Seed Dispersal of a Useful Palm (Astrocaryum Chambira Burret) in Three Amazonian Forests with Different Human Intervention
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SEED DISPERSAL OF A USEFUL PALM (ASTROCARYUM CHAMBIRA BURRET) IN THREE AMAZONIAN FORESTS WITH DIFFERENT HUMAN INTERVENTION Dispersión de semillas de la palma útil (Astrocaryum chambira Burret) en tres bosques amazónicos con diferente grado de intervención humana Keywords: Amazon forest, chambira palm, seed predation, insect seed predation, rodents. Beatriz H. Ramírez1,2 Ángela Parrado-Rosselli3 Palabras clave: bosque amazónico, depredación de semillas, 1 depredación por insectos, palma de chambira, roedores. Pablo Stevenson ABSTRACT distances from the parent palm (10 m) was found. Future studies should focus on seedling establish- The young leaves of Astrocaryum chambira are ment, recruitment rates and the effects of human used by the indigenous people in the Amazon as intervention on subsequent life stages of the palm. raw material for handicrafts. However, few studies have been made on the natural history of this palm and on the indirect impact caused by the decrease RESUMEN of its dispersal agents. Considering that the loss of Las hojas jóvenes de Astrocaryum chambira son animal dispersal vectors due to hunting and lands- utilizadas por las comunidades indígenas amazóni- cape modification can affect seed dispersal proces- cas como materia prima para la fabricación de ar- ses of tropical forest plants, the goal of this study tesanías. Sin embargo, son muy pocos los estudios was to compare seed dispersal of A. chambira in acerca de su historia de vida y de los impactos in- three terra firme forests of the Colombian Amazon, directos causados por la disminución de sus agen- with different degrees of human intervention. We tes dispersores. Teniendo en cuenta que la pérdida censused densities of dispersal agents of A. cham- de animales dispersores de semillas por factores bira, and characterized the seed shadow. We also como cacería y modificación de hábitat afecta la marked seeds to estimate dispersal distances, and dispersión de semillas de las especies de plantas established density and distance-dependent expe- tropicales, el objetivo de este estudio fue comparar rimental stations to assess their relevance on seed la dispersión de semillas de A. chambira en tres dispersal. The results showed that seed removal bosques de tierra firme del Amazonas colombiano was proportional to dispersal agent densities and sujetos a diferentes niveles de intervención an- forest intervention levels. Insects were the main trópica. Censamos las densidades de los agentes seed predators in all sites but their effect was less dispersores de A. chambira y caracterizamos la pronounced in the low intervened forest site. Seed sombra de semillas. También marcamos semillas density did not show any effect on removal, whi- con el fin de estimar las distancias de dispersión y le a higher probability of survival at intermediate 1 Laboratorio de Ecología de Bosques Tropicales y Primatología, Centro de Investigaciones Ecológicas La Macarena, Departa- mento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, AA. 4976, Bogotá, [email protected] 2 Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED), Universiteit van Amsterdam. 3 Grupo Uso y Conservación de la Diversidad Forestal, Proyecto Curricular de Ingeniería Forestal, Facultad del Medio Am- biente y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas. Correspondencia: [email protected] Recepción: 27 de mayo de 2009 / Aprobación: 5 de septiembre de 2009 Revista Colombia Forestal Vol. 12: 5-16 / Diciembre 2009 FORESTAL 12.indd 5 5/18/10 4:49:09 PM Seed dispersal of a useful palm (Astrocaryum chambira Burret) in three amazonian forests with different human intervention establecimos estaciones experimentales de denso- tion depends exclusively on the natural population distancio-dependencia para evaluar su relevancia of the palm (Coomes 2004), it is unknown whether en la dispersión de semillas de esta especie. Los re- the natural populations of A. chambira will be able sultados muestran que la remoción de semillas fue to tolerate such demand. proporcional a la densidad de animales y al nivel de intervención del bosque. Los insectos fueron los A. chambira is a palm species dispersed mainly by principales depredadores en todos los sitios pero caviomorph rodents such as species of the genera su efecto fue menos pronunciado en el bosque me- Agouti, Dasyprocta and Myoprocta. These animals nos intervenido. La densidad de semillas no generó generally act as seed predators as they bury seeds ningún efecto en la remoción, mientras que encon- to retrieve and eat them in periods of food scarcity. tramos una mayor probabilidad de supervivencia The successful seed dispersal occurs when the ro- a distancias