Growth failure and wild animal activity in a moso bamboo Phyllostachys edulis stand in Kyoto, western Japan

Abstract

I evaluated moso bamboo Phyllostachys edulis growth and wild animal activity in a bamboo stand in Kyoto, western Japan, during 2016-2019. The aboveground biomass increment of the moso bamboo stand, an index of bamboo growth, was consistently negative throughout the study period, presumably due to limitations on the production of new bamboo shoots. Using camera traps, I frequently observed damages to moso bamboo shoots by wild boar Sus scrofa and sika deer Cervus nippon between March and May, which led to growth failure for new bamboo shoot production. This report highlights the possibility that wild animal activity may inhibit moso bamboo growth in naturalized moso bamboo stands in Japan.