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Climate-related phenology of Mauritia flexuosa in the Colombian Amazon

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Abstract

Mauritia flexuosa is a keystone species with a broad geographic distribution throughout the Amazon. Environmental changes can impact the reproductive success in a keystone species such as M. flexuosa, which results in a cascade of events that impacts many other species. The present study examined the reproductive phenology in the palm M. flexuosa between December 2010 and November 2012. A 1-ha plot was established in the central Amazon and all palms ≥14 m tall were labelled for measuring. The following five phenophases were recorded monthly for each labelled palm: (i) spadix formation; (ii) buds; (iii) open flowers; (iv) infructescences with green fruits; and (v) infructescences with ripe fruits. ANOVA and multiple range tests were used to evaluate significant differences among variables for each year. The phenological activity index for each phase was related with regional climate variables, including maximum and minimum daily temperature, monthly accumulated precipitation, cloudiness, flood and water table levels in the plot using a redundancy analysis. Overall, fruiting and flowering AIs exhibited significant differences; however, increased synchronous flowering was recorded during the first year associated with maximum temperatures and a drought period; the second year indicated precipitation sufficient for higher fruit production. Climate also influenced seedling mortality, recruitment, and establishment.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Dirección Nacional de Investigaciones de la UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA for financial support and to El Zafire biological station for logistic support in the field. We are also in debt to the Amazonian indigenous people, especially Ever Kuiru, Miguel Arcangel and Anisley Silva, and our colleagues Omaira Valencia and Diana Sucerquia, who made the field work possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Medellín, Calle 59A No. 63-20, Medellín, Colombia

    Ligia E. Urrego, Andrea Galeano, Mauricio Sánchez & Esaú Toro

  2. Universidad Regional Amazónica IKIAM, Tena, Ecuador

    Cristina Peñuela

Authors
  1. Ligia E. Urrego
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  2. Andrea Galeano
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  3. Cristina Peñuela
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  4. Mauricio Sánchez
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  5. Esaú Toro
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Correspondence to Ligia E. Urrego.

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Communicated by Joy Nystrom Mast.

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Urrego, L.E., Galeano, A., Peñuela, C. et al. Climate-related phenology of Mauritia flexuosa in the Colombian Amazon. Plant Ecol 217, 1207–1218 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-016-0647-0

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