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Chamaedorea bartlingiana is a dioecious palm that grows in the cloud forest understories of the Venezuelan Andes. Age and sexual differences in phenology and reproductive patterns were studied in labelled individuals of all age categories. This species has long-lived leaves and low leaf production, both characteristic of understory plants. Growth rates are lower in juveniles than in adults and in females than in males, as in other palms. Male and female individuals show different reproductive patterns. Male inflorescences are always produced at the same rate and the probability of surviving until anthesis is constant. Females produce reproductive buds at the same rate as males, but these buds have a 35% probability of becoming a ripe infrutescence if the plant has infrutescences already growing, and 70% if it does not. This pattern and the slow growth of inflorescences (1 year for males from bud to flowers, 2 years for females from bud to ripe fruits) cause a pluriannual reproductive pattern at the population level. Field germination does not follow this pattern, but shows one annual peak probably related to environmental conditions.

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Tropical cloud forests are considered humid ecosystems with frequent cloud cover down to the ground surface. However, seasonal variation in precipitation may induce short-term water stress. For canopy leaves, this water stress may also be a consequence of large atmospheric vapor pressure deficits. The objective of this work was to study five canopy cloud forest species to determine if there are restrictions to leaf gas exchange as a consequence of seasonality in precipitation and to daily water deficit due to air evaporative demand mainly during maximum incoming radiation hours. Seasonal daily courses of microclimatic variables (air temperature, relative humidity, photosynthetic photon flux density) and plant responses (leaf water potential, stomatal conductance, CO 2 assimilation rates, leaf nitrogen concentration) were measured at 2400 m asl in Monterrey, an intermontane valley of the Venezuelan Andes. A gradient in terms of responses to water stress conditions was observed between the species, with Clusia multiflora (a 46% reduction in stomatal conductance between seasons) as the most affected and Miconia resimoides (increased stomatal conductance) responding more favorably to slight water stress conditions. If we consider the limitations of water stress and/or light conditions on CO 2 assimilation we may arrange the species into those in which water stress conditions have a greater impact on leaf carbon gain, those where light conditions are determinant and one in which both water stress and light conditions may affect leaf carbon assimilation.Abstract in Spanish is available at http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/loi/btp.