TITLE:
Small-Scale Spatial Patterns of Copernicia alba Morong near Bahia Negra, Paraguay
AUTHORS:
Michelle E. Cisz, Michael J. Falkowski, Blair Orr
KEYWORDS:
Ripley’s K-Function; First Order Analysis; Floodplain; Fire; Chaco; Monotypic Stands; Disturbance Ecol-ogy; Population Dynamics
JOURNAL NAME:
Natural Resources,
Vol.4 No.5,
September
3,
2013
ABSTRACT:
We assessed the spatial distribution of Copernicia alba Morong. In the study area, a lowland palm savanna floodplain, C. alba is the only overstory species. We hypothesized C. alba would be randomly distributed within natural stands. Palms were tallied in six randomly located 0.25 haplots and analyzed using a first-order, Ripley’s K function to assess the distribution of juvenile, adult, and total palm populations. While the total population had either aggregated or random distributions, when analyzing juvenile and adult population separately, we found juveniles were consistently more aggregated than the adults.