When in a century blooming and seeding of dwarf bamboo boost mice populations. Credit: Reiko Matsushita
The flowering and seeding of dwarf bamboo were revealed to improve mice populations..
Japanese field mice flourish in the large-scale flowering, seeding, and passing away of dwarf bamboo (Sasa borealis), a phenomenon that just takes place when every 120 years, according to a study from Nagoya University in Japan.
Dwarf bamboo flowering and seeding on a large scale is an uncommon event. This plant phenomenon is called masting, and the next one is not expected for more than 100 years. Throughout such occasions, which take place throughout ” mast years,” particular plants produce plentiful seed yields. Plants that synchronize their flowering and fruiting in mast years do so all at once and over a wide location.
Rodent outbreaks are believed to be linked to consuming bamboo seeds during these mast years. This has gotten a great deal of attention because of the farming and forest damage that happens, in addition to the possibility of disease transmission from these rodents. Previous reports of massive tree death throughout comparable scenarios owing to rat upsurges have actually been made.
In the 2010s, the masting of dwarf bamboo, a Sasa species with a 120-year masting cycle, began to be observed on forest floors throughout Japan. A group of scientists from Nagoya University led by Associate Professor Hisashi Kajimura and doctoral student Hanami Suzuki, both from the Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, investigated the impacts of this simultaneous seeding of dwarf bamboo on local rodent populations in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Comparing information from before and after the masting, the scientists found an increase in the populations of both the little and big Japanese field mice, however no comparable impact was seen on Smiths voles in the very same area. Their findings were recently published in the journal Ecological Processes..
” The fascinating biological phenomenon that masting of bamboo and dwarf bamboo can cause a break out of forest rodents has long been something of a legend,” says Kajimura. “This research is very important since it clarifies this long-suspected phenomenon by comparing rodent populations before and after masting.”.
” What was fascinating was that the increased populations of both types of rodent that we studied remained even 2 years after the masting, even though the dwarf bamboo itself had died,” describes Suzuki. “There was also a high percentage of female juveniles in the population, suggesting that the synchronised fruiting resulted in great conditions for reproductive females. These findings plainly reveal for the very first time how the field mouse population responds to the seeds of Sasa, such as dwarf bamboo, specifically those that have a longer cycle and larger supply.”.
The team is delighted about the implications of their study. “This research is anticipated to offer essential hints for understanding the truths of abrupt environmental modifications in forest environments and the interactions among the organisms that live there,” they said.
Reference: “How does the 120-year cycle mast seeding of dwarf bamboo impact the rodent population?” by Hanami Suzuki, Haruka Kashiwagi and Hisashi Kajimura, 15 June 2022, Ecological Processes.DOI: 10.1186/ s13717-022-00385-x.
The study was funded by the Nagoya University Fusion Frontier Fellowship Program, which started in FY2021.
Dwarf bamboo blooming and seeding on a big scale is an uncommon occurrence. A group of scientists from Nagoya University led by Associate Professor Hisashi Kajimura and doctoral student Hanami Suzuki, both from the Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, examined the effects of this synchronised seeding of dwarf bamboo on local rodent populations in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.” What was intriguing was that the increased populations of both types of rodent that we studied stayed even 2 years after the masting, even though the dwarf bamboo itself had died,” describes Suzuki. These findings clearly reveal for the first time how the field mouse population responds to the seeds of Sasa, such as dwarf bamboo, especially those that have a longer cycle and larger supply.”.