PARENT SESSION
Poster Session # 15: Plant Ecology.

Wednesday, August 6 Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. SITCC Exhibit Hall B.

Giant panda herbivory effects on bamboo dynamics.

Franklin, Scott^*,1, Wang, Wei¹, Ouellette, John², ¹ Department of Biology, Memphis, TN, USA² Research & Conservation Department, Memphis, TN, USA

ABSTRACT- Understanding small-scale patterns of disturbances will render a greater understanding of local controls and mechanisms affecting bamboo regeneration dynamics. We studied herbivory and bamboo dynamics (growth and regeneration) in the Foping National Nature Reserve (33°45' N 107°50' E) on the southern face of the Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi Province, PR China. We set up nine paired sites in the summer forage habitat of giant panda, where Fargesia qinlingensis is the dominant bamboo taxa. Each site contained a set of paired plots: one naturally foraged by giant panda, an adjacent clipped (mimicking foraging) plot, and a control. Natural foraging plot areas ranged from 0.8 m² to 11.6 m². Densities for both foraged and adjacent control plots ranged from 12 to 97 stems m^-2; culm heights ranged from 1.9 m to 2.8 m. Total stem density was positively correlated with dead culm density (r² = 0.82) and new shoot density (r² = 0.85). Average culm diameter of foraged stems was 8.88 mm, and culms were clipped at an average height of 0.68 m. We explored plot characteristics that might affect foraging behavior. Foraging was biased toward culm sizes between 8 and 11 mm diameter, regardless of the size class distribution of the naturally foraged plot. However, there was no difference between the size class distribution of the foraged plots and the adjacent control plots (² = 2.57). Further, we found no significant differences in total culm density, dead culm density, new shoot density, or broken culm density between foraged and adjacent control plots. However, a pattern of greater foraging in plots with a greater number of broken stems was observed and needs further research.

Key words: bamboo , herbivory, giant panda, disturbance