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Compared to trees, little is known about the respiratory characteristics of bamboo, especially culm respiration. In this study, we measured the respiration rates of current year, 2, 3, and above 4-year-old Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) culms and examined its relation to culm morphology and anatomical structure. Current year culms had substantially higher respiration rates (1.9 ± 0.46 μmol m–2 s–1) compared to older culms (2, 3, and above 4-year-old average: 0.17 ± 0.09 μmol m–2 s–1). Culm wood density increased with age, with the concurrent thickening of parenchyma cell walls in the culm tissue. Nitrogen content in the culm tissue decreased with culm age. Both culm wood density and nitrogen content had significant relationships with culm respiration rate. On the other hand, culm height, wall thickness, and circumference did not affect culm respiration rate. Although bamboo culms did not change in size through the year, anatomical changes in the culm tissue that accompanied the aging of a culm affected the respiration. The culm age would have a significant effect on the evaluation of the respiratory characteristics of the bamboo forest. Our results suggested that young culms required a large amount of respiration to grow “inward” as cell wall thickening and also to maintain the relatively large amount of active tissue.

Forest thinning can significantly affect hydrological processes. However, these effects largely vary with forest types, climate, thinning intensity, and hydrological variables of interest. Understanding these effects and their variations can significantly support thinning treatments’ design and selection to ensure desired hydrological benefits. In this global-level review paper, we report the first comprehensive meta-analysis on the effects of thinning on major hydrological processes with an emphasis on rainfall partitioning, soil moisture and evapotranspiration processes. The synthesized and reviewed studies encompass different biophysical conditions (climate and forest ecosystems), silvicultural systems, and time scales (from weeks to decades) across continents. The results showed a significant increase in net precipitation, soil moisture and tree-level water use after thinning (the effect sizes are 1.19, 1.14 and 1.56 relative to the value of the control, respectively), while decreases in stemflow and transpiration (the effect sizes of 0.42 and 0.6 relative to the value of the control, respectively). Thinning intensity of about 50% of the stand density is determined as the threshold at or over which hydrological processes are significantly affected. The duration of thinning effect can be set between 2.6 and 4.3 (throughfall) and 3.1–8.6 years (soil moisture and transpiration), asking for repeated thinning in order to effectively sustain these effects. These global averages can serve as benchmarks for assessment and comparisons, but the effects of thinning depend on local biophysical conditions and thinning treatments. The literature review on the rest of the studied hydrological variables suggests that thinning generally enhance runoff to increase water yield and groundwater recharge. Thinning can also have a positive or limited role in water use efficiency (WUE), but it mitigates the effects of drought through increasing WUE. Moderate adverse effects on water quality can be prevented by adequate forest managements to prevent soil degradation. Nevertheless, more researches at relatively less studied regions are needed to support a more robust analysis of these reviewed hydrological variables. The management implications of the synthesized and reviewed results are suggested and discussed within the context of climate change. Cehyrfo-Med (CGL2017-86839-C3-2-R funded by MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033/ and FEDER a way to make Europe), SilvAdapt.net (RED2018-102719-T funded by MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033), RESILIENT-FORESTS (LIFE17 CCA/ES/ 000063), JSPS KAKENHI (JP 18H04152 and JP 19H03088), contract RE21NOR-029 (British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Canada), and the Canadian NSERC CRD (CRDPJ 485176-15) partly supported this work. Open access was funded by CRUE-Universitat Politècnica de València.