Comparative Effects of Clump-Based and Traditional Selective Harvesting on Understory Biodiversity in Sympodial Bamboo Forests
2025
Ying Zhang | Chaohang Zhang | Zuming Wang | Haoting Li | Haofeng Bao | Fengying Guan | Chaomao Hui | Weiyi Liu
To improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of traditional sympodial bamboo harvesting, this study evaluated the effects of four harvesting intensities—selective harvesting, one-third clump, one-half clump, and complete clump harvesting—on understory plant diversity in pure <i>Dendrocalamus giganteus</i> stands over a five-year recovery period. A total of 36 species were recorded in the first year, increasing to 71 in the third year and stabilizing at 74 species by year five. Understory α-diversity showed an increasing trend followed by a decline. In the early recovery stage, species diversity was significantly correlated with soil chemical properties (<i>p</i> < 0.05), but no significant correlation was observed in the later stage. Fuzzy membership function analysis indicated that the 1/2 clump harvesting treatment outperformed others, ranking as follows: 1/2 clump > 1/3 clump > selective > complete clump harvesting. These results suggest that 1/2 clump harvesting is optimal for promoting understory vegetation growth, but its positive effects on biodiversity are time-limited, with the plant community showing a trend toward simplification over time.
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