ABSTRACT the Endangered Puerto Rican Parrot (Amazona Vittata) Has
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ABSTRACT MALONE, MEREDITH BROOKE. Abundance, Fruit Presence, and Growth Enhancement of Prestoea montana and Roystonea borinquena, Two Palm Species of Importance to Amazona vittata (Puerto Rican Parrot), in Río Abajo Forest, Puerto Rico. (Under the direction of Daniel J. Robison.) The endangered Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vittata) has been bred in captivity for decades, and since 2000, over 50 parrots have been released into native habitats to rebuild wild populations in Puerto Rico. One group of 21 parrots was released into Río Abajo Forest in the karstic region of Puerto Rico in November 2006, where high quality habitat resources exist, but the management of sustainable food resources, such as the fruit of Prestoea montana (sierra palm) and Roystonea borinquena (royal palm), is imperative. An inventory of accessible regions in Río Abajo Forest was conducted to assess differences in size and abundance of P. montana and R. borinquena palms between three forest community types and fruiting patterns under differing growing conditions. Twenty palms in each of three size classes of both palm species were located in Río Abajo Forest and approximately half were supplied with a controlled-release formula of inorganic NPK fertilizer with micronutrients to investigate potential soil nutrient limitations to growth of palms. Thirty R. borinquena seedlings were located in artificial canopy gap plots previously created in abandoned Hibiscus elatus (mahoe) plantations in Río Abajo Forest and approximately half were supplied with the same fertilizer formula to evaluate combined soil and light limitations on seedling growth. In the size and abundance inventory, seedlings were the most abundant size class of both palm species. No significant difference in size or abundance existed between any size classes of either palm species in different forest community types. P. montana seedling size and abundance were correlated with moderate shade, available soil P and other micronutrients, and relatively alkaline soils. Seedling height and diameter significantly increased with the addition of NPK and micronutrients to surrounding soil. Wet soils appeared most important to fruit production of mature P. montana. In the size and abundance inventory, R. borinquena seedling success was correlated to sites containing relatively high soil micronutrient concentrations and seedlings and mature R. borinquena palms exhibited larger size, abundance, and fruit production in open canopies. R. borinquena seedling height significantly increased with the addition of N-P-K and micronutrients to surrounding soil. Diameter significantly increased with the addition of fertilizer to soil surrounding seedlings in artificial canopy gap plots. Mortality was decreased in R. borinquena seedlings with the addition of fertilizer, under the full canopies of fertilizer experiments and in the open canopies of artificial canopy gap plots. Management to increase abundance and fruit production of these palm species in RAF may initially include techniques to provide increased light availability and nutrients to mature R. borinquena. Strategic management objectives may include provision of the same resources to smaller R. borinquena and increased soil moisture and nutrients to P. montana of all sizes. Abundance, Fruit Presence, and Growth Enhancement of Prestoea montana and Roystonea borinquena, Two Palm Species of Importance to Amazona vittata (Puerto Rican Parrot), in Río Abajo Forest, Puerto Rico by Meredith B. Malone A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Science Forestry Raleigh, NC April 27, 2007 Approved by: _______________________________________ ______________________________________ Dr. Jaime A. Collazo Dr. Thomas R. Wentworth ________________________________________ Dr. Daniel J. Robison, Advisory Committee Chair BIOGRAPHY Meredith B. Malone was born in Richmond, Virginia on September 15, 1977, the daughter of David S. Malone and Marilyn H. Malone and sister of Heather D. Malone. Her parents encouraged her interest in natural places with trips to the park, early morning fishing excursions to local lakes, backyard gardening, berry picking in neighborhood forests, and picnic and hiking trips in the mountains of Charlottesville and Pulaski, Virginia. Meredith obtained a Bachelor of Science in Forestry and Wildlife Sciences from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1999. After graduating, she assisted with manatee protection research at the Florida Marine Research Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida and shortly thereafter began working for the Maryland and District of Columbia Chapter of the Nature Conservancy in