Population Structure of the Dominant Palm Species in the Understory of a Mexican Lowland Rain Forest

Abstract

Population structure was analyzed for five of the most common species of palms, Astrocaryum mexicanum, Bactris tricophylla, Chamaedorea oblongata, C. tepejilote and Geonoma oxycarpa in a Mexican lowland rain forest. Height and cover of palms with a height> 1.5 m were measured in three 600 m² plots. The most common species in terms of density were C. tepejilote and A. mexicanum. The highest accumulated cover corresponded to A. mexicanum.Taller palms of C. tepejilote showed higher cover. Almost all palm species had the same architectural model (Comer) and B. tricophylla had the Tomlinson model. Richness of palm species was low compared to other tropical forests although the understory palms in this community represent more than 50 % of all the individuals of the understory vegetation at Los Tuxtlas. The genus Chamaedorea was the most diversified (5 species) while the other genera had only one species.