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Twelve-year changes in palm populations from a tropical lowland forest in the Philippines

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Abstract

Arecaceae (Palmae) is an ecologically and economically important family characteristic of the vegetation in tropical and subtropical regions, with at least 125 species occurring in the Philippines, most of them endemics. We monitored changes in stem density, mortality and recruitment of palm populations for 12 years within a 16-ha Forest Dynamic Plot located in northern Luzon, the Philippines. We recorded a total of 4060 stems, dominated by Pinanga insignis (46%) and P. maculata (34%), followed by Caryota cumingii (19%), and a few stems (< 1%) of Orania decipiens and Areca whitfordii. Half (51%) of the initially recorded stems in the 2004 census died by the time of the 2016 census, while 1086 (36%) additional stems were recorded in the same period. Overall palm population declined with the decreasing populations of P. insignis and P. maculata due to higher mortality than recruitment during the 2004–2010 and 2010–2016 census intervals while C. cumingii population increased in the same period. Regarding topographic position, the stem density of P. maculata is higher in valleys > midslopes > ridges across censuses, higher in valleys and midslopes than ridges for C. cumingii across censuses, and higher in midslopes than valleys for P. insignis during the 2016 census only. Mortality and recruitment were weakly observed along topographic positions between species and across censuses. Our result presents how palm population may change within 12 years with population trends differing between species, indicating the importance of palms in understanding the population dynamics of plant communities in a fast-changing environment.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The Palanan FDP was established through the collective efforts of the Isabela State University (Philippines), Conservation International, PLAN, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University (USA), and the CFTS-ForestGEO. Research permits to work in the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park (NSMNP) were issued by its Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) as well as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Regional II (DENR R2) office. The support of the local government of Palanan, Isabela, and the local communities outside the plot had ensured that the plot continues to exist and perform its role in the global network. We are grateful to the many researchers, field assistants, and field guides who helped in the field sampling during each census.

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No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, 666303, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China

    Bonifacio O. Pasion

  2. Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Diliman, Quezon City, 1101, Philippines

    Bonifacio O. Pasion, Mariano Roy M. Duya, Perry S. Ong & Edwino S. Fernando

  3. Environment Section, GCR Consortium, Greenfield Tower, Greenfield District, Mandaluyong City, 1500, Philippines

    Bonifacio O. Pasion

  4. Department of Forest Biological Sciences, College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Los Baños, 4031, Laguna, Philippines

    Edwino S. Fernando

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  1. Bonifacio O. Pasion
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  2. Mariano Roy M. Duya
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  4. Edwino S. Fernando
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Contributions

BP and PO discussed and conceived the ideas of the manuscript. PO, MRD, and EF provided the data. BP performed the analyses and prepared the original draft. BP, MRD, and EF edited and approved the final manuscript for submission.

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Correspondence to Bonifacio O. Pasion.

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Perry S. Ong: Deceased 02 March 2019.

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Pasion, B.O., Duya, M.R.M., Ong, P.S. et al. Twelve-year changes in palm populations from a tropical lowland forest in the Philippines. COMMUNITY ECOLOGY 23, 327–335 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42974-022-00109-3

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