Zheng Xiao, Lin Shuyan, Fu Huajun, Wan Yawen, Ding Yulong
Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China.
Bamboo Research Institute, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China.
Front Plant Sci. 2020 Apr 17;11:381. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00381. eCollection 2020.
Bamboo is a perennial flowering plant with a distinctive life cycle: many bamboo species remain in the vegetative phase for decades, followed by mass synchronous flowering and subsequent death. The phenomenon of bamboo flowering is not fully understood, but its periodicity is a major research focus. Here, we collected information on bamboo flowering events by investigating historical documents and field studies at the Bamboo Research Institute of Nanjing Forestry University. We compiled information on more than 630 flowering events, 124 of which accurately recorded the flowering cycle time. We summarized the specific flowering cycles of 85 bamboo species, as well as four kinds of bamboo flowering habits in detail. We present a theory of the bamboo flowering cycle and discuss the reasons for the observed variations in bamboo flowering. This review also introduces two mechanisms by which bamboo forests are rejuvenated after flowering and explains the flowering phenomena of bamboo forests using the bamboo flowering cycle theory. Finally, we present suggestions for forest management strategies. Bamboo flowering is a normal physiological phenomenon, even though it has unique elements compared with flowering in other plants. The results presented here provide valuable reference material for understanding bamboo flowering and its periodicity.
竹子是一种多年生开花植物，具有独特的生命周期：许多竹种会在营养生长阶段持续数十年，随后进行大规模同步开花并继而死亡。竹子开花的现象尚未完全被理解，但其周期性是一个主要的研究重点。在此，我们通过查阅历史文献以及在南京林业大学竹类研究所进行实地研究，收集了有关竹子开花事件的信息。我们汇编了630多次开花事件的信息，其中124次准确记录了开花周期时间。我们详细总结了85种竹子的具体开花周期以及四种竹子开花习性。我们提出了竹子开花周期的理论，并讨论了观察到的竹子开花变化的原因。本综述还介绍了竹林开花后更新复壮的两种机制，并运用竹子开花周期理论解释了竹林的开花现象。最后，我们提出了森林管理策略的建议。竹子开花是一种正常的生理现象，尽管与其他植物的开花相比它具有独特之处。此处呈现的结果为理解竹子开花及其周期性提供了有价值的参考资料。
