Bamboo flowering in South America: what the past tells about the future

GUERREIRO, C.; VEGA, A. S.

Biotechnological Advances in Bamboo: The Green Gold on the Earth

Springer

Año: 2021; p. 353 - 377

A key characteristic of most woody bamboos is the process of cyclicalflowering after a long vegetative period. These flowering events aregenerally gregarious, affecting an entire region, and are followed by thedeath of individuals. The duration of the life cycle has been determined invery few species. After reconstructing the history of massive reproductiveepisodes of South American woody bamboo species, the life span of manyspecies was estimated. For most of the species considered, mean floweringperiod multiples of 15?16 years were found, with an ca. 30-year cycle beingthe most usual. Evidence of a certain level of reproductive synchronyamong different species was found in South America. This survey hadalso led to several predictions about probable dates of future floweringevents. The existence of a relationship between a mass flowering eventand climate factors is preliminarily assessed, yielding original results.Although historical records and climate data series are fragmentary, thereare some hints that point out a trend that should be taken into account infuture studies. Proposed environmental and genetic causes of bambooflowering are discussed. Finally, the environmental and socialconsequences of bamboo flowering are listed.