The Palm Community in a Forest of Central Amazonia, Brazil

Abstract

The palm community in a forest of central Amazonia clearly shows three zones according to the hydromorphic condition of the soil: well-drained soils of the upland forest, poorly-drained soils of a transition zone, and water-logged soils of the seasonal swamp forest. The community is remarkable in three aspects: its size (with 2122 palms/ha, and the highest density on water-logged soils); its great diversity (32 species/1.2 ha), which also depends on the hydromorphic condition of the soil; and its variety of biological forms with characteristic acaulescent palms in the understory, monocaulous and multiple-stemmed palms in the upper understory, and arborescent palms only reaching the canopy in the seasonal swamp forest.