Relationship between site and structure and its influence on biomass in Phyllostachys edulis forest

Objective  The objective of this study is to find out dominant factors affecting the biomass of moso bamboo(Phyllostachys edulis) forest from site factor and stand structure factor, and to analyze the relationship between dominant factors and their effects on stand biomass. Method  In 10 counties (cities) of Zhejiang Province, 52 sample plots of moso bamboo forest less disturbed by human beings were selected and the dominant factors were obtained by random forest. On this basis, the structural equation model was constructed to analyze the direct, indirect and total effects of each dominant factor on stand biomass. Result  The results of random forest showed that culm density, average DBH, competition index, soil thickness and altitude were main factors affecting biomass of moso bamboo forest. The results of structural equation model analysis showed that the preset path in the model could be accepted and the collected data could be well reflected. The total effect of culm density, average DBH, competition index and soil thickness was positive, which had positive effect on the biomass of moso bamboo forest. The total effect of altitude was negative, which had negative effect on the biomass of moso bamboo forest. The total effect of average DBH was biggest, which was 0.739. The direct effect of bamboo degree on the biomass of moso bamboo forest was greater than indirect effect. The direct effect of culm density was greater than indirect effect. The indirect effect of soil thickness was biggest, reaching 0.492. Among the site factors, the total effect of soil thickness on the biomass of moso bamboo was greater than that of altitude. The indirect effect of soil thickness, altitude and competition index was greater than the direct effect. Conclusion  The main component factors of moso bamboo forest, such as culm density and average DBH, are most closely related to the biomass of moso bamboo forest. Altitude, soil thickness and competition index indirectly affect the biomass of moso bamboo forest through the component factors of moso bamboo forest. In the management of moso bamboo forest, the influence of site factors, non-spatial structure, spatial structure and their interrelations on the biomass of moso bamboo forest should be considered comprehensively, and the structure of moso bamboo forest should be adjusted on the basis of making full use of the site potential in order to improve the productivity of moso bamboo forest. [Ch, 3 fig. 3 tab. 40 ref.]