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Influence of spatial and environmental variables on rattan palm (Arecaceae) assemblage composition in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

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Abstract

Rattan palms are dominant elements of Southeast Asian rainforests and of high economic importance, yet little is known about the ecological factors determining the spatial distribution of species and assemblages. We studied rattan palm assemblages at two sites at different elevations in Lore Lindu National Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia (Pono: 958–1,266 m; Bariri: 1,390–1,507 m). At each site, we established a transect of 1.29 km consisting of 65 study plots of 10 × 10 m2 each, regularly spaced 20 m from each other. In total, we recorded 5,081 rattan individuals belonging to 22 species, with 1,367 individuals of 16 species at Pono and 3,714 individuals of 8 species at Bariri. Variance partitioning explained 29–49 % of community variation at Pono and 40–72 % at Bariri, with most variation jointly explained by spatial and environmental variables. Within the environmental influence, soil factors dominated over local topographical ones. RDA ordination allowed the discrimination of four species groups at Pono and three groups at Bariri. These groups were related to soil and less clearly to topographic variables. Our study is the first documentation of the importance of soil parameters in determining the spatial distribution of rattan palms. Interestingly, juvenile palms (<1 m tall) showed closer relationships to environmental factors than adult plants (>1 m tall), calling for further studies on the demography of rattan palms.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Ramadhanil Pitopang, Tadulaku University, Sulawesi, Indonesia, for help during the field work in Sulawesi, Stefan Köhler, head of the laboratory at Tadulako University, and Stefan Erasmi, Göttingen University, for supporting the cartography of the Lore Lindu National Park. Field work would have been impossible without the help of our assistants Marée und Abdul. Identification of rattan species was supported by Dr. J. P. Mogea at the Herbarium Bogoriense. Mirkka Jones, Reynaldo Linares-Palomino and Florian Jansen gave statistical advice, and Martin Schnittler as well as two anonymous reviewers commented on earlier drafts of the paper. The study was principally supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG, SFB 552).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald, Grimmer Str. 88, 17487, Greifswald, Germany

    Joachim Thonhofer

  2. Landscape Management and Nature Conservation, University of Applied Science Eberswalde, Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 28, 16225, Eberswalde, Germany

    Daniela Getto

  3. Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Büsgen-Institute, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

    Oliver van Straaten

  4. Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, 666303, CN-Yunnan, China

    Daniele Cicuzza

  5. Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland

    Michael Kessler

Authors
  1. Joachim Thonhofer
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  2. Daniela Getto
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  3. Oliver van Straaten
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  4. Daniele Cicuzza
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  5. Michael Kessler
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael Kessler.

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Communicated by P. Minchin.

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Thonhofer, J., Getto, D., van Straaten, O. et al. Influence of spatial and environmental variables on rattan palm (Arecaceae) assemblage composition in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Plant Ecol 216, 55–66 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-014-0416-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-014-0416-x

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