PARENT SESSION
Contributed Oral Session 15: Populations and Genetics: Succession; Reproduction
Monday, August 8, 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM, Meeting Room 522 A, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal

Spatial pattern of ramets in two bamboo species, Bashania fargesii and Fargesia qinlingensis.

Wang, Wei^*,1, Franklin, Scott¹, Ouellette, John², ¹ The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN² Memphis Zoo, Memphis, TN

ABSTRACT- Spatial patterns of Bashania fargesii (leptomorphic rhizome) and Fargesia qinlingensis (leptomorphic rhizome) were studied in Foping National Natural Reserve, Shaanxi, China to aid in understanding temporal and spatial bamboo regeneration patterns. We chose three plots (one 40 by 40 m near a stream, and two 10 by 10 m on the opposite sides of a ridge) in winter habitat of giant panda where Bashania is the only bamboo species, and three 10 by 10 m plots (20-year-old die-off area, non-die-off area, and ridge) in summer habitat where Fargesia is the only bamboo. In the three Fargesia plots, total culms, live culms, and dead culms were all aggregately distributed at scales < 5 m in 2004. However, the spatial distributions of new shoots, live new shoots, and dead new shoots varied. For example, new shoots were aggregated at scales of 0 - 2.7 m and 4.4 - 4.5 m in die-off plot, 0 - 3.3 m in non-die-off plot, and 0 - 5 m in ridge plot. Spatial distribution of new shoots (total new shoots, dead new shoots, and live new shoots) in the 40 by 40 m Bashania plot varied among the three studied seasons. Total new shoots aggregated at 0 - 18 m, 0-20 m, and 0-20 m; died new shoots aggregated at 2.5-14 m, 6-8 m, 0-20 m; and live new shoot aggregated at 0-19 m, 0-20 m, 0-20 m, in 2002, 2003, 2004, respectively. Distribution of culms (total culms, died culms, and live culms) in a randomly chosen 10 by 10 m subplot varied in 2002 and 2004 as well. For the two 10 by 10 m Bashania plots, the clumping scale range was narrow (ca. 0 - 1.8 m) in one plot with aspect 138 degree, but wider (ca. 0 - 4 m) in the other plot with aspect 250 degree in the other side of a ridge. We observed spatial patterning of foraging in all three studied years. Eaten Bashania culms during 2002 and 2004 were aggregated at scale from 0 to 20 m, suggesting giant panda limit their foraging to half of the plot. Our results suggest strong spatial and temporal dynamics of bamboo ramets.

Key words: spatial pattern, Giant panda, Bashania, Fargesia