Population responses of rodents to the mast seeding of dwarf bamboo Sasamorpha borealis over the Chubu region of Japan
2019
Shimada, T. (Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI) (Japan). Department of Wildlife Biology) | Hoshino, D. | Okamoto, T. | Saitoh, T. | Noguchi, K. | Sakai, T.
In 2017, the mass flowering of dwarf bamboo (suzutake, Sasamorpha borealis) occurred throughout the Chubu region of Japan after a non-flowering interval of 120 years. Concern is growing that an abundance of seeds produced by the mass flowering could cause an outbreak of rodents and, thereby, damage to the forests. To investigate whether the rodent population would increase from the mast seeding of suzutake, trapping surveys were conducted in the hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) plantation forest in the Dando National Forest (Aichi Prefecture), located in the center of the mass flowering. The estimated rodent density did not prominently increase in the fall after mast seeding. The next spring, the density of voles (Microtus montebelli or Eothenomys smithii), which cause gnawing damage to trees, remained relatively low (3.3-23.3 individuals/ha), whereas the density of two wood mouse species (Apodemus argenteus and A. speciosus) was greatly increased (53.3-80.0 individuals/ha). These results indicate that the possibility of a widespread vole outbreak caused by mast seeding is low. However, further attention should be paid to population fluctuations in voles because populations may increase in other areas suitable for vole growth and survival.
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