Carnauba demography: analysis of the spatial pattern

Abstract

Studies of spatial patterns are important in the elaboration of hypotheses on the dynamics of plant populations. In this context, the research aimed to investigate the spatial pattern between different life stages (regenerating, young and adult) of the Copernicia prunifera an endemic palm from the Brazilian semiarid. The study was carried out on a plot present in a remaining area of the Caatinga biome. The second-order neighboring function (NDF) was used to determine the degree of aggregation (univariate analysis) and if there is an association between the life stages (bivariate analysis). The NDF spatial pattern analysis for all C. prunifera individuals showed significant levels of aggregation up to a radius of 6 m and random pattern at higher distances. The bivariate analysis resulted in aggregation with a radius of 8 m between regenerating individuals and reproductive adults, indicating spatial association. Factors such as limited seed dispersal around the maternal plant and intra-species competition in the early stages of C. prunifera life are possibly responsible for the changes observed in the spatial pattern between the life stages of the species.

Keywords

• arecaceae
• native palm
• population ecology