Effects of bamboo invasion on forest structures and diameter–height allometries

Bamboo invasion has been widely observed across Asia (e.g., China, Japan, and India), North America, South America (e.g., Brazil and Peru) and Africa. Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis), a large-running bamboo species native to subtropical China, is known for its invasive nature and ability to encroach upon adjacent communities, particularly derived forests. While some plot-based studies exist, our understanding of how forest structural dynamics and diameter–height allometric relationships respond to bamboo invasion has remained limited.

In a study published in the KeAi journal Forest Ecosystems, researchers from China systematically assessed forest structural dynamics and the interactive effects of invasion, climate, and soil on diameter–height allometry across a broad spatial scale.

“The invasion of P. edulis has caused numerous negative ecological impacts on forest ecosystems, including the suppression of tree growth, loss of local biodiversity, reduction of ecosystem carbon stocks, and disruption of nitrogen cycling,” said co-author Qingpei Yang, a professor of bamboo ecology at the Key Laboratory for Bamboo Germplasm Resources and Utilization, Jiangxi Agricultural University. “However, the mechanisms underlying these invasion-induced changes in ecosystem processes and functions remain poorly understood.”

Forest structure underpins ecosystem functioning, with the allometric relationship between DBH and height reflecting the balance between vertical and lateral growth strategies. Based on a large-scale field community survey, the data reveal that bamboo invasion decreases the mean and maximum diameter at breast height (DBH), maximum height, and total basal area (TBA) of stands, while increasing mean height and stem density.

Additionally, the scaling exponent of DBH–height decreases significantly for bamboo but increases indirectly for trees due to higher stem densities following the invasion.

“Notably, bamboo exhibits a higher scaling exponent than trees, particularly in mixed forests, suggesting a greater allocation of biomass to height growth,” added Yang. This phenotypic plasticity in diameter–height allometry may allow bamboo to outcompete trees, contributing to its invasive success.

“Through this large-scale study, we have quantified the general patterns of changes in forest structure and the shifts between vertical and lateral growth strategies under bamboo invasion,” said Ming Ouyang, the lead researcher of the study. “As community structure controls ecosystem functioning, future studies should further investigate the causes and consequences of bamboo invasion from a structure–function perspective.”

Contact author: Ming Ouyang, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, and Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Transboundary Ecosecurity of Southwest, Yunnan University, Kunming, China, mingouyang@pku.edu.cn

Funder: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31988102), Yunnan Province Major Program for Basic Research Project (No. 202101BC070002), Yunnan Province Science and Technology Talents and Platform Program (No. 202305AA160014), and Yunnan Province Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 202303AC100009).

Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

See the article: Ouyang, M., et al., Effects of bamboo invasion on forest structures and diameter–height allometries, Forest Ecosystems, 12, (2025), 100256, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100256 .