Panama Palms

Study Description:

This collection is taken from two studies on Barro Colorado Island, Panama Canal, Republic of Panama aimed to determine the community of mammals and their use of Attalea butyracea and Astrocaryum standleyanum, two fleshy-fruited palm tree species.

Study Design:

From May – June 2009, camera traps were set up below 27 fruiting Astrocaryum standleyanum individuals, on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, to record visitation and fruit removal by terrestrial vertebrates. These 221 camera nights explicitly featured fruiting individuals of the palm Astrocaryum standleyanum, and targeted frugivorous vertebrates. The palms were located in the home ranges of 20 different radio-collared agoutis, across which palm abundance varied, and were surveyed during 8 days on average. In addition, cameras were set up in trees adjacent to 5 fruiting Astrocaryum to record the arboreal animals feeding on these fruits.

From July to August 2009 camera traps were set up below 23 fruiting Attalea butryacea individuals on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, to record visitation and fruit removal by terrestrial vertebrates for 197 camera nights. These 197 camera nights explicitly featured fruiting individuals of the palm Attalea butryacea, and targeted frugivorous vertebrates. The palms were located in ten 4-ha plots, across which palm abundance varied. Palms were surveyed during 9 days on average.

Publications:

Jansen, P.A., M.D. Visser, S.J. Wright, G. Rutten & H.C. Muller-Landau (2014). Negative density-dependence of seed dispersal and seedling recruitment in a Neotropical palm. Ecology Letters 17: 1111–1120. doi: 10.1111/ele.12317