Bamboo Abundance Research Articles

A facile solid-state synthesis of the Co(OH)2/bamboo charcoal composite at room temperature and its capacitive performance

A facile room-temperature solid-state route is developed to produce Co(OH)2/bamboo charcoal composite for the first time. Electrochemical results show that the resulting composite with the bamboo charcoal content of 20wt% can deliver a high specific capacitance of 439Fg−1at 0.2Ag−1, which is much larger than that of the bare Co(OH)2 (294Fg−1) and bamboo charcoal (153Fg−1), indicating the synergistic effect of Co(OH)2 and bamboo charcoal. In addition, the capacitance degradation of ca. 5% after 1000 continuous charge–discharge cycles suggests its excellent electrochemical stability. Moreover, the fabrication process proposed here is simple and cost-effective due to the abundance and renewability of bamboo.

Effects of deer abundance on broad-leaf tree seedling establishment in the understory of Abies sachalinensis plantations

Browsing by sika deer (Cervus nippon) has significant negative effects on regeneration in many forests in Japan; however, the effects of browsing on regeneration processes have not been determined quantitatively. Our study was conducted in Abies sachalinensis plantations in seven tracts with differences in deer abundance on Hokkaido, northern Japan, to identify indicators for the effects of deer on the regeneration of broad-leaf species from observing seedlings. Five 5 × 20-m plots were located within each tract, and the densities of seedlings 30–200 cm tall and percentages of browsed seedlings were determined. We used sightings per unit effort (SPUE) by hunters and spotlight survey counts (SLCs) as indices of deer abundance for each tract. Seedling density was negatively correlated with deer abundance and coverage of dwarf bamboo, and basal areas of overstory trees also affected number of seedlings. Percentage of browsed seedlings was positively correlated with deer abundance, and it was affected by deer preferences among seedling species. However, the percentage of browsed seedlings was more clearly related to deer abundance than seedling density. There were few seedlings of tree species ≥100 cm tall in tracts with the highest deer abundance. Based on these results, deer abundances of SPUE >6 sightings per hunter-day or SLC >15 animals per 10 km are likely to prevent regeneration of broad-leaf species. The percentage of browsed seedlings and density and browsing damage on tree seedlings ≥100 cm tall are useful indicators of the effects of deer.

Migration Patterns of Two Endangered Sympatric Species from a Remote Sensing Perspective

Giant pandas (Ailitropoda melanoleuca) and golden takin (Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi) are large mammals that occur together throughout the southern part of the Qin ling Mountains in China. Both species have the habit of altitudinal migration in a mixed forest-bamboo landscape. Although previous studies have reported that the migration patterns of giant pandas and golden takin seem different, little is known about these differences in relation to their food quality and quantity. We used radio-telemetry data from six giant pandas and three golden takin groups to determine whether differences in their migration patterns are related to satellite-derived plant phenology (a surrogate of food quality) and bamboo abundance (a surrogate of food quantity). Our results suggest that the altitudinal migration patterns of both the giant panda and the golden takin follow the phenological development of plants in the study area, and the difference between them seems to be attributable to the difference in the phenology of bamboo and non-bamboo plants, and thus the abundance and quality of food available to these two species.

Associação de aves a agrupamentos de bambu na porção Sul da Mata Atlântica, Londrina, Estado do Paraná, Brasil

Agrupamentos de bambu têm sido considerados relativamente importantes para um grande número de espécies de aves, principalmente na Amazônia. No presente estudo avaliamos as variações na abundância de aves associadas ao bambu Chusquea sp. em áreas com diferentes disponibilidades deste microhábitat no interior de floresta nativa, na porção sul da Mata Atlântica, Estado do Paraná. Amostragens por ponto-de-escuta foram realizadas durante 25 dias em cinco trilhas, três em áreas com agrupamentos de bambu e duas em áreas onde este microhábitat estava ausente; as trilhas diferiram na disponibilidade de bambu. As áreas de estudos foram o Parque Estadual Mata dos Godoy e um fragmento florestal adjacente que, juntos, formam uma área maior que 2.000 ha no Norte do Estado do Paraná, Sul do Brasil. Das dezenove espécies de aves analisadas, apenas cinco foram registradas nas trilhas onde não havia bambu. Cinco espécies diminuíram significativamente suas abundâncias de acordo com a disponibilidade decrescente de aglomerados de bambu (teste-G, P < 0,01). Nenhuma espécie de ave apresentou maior abundância nas trilhas onde o bambu estava ausente. Diferente da Amazônia, agrupamentos de bambu na porção sul da Mata Atlântica brasileira não formam áreas extensas, sendo encontrados mais esparsos pelo sub-bosque. Ainda assim, este microhábitat pode ser importante para a conservação de certas espécies de aves na Mata Atlântica.