Bethesda, Maryland. After literally climbing, pulling, and chainsawing her way up from Office Assistant and Intern to Conservation Steward of the chapter, she reluctantly left her beloved nature preserves of Maryland to return to academia for her Master of Science degree in Forestry at North Carolina State University. Just before returning to school, Meredith volunteered with the Invertebrate Department of the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galápagos Islands for one month where she explored some of the greatest biological diversity on earth. During her time at North Carolina State University, she immensely enjoyed summers in Puerto Rico trudging through the muddy floors of Río Abajo Forest, collecting data, pommarosas, guineos, and avocados. When Meredith wasn’t working in the forest, she could be found watching boas and bats, learning to salsa dance and surf, and stumbling through her broken Spanish. ii Meredith looks forward to an exciting return to The Nature Conservancy as the South Carolina Chapter’s Landscape Ecologist in Charleston, SC where she will continue to help protect rare natural communities and the species that depend upon them. She hopes to continue living life to its fullest by snowboarding at every opportunity, dancing to as much live music and possible, traveling the world, and above all spending time with friends and family. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For their constant encouragement, love, interest, and support I would like to thank my parents, David S. Malone and Marilyn H. Malone, my sister Heather M. Hall, and all of my other family members who encouraged me along the way. For his faith in me, encouragement, incredible patience, excellent advice, and clarification on all things confusing, I thank my academic advisor and committee chair, Dr. Daniel J. Robison. My sincere appreciation is also due to: Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources for financial support of my research and for sharing their local knowledge of Río Abajo Forest Dr. Jaime A. Collazo for the opportunity to help protect an endangered parrot in beautiful Puerto Rico and for sharing scientific advice and his light-hearted spirit during the process Dr. Thomas R. Wentworth for sharing his immeasurable knowledge of natural plant communities, his passion for the natural world, and his ever-benevolent disposition My lovely field assistants Nina Craig, Amanda Davila, and Courtney Baldo for their invaluable Spanish translation services, field assistance, and unwavering support and friendship through loud thunderstorms, downpours, water outages, vehicle disrepair, stray animal rescues, wasp stings, ant stings, carrasco outbreaks, computer malfunctions, monotonous data collection and entry, late starts, and hot, sticky days Dr. Cavell Brownie, David Schumann, Michael Crotty, Joe Boyer, Sarah Teitt, Stephanie Trebes, and Emily Griffith for their patient and invaluable explanations of statistics iv Jennifer Musella for her constant companionship, support, empathy, advice, encouragement, and unbeatable humor and friendship, who without, I may have never come to NCSU in the first place Jason King, James DeStefano, and Luther King, the owners of Reverie Coffee Den, for providing me with a soothing, friendly, and fun place to study and write Peggy Marson, Deborah Barber, and Doug Samson, my former supervisors at The Nature Conservancy in Maryland who allowed me the opportunity to build a career in nature conservation My mentor and friend, Deborah Landau, who encouraged me to get my Master degree and has supported and taught me throughout my career in conservation and academics Kevin Miller, Kathy Thompson, Todd Bowers, Nevin Dawson, Jill Braly, Meghan Euliano, Allison Leidner, Cory Piland, Kate Grass, Karen Lenz, Beverley McLaughlin, Patrick Cooney, Ed Malindzak, and Michael Fisk for the encouragement, friendship, support and entertainment I desperately needed to complete my Master degree. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF FIGURES x OVERALL THESIS INTRODUCTION Literature Review A. vittata (Puerto Rican parrot) 3 Río Abajo Forest 4 CHAPTER 1. INVENTORIES OF SIZE, ABUNDANCE AND FRUIT PREFERENCE OF PRESTOEA MONTANA AND ROYSTONEA BORINQUENA PALMS IN RÍO ABAJO FOREST, PUERTO RICO 6 INTRODUCTION Food Resources for A. vittata 7 Prestoea montana (R. Graham) Nichols 8 Roystonea borinquena (O.F. Cook) 9 P. montana and R. borinquena Growth and Abundance 11 P. montana and R. borinquena Fruiting 12 Study Purpose and Objectives 12 METHODS Palm Size and Abundance Inventories Site Factors and Plot Design 13 Palm Inventory Factors 14 Environmental Factors 15 Statistical Analysis 16 Palm Fruiting Inventories 17 RESULTS Palm Size and Abundance Inventories 18 Palm Fruiting Inventories 20 DISCUSSION Palm Size and Abundance Inventories