Individual and Population Level Effects of Defoliation in Understory Palms: The Physiology of Sustainable Leaf Harvesting

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PI: DAVID ACKERLY PROPOSAL: IBN96-04030 This project will investigate the physiology, growth and population biology of palms in the genus Chamaedorea. In Guatemala and southern Mexico, the leaves of these species are harvested by local communities for sale as greenery in the international florist industry. The research will address the effects of leaf harvesting at three different levels: 1) individual leaf physiology and carbon gain, 2) plant growth and leaf production, and 3) population dynamics (e.g. seed production, and mortality). Long-term experiments with different levels of leaf removal will be established in the field, at the Chajul Biological Reserve in southern Mexico, and in the greenhouse at Stanford University. This research will provide a significant contribution to ecological research by linking leaf, individual and population responses in a single experiment system. In addition, the results will be used to evaluate the sustainability of leaf harvesting practices at the individual and population level. Sustainable harvesting of Chamaeodorea palms will contribute to rain forest conservation by providing an economic incentive for maintaining the population and the forest environment in which they occur.