Small mammal community structure and microhabitat use in the austral boundary of the Atlantic Forest, Brazil

We investigated the richness, composition, and species relative abundance of a terrestrial small mammal community in a Deciduous Forest area in the austral boundary of the Atlantic Forest. The microhabitat use of the most common species was also investigated. Six rodents - Akodon montensis (Thomas, 1913), Oligoryzomys nigripes (Olfers, 1818), Sooretamys angouya (Thomas, 1913), Thaptomys nigrita (Lichtenstein, 1829), Mus musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Juliomys sp. - and one marsupial - Didelphis albiventris (Lund, 1840) - were captured. Thaptomys nigrita is recorded in the state of Rio Grande do Sul for the first time. Species richness was poor when compared with communities in the central portions of the Atlantic Forest, but equivalent to that found in the Araucaria and Dense Ombrophilous forests of southern Brazil. The species most often captured in our study, A. montensis and O. nigripes, are also the most common in the majority of faunistic studies carried out in the Atlantic Forest. Akodon montensis and S. angouya used places with high abundance of bamboo, possibly to avoid predators. Oligorizomys nigripes used areas with a high density of scrubs, what could facilitate aboveground movements, and was negatively correlated to mature forest indicators, which reinforce the idea that this species has opportunistic habits.

Improved understorey bamboo cover mapping using a novel hybrid neural network and expert system

The giant panda is an obligate bamboo grazer. Therefore, the availability and abundance of understorey bamboo determines the quantity and quality of panda habitat. However, there is little or no information about the spatial distribution or abundance of bamboo underneath the forest canopy, due to the limitations of traditional remote sensing classification techniques. In this paper, a new method combines an artificial neural network and a GIS expert system in order to map understorey bamboo in the Qinling Mountains of south‐western China. Results from leaf‐off ASTER imagery, using a neural network and an expert system, were evaluated for their suitability to quantify understorey bamboo. Three density classes of understorey bamboo were mapped, first using a neural network (overall accuracy 64.7%, Kappa 0.45) and then using an expert system (overall accuracy 62.1%, Kappa 0.43). However, when using the results of the neural network classification as input into the expert system, a significantly improved mapping accuracy was achieved with an overall accuracy of 73.8% and Kappa of 0.60 (average z‐value = 3.35, p = 0.001). Our study suggests that combining a neural network with an expert system makes it possible to successfully map the cover of understorey species such as bamboo in complex forested landscapes (e.g. coniferous‐dominated and dense canopy forests), and with higher accuracy than when using either a neural network or an expert system.

Abundance, Distribution, Utilization and Conservation of Sinarundinaria alpina in Bwindi and Mgahinga Forest National Parks, South West Uganda

Sinarundinaria alpina (Schumann) C.S. Chao & Renvoise, a tropical African montane bamboo, is heavily used by localcommunities for household items such as granaries, baskets, ropes and trays. This article presents the results of a study carried out on the abundance, distribution and utilisation of S. alpina in Bwindi and Mgahinga National Parks. Both in-forest and household surveys were used to collect the data. It was found that canopy tree cover plays a role in the distribution of the species. Bamboo abundance and thickness decreased with increasing forestcanopy cover from the homogenous bamboo forest type to the mixed bamboo forest types. Bamboo rhizomes are harvested from the two parks for on-farm planting. We conclude with suggestions for conservation of the species.

Regeneration patterns and tree species coexistence in old-growth Abies– Picea forests in southwestern China

We analyzed the population structure (size, age, spatial patterns) and radial growth patterns of Abies faxoniana Rehder & Wilson, Picea purpurea Mast., and Betula sp. to investigate the role of dwarf bamboo abundance, gap disturbance, and species life history on the coexistence of canopy dominants in old-growth forests in the Wang Lang Natural Reserve in southwestern China. Four stands were sampled with a single large plot (0.4–0.5 ha). There were fewer tree seedlings and saplings in the two plots with a dense bamboo understory, and A. faxoniana seedlings and saplings were much more abundant than those of P. purpurea. Picea purpurea and Betula sp. seedlings established more frequently on raised surfaces than those of A. faxoniana. Seedling density of A. faxoniana, and B. utilis was also higher beneath open than closed canopy conditions in the plots with little bamboo. Young A. faxoniana and Betula sp. trees were clumped at small to intermediate scales (25–900 m 2), which are scales of clumping consistent with past regeneration in canopy gaps. Frequent peaks in radial growth releases in the canopy trees in the plots suggest a prevailing regime of small-scale gap disturbances. In each plot, A. faxoniana tree density and basal area was greater than that of P. purpurea. Picea purpurea trees were present in a wide range of age-classes in each plot indicating a pattern of intermittent regeneration in each stand for at least 500 years. In contrast, Abies faxoniana were abundant in age-classes <250 years, and few A. faxoniana were >350 years old. Betula sp. were mainly <120 years old. Betula sp. and P. purpurea preferred different seed-beds than A. faxoniana for establishment and regeneration of A. faxoniana, and especially Betula, is associated with gaps. Longevity and high survivorship are key life history traits of P. purpurea that prevent its replacement by A. faxoniana. In Wang Lang, stable coexistence is maintained by differences in species regeneration niche, species demographic characteristics, and species responses to the gap disturbance regime.

