Light conditions imposed by canopy: allometric strategies of an understorey palm (Geonoma schottiana Mart) in Atlantic Forest

Abstract

One of the main factors driving high plant diversity in tropical forests is vertical stratification, which is determined by the ability of an individual to absorb light. The study aimed to evaluate the growth and reproduction strategies of the understorey palm species, Geonoma schottiana, based on allometric relationships and under different light conditions, in a semi-deciduous Atlantic forest. For this purpose, architectural parameters of 25 fruiting individuals were sampled, from which the number of fruits and infructescences were counted. The following parameters were also estimated: forest stratification, canopy (height and openness), crown variants (diameter, depth, openness and volume) and total height of the palm. A significant increment was found in the number of fruits with the increase in canopy opening and crown depth, while the number of infructescences increased with the total height of the palm. The proportion of variance explained by the number of infructescences was higher than that which was explained by the number of fruits. It was concluded that the fitness (i.e. production of fruits and infructescences) of G. schottiana is greatly influenced by the size of the individual (crown depth and total height) and canopy opening.