, 5a, 15a, and 20a, respectively. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that soil alkali-hydrolysable N (AN), available phosphorus (AP), available K (AK), and total organic carbon (TOC) were significantly correlated (p < 0.05) with the bacterial community compositions. Our results suggest that the root endophytic microbiome of Lei bamboo was markedly influenced by intensive management practices, and the available nutrient status could be the main driving factor for such shifts. Although heavy fertilization in the intensive management system increased the diversity indices, the rapid changes in root endophyte communities and their relevant functions might indicate a high risk for sustainable management.

[Effects of slope direction on soil nutrient and its ecological stoichiometry in bamboo forest]

We analyzed the effects of slope direction on soil nutrients and ecological stoichiometry by collecting soil samples from different slope directions (shady slope and sunny slope) of the bamboo forest in Longyou County, Zhejiang Province. The results showed that soil nutrients were affected by slope direction and soil depth. The nutrients level of soils in the sampling area showed the trends of shady slope > sunny slope, and surface soil > bottom soil. Compared to sunny slope, the cation exchange capacity (CEC), the contents of total organic carbon, total nitrogen, alkaline hydrolyzed nitrogen, available phosphorus, total potassium and available potassium of shady soils significantly increased by 43.7%, 103.8%, 92.0%, 75.5%, 22.4%, 89.4% and 240.7%, respectively. There was no significant difference in total phosphorus contents between shady slope and sunny slope. At all soil layers, there was no significant difference of C/N ratio between shady and sunny slopes. The average C/P ratio of shady slope was 180.8%, 42.0% and 54.3% higher than that of sunny slope at 0-20 cm, 20-40 cm and 40-60 cm, respectively. At each soil layer, the average C/K and N/K ratios between shady and sunny slopes had no significant difference. The average C/K and N/K ratios of shady slope and sunny slope were all significantly different among the three soil layers. In the shady slope, the contents of soil organic carbon showed significantly positive correlation with total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, and soil available nutrients. Overall, soil nutrients and ecological stoichiometry characteristics of shady slope of bamboo forest were superior to those of sunny slope.

[Spatiotemporal dynamic simulation on aboveground carbon storage of bamboo forest and its influence factors in Zhejiang Province, China.]

Bamboo forests have an efficient carbon sequestration capacity and play an important role in responding to global climate change. However, the current estimation of bamboo carbon storage has some errors, leading to uncertainty in the spatiotemporal pattern of bamboo forest carbon storage. This study simulated aboveground carbon storage of Zhejiang Province, China, during 1984-2014 based on the combination of an improved BIOME-BGC (biogeochemical cycles) model and remote sensing data, with the accuracy being verified with forest resource inventory data. The spatio-temporal distribution and environmental factors of aboveground carbon storage were analyzed. The results showed that the simulated carbon storage was accurate, with average correlation coefficient (r), root mean square error (RMSE) and relative bias (rBIAS) being 0.75, 7.24 Mg C·hm^-2 and -2.57 Mg C·hm^-2, respectively. Generally, the aboveground carbon storage of bamboo forests in the whole province tended to increase from 1984 to 2014, the range of aboveground carbon density was 13.10-17.14 Mg C·hm^-2, and that of the total aboveground carbon storage was between 9.94-17.19 Tg C. The high aboveground carbon storage of bamboo was mainly distributed in developed bamboo industry areas, such as Anji, Lin'an, and Longyou. The change of aboveground carbon storage in bamboo forest was significantly correlated with temperature, precipitation, radiation, CO₂ concentration and nitrogen deposition, with higher partial correlation coefficients between precipitation and temperature and carbon storage.

[Retrieval of leaf area index of Phyllostachys praecox forest based on MODIS reflectance time series data.]

