Effects of Environmental Disturbance and Fragmentation on Population Structure and Allometry of Euterpe precatoria (Arecaceae)

James Theodore Engeln, Macalester College

Abstract

Euterpe precatoria (Arecaceae) is a single stemmed arborescent palm distributed from sea level to 1150 m of elevation. In Costa Rica, this species is subject to extensive illegal extraction for its economically and culturally valuable heart of palm. The development and improvement of programs of conservation and sustainable management require a basic understanding of population structure, morphology, and traditional resource use. This study reports on how E. precatoria is influenced by succession, disturbance, and fragmentation and further examines current extraction patterns in two rural communities. The results show that E. precatoria distribution, population structure, and morphology varied among sites. Euterpe precatoria occurred at greater densities in disturbed and secondary forests compared to continuous and fragmented primary forests. Population structure was dominated by seedlings (palms < 1 m) across all sites. Few adult palms were found in areas under pressure of extraction. Interviews revealed an absence in local communities of heart of palm extraction as a result of depleted access and availability. With the disappearance of the palm, extraction as a cultural activity was abandoned. Thus, conservation of the palm and the preservation of its traditional uses are interdependent.

Comments

James T. Engeln, Macalester ’09, Biology, wrote this paper for Associated Colleges of the Midwest’s (ACM) Tropical Field Research program in Costa Rica in spring 2008.

Recommended Citation

Engeln, James Theodore (2009) "Effects of Environmental Disturbance and Fragmentation on Population Structure and Allometry of Euterpe precatoria (Arecaceae)," Macalester Abroad: Research and Writing from Study Away: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 2.
Available at: http://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/macabroad/vol2/iss1/2