Microclimatic consequences of infrequent massive flowering events of monocarpic bamboo grasses (Chusquea ramosissima) in the Atlantic Forests of Northern Argentina

LÍA MONTTI; M GENOVEVA GATTI; PAULA I. CAMPANELLO; FERNANDO FOLETTO; MARIANA STAMATI; ANDRES ZURITA; AMY AUSTIN; GUILLERMO GOLDSTEIN

Miami- USA

Congreso; Tropical Biology and Conservation Annual Meeting; 2004

ATBC

Bamboos are woody, mostly monocapic, grasses that have dramatic and far-reaching impacts on the diversity and productivity of the forests in which they are found. The rapid colonization capacity of many bamboo species, especially in open areas and gaps created by human intervention, lead to their invasive behavior. The rapid expansion of bamboos in many South American forests is thought to be associated with the intensification of habitat destruction and the creation of forest edges. In many areas of central Amazon and the AtlanticForest, tree seedling establishment and growth of important canopy species are often critically affected by the abundance of bamboo. The native invasive Chusquea ramosissima is a dominant understory species in the Atlantic Forest of Misiones Province, Argentina. The integrated response of this forest ecosystem to massive bamboo mortality due to flowering events has not been studied due to the infrequent nature of these events, and the complex interactions among multiple ecosystem processes. Since 2001, flowering of C. ramosissima has occurred in many forests in MisionesProvince. One of the major hypotheses underlying this study is that synchronous mortality of C. ramosissima changes light and water availability, air and soil temperature, and biogeochemical cycling in Misiones forests. In this context, we present results of one year of field studies, and discuss whether these changes improve conditions for regeneration of both bamboo and canopy forest species.