Based on the MODIS surface reflectance data, five vegetation indices, including norma-lized difference vegetation index (NDVI), simple ratio index (SR), Gitelson green index (GI), enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) were constructed as remote sensing variables, coupled with the seven original spectral reflectance bands of MODIS. Stepwise regression and correlation analysis were used to select the variables, and the stepwise regression and Back Propagation (BP) neural network models were constructed based on the measured LAI to retrieve the LAI time series data of Phyllostachys praecox (Lei bamboo) forest during the period from January 2014 to March 2017. The retrieval results were compared with MOD15A2 LAI products during the same period. The results showed that SR was the single variable selected for the stepwise regression model. The correlations of LAI with bands b₁, b₂, b₃, b₇ and five vegetation indices were significant, which could be used as input variables of BP neural network model. There was a significant correlation between the LAI estimated from BP neural network and measured LAI, with the R² of 0.71, RMSE of 0.34, and RMSE_r of 13.6%. R² was increased by 10.9%, RMSE decreased by 5.6%, and RMSE_r decreased by 12.3% compared with LAI estimated from stepwise regression method. R² was increased by 54.5%, RMSE decreased by 79.3%, and RMSE_r decreased by 79.1% compared with MODIS LAI. The LAI of Lei bamboo forest could be accurately retrieved using BP neural network method based on MODIS reflectance time series data, which would be a feasible method for rapid monitoring of LAI in Lei bamboo forest.

[Assessment of ecosystem in giant panda distribution area based on entropy method and coefficient of variation]

The areas of the habitat and bamboo forest, and the size of the giant panda wild population have greatly increased, while habitat fragmentation and local population isolation have also intensified in recent years. Accurate evaluation of ecosystem status of the panda in the giant panda distribution area is important for giant panda conservation. The ecosystems of the distribution area and six mountain ranges were subdivided into habitat and population subsystems based on the hie-rarchical system theory. Using the panda distribution area as the study area and the three national surveys as the time node, the evolution laws of ecosystems were studied using the entropy method, coefficient of variation, and correlation analysis. We found that with continuous improvement, some differences existed in the evolution and present situation of the ecosystems of six mountain ranges could be divided into three groups. Ecosystems classified into the same group showed many commonalities, and difference between the groups was considerable. Problems of habitat fragmentation and local population isolation became more serious, resulting in ecosystem degradation. Individuali-zed ecological protection measures should be formulated and implemented in accordance with the conditions in each mountain system to achieve the best results.

[Simulating of carbon fluxes in bamboo forest ecosystem using BEPS model based on the LAI assimilated with Dual Ensemble Kalman Filter]

LAI is one of the most important observation data in the research of carbon cycle of forest ecosystem, and it is also an important parameter to drive process-based ecosystem model. The Moso bamboo forest (MBF) and Lei bamboo forest (LBF) were selected as the study targets. Firstly, the MODIS LAI time series data during 2014-2015 was assimilated with Dual Ensemble Kalman Filter method. Secondly, the high quality assimilated MBF LAI and LBF LAI were used as input dataset to drive BEPS model for simulating the gross primary productivity (GPP), net ecosystem exchange (NEE) and total ecosystem respiration (TER) of the two types of bamboo forest ecosystem, respectively. The modeled carbon fluxes were evaluated by the observed carbon fluxes data, and the effects of different quality LAI inputs on carbon cycle simulation were also studied. The LAI assimilated using Dual Ensemble Kalman Filter of MBF and LBF were significantly correlated with the observed LAI, with high R² of 0.81 and 0.91 respectively, and lower RMSE and absolute bias, which represented the great improvement of the accuracy of MODIS LAI products. With the driving of assimilated LAI, the modeled GPP, NEE, and TER were also highly correlated with the flux observation data, with the R² of 0.66, 0.47, and 0.64 for MBF, respectively, and 0.66, 0.45, and 0.73 for LBF, respectively. The accuracy of carbon fluxes modeled with assimilated LAI was higher than that acquired by the locally adjusted cubic-spline capping method, in which, the accuracy of mo-deled NEE for MBF and LBF increased by 11.2% and 11.8% at the most degrees, respectively.