Growth and population structure of Lodoicea maldivica in natural stands in Seychelles.

Autor: Edwards PJ; Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland., Fleischer-Dogley F; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Victoria, Seychelles., Kowalski P; Blue Tide Solutions, Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa., Morgan E; ITES-Ecosystem Management, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland., Mougal J; Forestry & National Parks Section, Seychelles Parks & Gardens Authority, Victoria Botanical Garden, Victoria, Mont Fleuri, Seychelles., Accouche W; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Victoria, Seychelles., Athanase V; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Victoria, Seychelles., Jean-Baptiste M; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Victoria, Seychelles., Constance A; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Victoria, Seychelles., Dine M; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Victoria, Seychelles., Payet T; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Victoria, Seychelles., Einfeldt N; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Victoria, Seychelles., Reuleaux A; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Victoria, Seychelles., Richards H; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Victoria, Seychelles., Samedi U; Seychelles Islands Foundation, Victoria, Seychelles., Kaiser-Bunbury CN; Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Plant biology (Stuttgart, Germany) [Plant Biol (Stuttg)] 2024 Oct; Vol. 26 (6), pp. 1008-1020. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jul 16.
DOI: 10.1111/plb.13690
Abstrakt: We monitored leaf production in seedlings, trunkless juvenile, immature, and mature male and female plants of the dioecious palm, Lodoicea maldivica, and studied how internode length changed with trunk height. The fieldwork was conducted in closed forest on Praslin Island and degraded forest on Curieuse Island. Data on numbers of leaves produced and rates of leaf production were used to estimate plant age. On Praslin, the interval between successive leaves increased from 0.47/0.52 years in male/female plants to 4.2 years in seedlings, and on Curieuse from 0.41/0.49 to 2.3 years. Estimated leaf lifespan was 6.4-6.8 years in mature palms and much longer in seedlings and juveniles. On Praslin, internode length increased from the base of the trunk to a mean of 14 cm at leaf 21, before declining to 2.75 cm above leaf 100. Mean internode length of the smaller palms on Curieuse was 1.9 cm and varied little with height. Plants at the same development stage varied widely in age. On Praslin, median time to maturity was 77 (range: 32-209) and on Curieuse 83 (31-191) years. The tallest palms on Praslin (28.4 m trunk height) and Curieuse (8 m) were estimated at 442 and 232 years old, respectively. The ageing method was used to interpret height data of different populations. All showed a marked decline in regeneration in the 19th or early 20th centuries, probably caused by fires. We conclude that slow growth makes this species very vulnerable to disturbance, especially from fire.
(© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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