Linking bamboo form with ecological function in Madre de Dios, Peru

摘要

Bamboo ecology serves as a foundation for understanding how to grow and use bamboo. Ecological research on bamboo also has an intuitive appeal, because the beautiful growth forms of bamboo are an expression of diverse ecological niches. However, while our understanding of the horticulture, silviculture, and multiple uses of bamboo has been maturing for thousands of years, our knowledge of bamboo ecology remains in its infancy. Perhaps the largest scale mystery in bamboo ecology occurs in the remotesouthwestern portion of the Amazon basin. In the 1970's, a Brazilian satellite mapping project identified a patch of forest the size of England, straddling Acre, Brazil and Madre de Dios, Peru, that is dominated by bamboo. Only in the past few years havewe begun to peel the layers of ecological complexity surrounding the bamboos of southwestern Amazonia. Not only does bamboo play a dominant ecological role in this region, but it also fills a variety of distinct ecological niches.