SGER: Ecophysiological Consequences of Infrequent Massive Flowering of Monocarpic Bamboo Grasses (Chusquea spp.) in Temperate and Tropical South America

SGER：南美洲温带和热带地区单果竹草（Chusquea spp.）罕见大规模开花的生态生理学后果

• 批准号: 0234174
• 负责人: Guillermo Goldstein
• 金额: $ 10万
• 依托单位: University of Miami
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-09-01 至 2005-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0234174&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SGER; Ecophysiological; Consequences; Infrequent; Massive

Bamboo grasses are an important component of understory vegetation in subtropical and temperate forests in both Asia and the Americas and in many cases they completely dominate the lower layers of the forest. These bamboo grasses have important economic and conservation value since they play a key role in the functioning of the entire forest ecosystem and provide food and shelter to numerous native populations. Most species flower only once in their life cycle, which can last up to 120 years, and then die. When bamboo grasses flower, the flowering is highly synchronous, such that there are massive 'waves' of flowering and immediate death of the grasses, affecting large patches of forest vegetation simultaneously. These infrequent and ephemeral events have consequences in many ways for both plants and animals in the affected forests, but because these events are so rare, little is known of the consequences on forest regeneration and maintenance of native biodiversity. In late 2001, forests in southern South America started to experience massive flowering of the bamboo grasses occurring over a vast area ranging in latitude from 25 to 45 degrees S, in both subtropical forests and temperate forests. This is an opportunity to explore the importance of this large-scale and infrequent phenomenon on the maintenance of native biodiversity and forest regeneration, as well as effects on carbon and nitrogen stocks in these forests. Observations are planned in several areas along a latitudinal gradient in South America where massive flowering is occurring, with the aim of identifying how resource availability of water, light and nutrients change as a result of this phenomenon and how these changes influence the regeneration, flowering, and physiology of native species. The simultaneous change of different variables with potentially contrasting effects make it difficult to fully understand the consequences of bamboo flowering. A field experiment, where we will manipulate light and nutrient availability, will allow us to disentangle the different mechanisms resulting from this major and infrequent event. A greater understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of this infrequent flowering in bamboo and its effect on native plant processes can contribute to our ability to make informed decisions for the maintenance of native plants and animal life in native ecosystems around the world.

竹草是亚洲和美洲亚热带和温带森林林下植被的重要组成部分，在许多情况下，它们完全占据了森林的下层。这些竹草具有重要的经济和保护价值，因为它们在整个森林生态系统的运作中发挥着关键作用，并为众多当地居民提供食物和住所。大多数物种在其生命周期中只开花一次，可持续长达 120 年，然后死亡。当竹草开花时，开花高度同步，因此会出现大规模的开花“浪潮”和草的立即死亡，同时影响大片森林植被。这些罕见且短暂的事件对受影响森林中的植物和动物产生多种影响，但由于这些事件非常罕见，因此人们对森林再生和本地生物多样性维护的影响知之甚少。 2001年底，南美洲南部的森林开始出现竹草大规模开花，分布在南纬25度至45度的广大地区，包括亚热带森林和温带森林。这是一个探讨这种大规模且罕见现象对维持本地生物多样性和森林再生的重要性以及对这些森林碳和氮储量的影响的机会。计划在南美洲沿纬度梯度发生大规模开花的几个地区进行观测，目的是确定水、光和养分的资源可用性如何因这种现象而变化，以及这些变化如何影响再生、开花、和本地物种的生理学。不同变量的同时变化具有潜在的对比效应，使得人们很难完全理解竹子开花的后果。我们将通过现场实验来控制光和养分的可用性，这将使我们能够理清这一重大且罕见事件所产生的不同机制。更好地了解竹子这种罕见开花的机制和后果及其对本土植物过程的影响，有助于我们做出明智的决策，以维护世界各地本土生态系统中的本土植物和动物生命。