Landscape change alters reproductive phenology and sex expression in Attalea palms (Arecaceae) of southwestern Amazonia

Phenology, biometrics and fruits production of Attalea nucifera (Arecaceae) in Colombia

“…Attalea nucifera produces buds throughout the year, similar to the patterns observed in other species of Attalea (Voeks, 2002;Núñez et al, 2005;Núñez, 2014;Tucker et al, 2018). The production of buds seems to be influenced by precipitation, as the highest occurrence of buds coincides with periods of increased precipitation.…”

“…Individuals of A. nucifera with more leaves in the crown produced more reproductive structures as well as a greater number of fruits that are larger. The influence of crown size on the frequency of appearance of the reproductive structures has already been documented in A. phalerata (Tucker et al, 2018) and A. butyracea (Olivares and Galeano, 2013). Thus, larger palms could play a significant role as individual seed sources in the regeneration of the population, as observed in Astrocaryum malybo H.Karst., whose older individuals favor population recovery in relict forests of the Colombian Caribbean (García et al, 2017).…”

“…However, this does not seem to be a generalized pattern, since in A. maripa and A. butyracea the opposite pattern has been reported, that is, buds occur during periods of low rainfall (Olivares and Galeano, 2013;Núñez, 2014;Pires et al, 2016). These variations in phenological cycles may be related to regional annual rainfall patterns (Olivares and Galeano, 2013) or habitat conditions within the same region (Tucker et al, 2018).…”

“…To our knowledge, no androgynous inflorescences have been reported for this species. However, it seems premature to define this condition as typical for A. nucifera, since reproductive behavior of Attalea species is quite fluid and may be influenced by habitat conditions (Tucker et al, 2018).…”

“…Attalea species have either pistillate, staminate, or bisexual inflorescences (Dransfield et al, 2008). Individuals are monoecious, but because pistillate and staminate inflorescences seldom occur at the same time, they are considered functionally dioecious (Moraes et al, 1996;Núñez et al, 2005;Fava et al, 2011;Tucker et al, 2018). Fruits are ellipsoid to ovoid, with one to several seeds, the mesocarp is usually fleshy and fibrous, the endocarp is very hard, and seeds have a solid, homogeneous endosperm (Dransfield et al, 2008).…”