Date of Graduation

Summer 2025

Degree

Master of Science in Biology

Department

Biology

Committee Chair

Alexander Wait

Abstract

Giant river cane (Arundinaria gigantea), a native bamboo species, once dominated riparian landscapes across the southeastern United States but has declined to approximately 2% of its historic range. This study evaluated restoration techniques for giant cane in southwest Missouri by examining the influence of rhizome source (putative genotype), planting type, and restoration site on restoration success. I compared two planting types: greenhouse-to-field (G2F) transplanting, where rhizomes were first propagated in the greenhouse before planting, and field-to-field (F2F) transplanting, where rhizomes were directly transplanted from source canebrakes to restoration sites. Rhizomes were collected from four existing canebrakes in Taney County, Missouri and outplanted at four restoration sites across Greene, Christian, and Cedar Counties. My results revealed that planting type significantly affected shoot production, with G2F rhizomes producing more shoots than F2F rhizomes (p < 0.01), while rhizome source and restoration site did not significantly influence restoration success. Environmental variables between sites (soil moisture, leaf area index, soil type) showed no significant differences between source and restoration sites, suggesting successful site selection criteria. Overall rhizome survival was high (>70%) across all treatments, with G2F plantings showing marginally higher survival rates (77.8% vs. 72.2%). These findings suggest that while both planting types can effectively establish giant cane in southwest Missouri, the greenhouse propagation period provides advantages for initial shoot production, though at the cost of additional time and resources. This research provides valuable guidance for canebrake restoration efforts in Missouri and establishes a foundation for future studies on long-term canebrake development and associated ecosystem services.

Keywords

Arundinaria gigantea, bamboo, restoration, riparian ecosystems, stream stabilization

Subject Categories

Biology | Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Plant Biology

Copyright

© Lyndsey D. Rightnowar

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Available for download on Monday, August 31, 2026

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