Bamboo regeneration after flowering in the wolong giant panda reserve, China

Giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca are obligate bamboo grazers that inhabit montane and subalpine forests in south-western China. Knowledge of factors influencing bamboo abundance is crucial for panda ecology and identifying how human activities change panda habitat. This study follows bamboo regeneration from seed over seven years in panda habitat in clearcut and closed forest. Bamboo seedling density was significantly lower in clearcuts in 1984, 1985, and 1990 than beneath forest, and few seedlings remain in clearcuts. It appears that bamboo will not replace itself in clearcuts, reducing the extent of bamboo forest for pandas. Beneath forest, bamboo seedlings take 15–20 years to grow back to full height.

Conservation of the red panda Ailurus fulgens

The red panda Ailurus fulgens is a species of special interest because it is taxonomically distinct (probably a monotypic subfamily) and may be threatened with extinction, at least in the Himalayan portion of its range. During a two-year study in Langtang National Park, Nepal, red pandas were habitat specialists that preferred fir-jhapra bamboo forests between 2800 and 3900 m (92% of radio locations of three males and three females). A GIS analysis estimated that this forest type comprises only 6% of the park and thus, given an estimated ecological density of 1 adult/2·9 km 2, there were probably fewer than 40 adult pandas in the park, isolated into four or more populations. The pandas had low fecundity (typically one cub/female/year) and high mortality. Among 12–13 cubs recorded, only three survived beyond six months; four of nine known adults died during the study. Most deaths from known causes (57%) were human-related, and probably connected to the presence of cattle herders and dogs in the area during the monsoon birth season. Leaves of a single bamboo species, jhapra (probably Himalaya-calamus falconeri), comprised 54–100% of the diet seasonally, with bamboo shoots, Sorbus fruits and mushrooms comprising the balance. This low-quality diet may explain why red pandas were active throughout the day and night, 56% of the time overall. Food competition between livestock and pandas may not be important: chauri (yak-cattle hybrids) consumed bamboo leaves at a lower height on the plants than pandas, but may have depressed bamboo abundance by trampling. Given the vulnerable state of Langtang's red

Comparative Behavior of Red and Giant Pandas in the Wolong Reserve, China

Feeding ecology of red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) was studied in the Wolong Reserve, China by evaluation of spoor and analysis of nutritional content of bamboo (Sinarundinaria fangiana). Radiotelemetry was used to monitor movement and activity patterns of a female red panda. Ecological overlap with the sympatric giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) was extensive in that both species feed primarily on bamboo, but differences in food selection and the abundance and constant nutritional level of bamboo facilitated coexistence. Red pandas subsisted almost exclusively on bamboo leaves whereas giant pandas also ate stems. Dietary overlap was only 40–43% although both species spent approximately 85% of the time in the same area eating the same species of bamboo. Home-range size of the red panda was 3.4 km2 during 9 months, that of a giant panda using the same area at the same time, 6.3 km2. Spatial overlap between the range of the red panda and five radio-collared giant pandas in the area averaged over 70%. Daily linear distances traveled (x̄ = 481 ± 312 m), percent of the home range used each month (26.6 ± 11.9), and size of core areas (26 ha) were similar for the red panda and one giant panda. Movements of both species were characterized by gradual shifts throughout the home range with certain bamboo areas being visited repeatedly. The red panda was primarily crepuscular and nocturnal, whereas giant pandas were intermittently active day and night. Probability of activity of the red panda (0.37) was significantly lower (P < 0.001) than that of giant pandas (0.57). The red panda exhibited constant monthly activity levels in contrast to giant pandas that showed significant seasonal variation. Different activity patterns, in spite of similarities in movements and food habits, indicated that the two panda species have different energetic strategies. The red panda has adjusted to a diet low in digestible energy by meticulous selection of individual leaves, extensive mastication, and complex reductions in metabolic rates. By comparison the giant panda is a relatively non-selective feeder that barely chews its food. The energetic and mechanical advantages associated with increased size suggest that the giant panda evolved from a small bamboo-eating animal resembling the red panda.