Tree regeneration responses to Chusquea montana bamboo die-off in a subalpine Nothofagus forest in the southern Andes

Abstract

Abstract Question: The aim of the present study is to examine how a rare flowering and massive die-off event of a dominant understorey bamboo affected tree regeneration processes in a subalpine Nothofagus forest. In particular, we assess the effects of the die-off event on tree seedling demography (establishment and survival) and on the height growth of previously established juveniles, and we determine how these effects vary in relation to stand age and canopy conditions. Location: Carirrine Pass and Choshuenco Volcano at 1200 m a.s.l. in a mixed subalpine temperate forest in northern Patagonia (40°S, 71°W), spanning the Chilean and Argentinian border. Methods: Regeneration processes in Nothofagus pumilio and N. dombeyi were examined under different canopy conditions (closed or gap), in both young and old stands, and in patches of flowered and non-flowered Chusquea bamboo during the first three growing seasons following the simultaneous flowering and die-off of Chusquea montana f. montana in November–Dec...