Distribution, abundance, and effect on plant species diversity of Sasa borealis in Korean forests

Abstract

Background: Sasa borealis (Hack.) Makino, a clonal dwarf bamboo, is widespread in Korean forests. Although S. borealis is native to that country, its growth habit can cause considerable harm when occupying particular areas where it dominates and influences those forested communities. However, few reports have described the extent of its inhibitory effects on the vigor of co-existing plant species. Therefore, we investigated the distribution, abundance, and diversity of other plant species in the communities where this plant occurs in the east-central forests on the Korean Peninsula. Results: S. borealis was most commonly found at an elevational range of 800 to 1,200 m, on gentle, usually lower, and near valley northern slopes. Out of the 13 forest communities based on 447 forest stands that we surveyed, S. borealis was detected in eight communities, mostly where Quercus mongolica dominates. In particular, it was more common in late-successional mixed stands of Q. mongolica, other deciduous species, and the coniferous Abies holophylla. Because of their ability to expand rapidly in the forest, this plant covered more than 50% of the surface in most of our research plots. Species diversity declined significantly (F = 78.7, p = 0.000) as the abundance of S. borealis increased in the herb stratum. The same trend was noted for the total number of species (F = 18.1, p = 0.000) and species evenness (F = 91.5, p = 0.000). Conclusions: These findings clearly demonstrate that S. borealis is a weed pest and severely hinders species diversity. Authorities should be implementing various measures for ecological control to take advantage of declining chance after the recent synchronized massive flowering of S. borealis.

Distribution and synchronized massive flowering of Sasa borealis in the forests of Korean National Parks

“…Deogyu (from 600 to 1400 m, 2.4 km long) and Sobaek (from 870 to 1100 m, 1.4 km long). Consistent with the results of Cho et al (2018), it was distributed mainly in the late-successional forests where Q. mongolica dominated. In fact, S. borealis flourishes as if there are virtually no limitations.…”

“…They have been known to be species that inhibit species diversity and tree regeneration (e.g., Nakashizuka and Numata 1982;Ito and Hino 2007;Cerny et al 2013Cerny et al , 2015. Cho et al (2018) reported that plant species diversity was significantly reduced with the dominance of Sasa borealis in the forests of Gangwon Province, Korea. Due to the clonal growth habit, it forms a dense mono-stand that physically occupies the aboveground and underground spaces and lowers the light intensity reaching the floor (Wada 1993;Park et al 2012).…”

Tropical Cyclone Disturbances Induce Contrasting Impacts on Forest Structure, Plant Composition, and Soil Properties in Temperate Broadleaf and Coniferous Forests

“…Specifically, dwarf bamboo (Sasa spp.) possesses the chief competing role in the understory of Far East temperate forests, hence, largely controlling forest dynamics and structure [76,86,87].…”

Habitat preference of wild boar (Sus scrofa) for feeding in cool-temperate forests

“…The bulb of E. japonicum is buried about 12 cm below the ground surface (Lyang and Lee 2010), and it could be the reason why the wild boar dug deeper in the Quercus forest type than other forest types. The wild boar digs even Sasa borealis stands in the Quercus forest, which is dominated by S. borealis and has very low species diversity (Cho et al 2018a(Cho et al , 2018b. The food sources such as acorns and insects for the wild boar are presumably between the packed roots or dense culms of S. borealis.…”