How rat flooding occurs during mast seeding of Melocanna baccifera?

Gregarious flowering and mast seeding of bamboos have been linked to rat population outbreaks across multiple geographic regions. This study explores the reproductive mechanism driving the surge in rat population triggered by the fruiting of the bamboo species, Melocanna baccifera. We examined four key reproductive parameters, viz., mounting frequency, serum nitric oxide (NO), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), in mice and rats under M. baccifera fruit- or its amino acid (AA)-fed conditions. The mounting frequency of M. baccifera fruit liquid administered male mice was 5.50 {+/-} 1.73, compared to 2.00 {+/-} 0.82 of control animals. NO level in M. baccifera fruit liquid-fed mice displayed an increase of 131.83%. The pregnancy and pups number in Muli fruit-fed female animals enhanced by 66.66% and 131.25%, respectively. The average pups production in Muli fruit-, dAA (d-Thr-Ser-Glu-Phe-His-Ala)-fed and control female rats were 7.40 {+/-} 0.83, 8.80 {+/-} 0.75, and 5.34 {+/-} 0.52 (pups/animal), respectively. M. baccifera fruit and dAA combination (dSer-dThr-dGlu) showed increments in FSH and LH levels upto (65%, 58.59%), and (286.41%, 99.24%), respectively. Synthesis. The increased mounting frequency, along with elevated levels of serum NO, FSH, and LH, in animals consuming M. baccifera fruits or the AA mix, strongly indicates enhanced reproductive activity. This is the first study providing a mechanistic insight into the rapid rat population boom associated with the cyclical flowering and fruiting of M. baccifera. Our findings suggest that the amino acids present in M. baccifera fruits may have potential applications in the treatment of infertility.