ABSTRACT
Habitat destruction and fragmentation can change environmental conditions and disrupt mutualistic interactions, leading to impacts on natural populations. Here we checked how plant population structure responds to environmental degradation by quantifying effective seed dispersal and patterns of population distribution for the animal-dispersed palm Euterpe edulis Mart. (Arecaceae). Thus, we assessed E. edulis population structure at two locations with different degrees of fragmentation in the Interior Atlantic Forest (west of the State of Paraná, Brazil), where we registered the density of saplings at increasing distances from adults palms and from large trees in the vicinity (perch-trees). We found differences between locations, with aggregated saplings and highest densities at the most fragmented site, although in this site Immature individuals were almost absent. We also identified patches of saplings under perch-trees canopies, in a way which suggests these individuals originate from dispersal events. In both sites, the abundance of Immature saplings was similar either nearby adult palms or perch-trees, pointing to perch-trees being relevant to E. edulis population dynamics. Thus, while conservation of E. edulis in the Interior Atlantic Forest can benefit from such new data, it is still necessary to check whether our findings are recurring and consistently found elsewhere.
Subject(s)
Arecaceae , Euterpe , Forests , Animals , Humans , Ecosystem , TreesABSTRACT
In this review, I examine the main ecological theories and concepts related do the choice and design of preservation areas. I comment on the conceptsof Island Biogeography, SLOSS Corridors, Design of Natural Reserves, Biotic Relaxation, Ecologic Truncation, Ecologic Compensation, Inbreeding Depression and Metapopulations. I also mention the favorable and opposing arguments concerning the theories presented