intermedias de la palma (10 m). Es- dents fail to recover the buried seeds (Smythe 1989, tudios futuros se deberían enfocar en el estableci- Jansen & Forget 2001). The advantage of seed bu- miento de las plántulas, las tasas de reclutamiento rial is that it reduces seed predation, as insects pre- y el efecto de la intervención antrópica en los pos- date upon unburied seeds, particularly those that teriores estadios de vida de esta palma tropical. are not taken away from the parent palm (Janzen 1971, Forget 1990, Forget & Milleron 1991). The INTRODUCTION genera Agouti and Dasyprocta, commonly known as “borugos” and “guaras”, respectively, have been The chambira palm, Astrocaryum chambira Burret highly targeted by hunters. Additionally, although (1934) (Arecaceae), has been traditionally used by in several places of the Amazon Myoprocta is different indigenous communities of Amazonia usually ignored (Carrillo et al. 2000, Peres & Pa- (Schultes 1977, Jensen & Balslev 1995, Vormisto lacios 2007), in the Colombian Amazonia they are 2002). They obtain fibers from new leaves to pro- highly hunted, particularly in intervened forests duce nets, hammocks, household and ritual artifacts where they are found by dogs or caught with small (Borgoft 1994, Jensen & Balslev 1995, Vormisto traps by any member of an indigenous communi- 2002). These products also generate economi- ty working in the community garden (De la Hoz cal income due to the interest of tourists in local 2007). Thus, human intervention in the forest, ge- handi-crafts (Jensen & Balslev 1995). The traditio- nerated by both planned and/or sporadic hunting, nal harvest system consists on the removal of the and proximity to settlements might be related with youngest unfolded leaf, but leaving the next one low animal population densities and affect regene- intact in order to guarantee palm growth (Borgoft ration dynamics of the species. For instance, Peres 1994, Jensen & Balslev 1995). However, it has been & Palacios (2007) have found lower population reported that several communities are not using this densities of caviomorph rodents in heavily hunted system anymore, harvesting the whole plant, and forests than in lightly hunted forests or non-hunted therefore affecting the development and growth forests. Also, changes in mammal densities have regeneration dynamics of the species (Coomes shown differential effects on seed dispersal and 2004). Additionally to these direct stresses, other seed predation depending on the traits and disper- anthropogenic disturbances can alter the demogra- sal modes of the plant species (Bustamante & Si- phy of the species. For example, the loss of ani- monetti 2000, Cordeiro & Howe 2001, Beckman mal dispersal vectors due to hunting and landscape & Muller-Landau 2007). In that way, knowledge of modification can affect seed dispersal processes of the seed dispersal processes of A. chambira under tropical forest plants (Beckman & Muller-Landau different intervention conditions might be very im- 2007, Peres & Palacios 2007), which in turn have portant for management purposes of its natural po- an effect on recruitment rates, genetic flux, coloni- pulations. Since A. chambira is one-large-seeded zation abilities and patterns of spatial distribution species that depends on secondary seed dispersal, a (Nathan & Muller-Landau 2000). Since trade of reduction in seed-disperser populations by hunting handicrafts has been increasing, but the exploita- or any other form of human disturbance might re- Revista Colombia Forestal Vol. 12 - Diciembre 2009 FORESTAL 12.indd 6 5/18/10 4:49:09 PM Beatriz H. Ramírez / Ángela Parrado-Rosselli / Pablo Stevenson duce the proportion of removed seeds, and many of hunting and natural resources harvesting (planned them will remain under the parent plant where the journeys), including the extraction of A. chambi- risk of mortality by seed predation is the highest ra leaves, neither historic nor current cultivation. (Forget & Jansen 2007). For the purposes of this study, this site was located more than 5 km away from the Macedonia settle- In order to contribute to a better understanding of ment (modified from Pinilla 2004). the consequences of changes in disperser popu- lations for regeneration of tropical forest plants, The third forest was located at the biological sta- we studied the seed fate of A. chambira in three tion Mosiro Itajura located in the state of Vaupés, forests subjected to different degree of human in- Colombia (69°31’2.9’’W, 1°04’21.8’’S). Mean tervention, where densities of seed dispersers were annual temperature is 25.1° C and mean annual supposed to be different. For this purpose, in each precipitation is between 3000 and 4000 mm (De- forest site we censused the dispersal agents, cha- fler 1996). May is the month with the highest pre- racterized the seed shadow