Changes in chemical characteristics of surface soils in hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) forests induced by the invasion of exotic Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) in central Japan

Invasion of contiguous forests by a giant bamboo (Moso bamboo, Phyllostachys pubescens) has the potential to induce changes in the chemical characteristics of soils due to the high growth rate of this species. We evaluated the impact of bamboo invasion into hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) forests on soil properties under varying conditions of shoot density at three study sites (Kanpachi, Seto, and Noguchi) in central Japan. We established three successive quadrats along bamboo invasion (allotted to a bamboo stand, a mixed stand of bamboo and hinoki, and a hinoki stand) at every site. Then, we measured the density and basal area of bamboo and hinoki shoots. Surface soil was sampled from each quadrat to analyze pH, water content, and exchangeable cation contents. The values of soil pH were significantly higher in the mixed stands than the hinoki stands at all sites, showing positive correlations with exchangeable Ca contents in the soil. Exchangeable K and Mg contents in the soil of the mixed stand showed significant differences compared with the hinoki stand only in Seto, but these values in the mixed stand were similar to those in the bamboo stand. This characteristic is consistent with the invasion degree determined from the density ratio of living bamboo culms to living hinoki trunks: Seto>Kanpachi>Noguchi. We conclude that increases in the soil pH due to bamboo invasion into hinoki forests resulted in distinct and sensitive changes in the soil chemistry.