Title:	Palm assembly dynamics and its relationship with topography in terra firme forest in the Central Amazon.
Authors:	MELO NETO, P. R. de OLIVEIRA, M. de F. PEREIRA, O. de S. SCARIOT, A. O. HENDERSON, A. J. PACHECO, M. A. W. CAMARGO, J. L. C.
Affiliation:	PAULO RODRIGUES DE MELO NETO, CPAA; MILLA DE FREITAS OLIVEIRA, INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE PESQUISAS DA AMAZÔNIA; OCÍRIO DE SOUSA PEREIRA, INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE PESQUISAS DA AMAZÔNIA; ALDICIR OSNI SCARIOT, CENARGEN; ANDREW JAMES HENDERSON, INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE PESQUISAS DA AMAZÔNIA; MANOEL AUGUSTO WHITAKER PACHECO; JOSÉ LUÍS CAMPANA CAMARGO, INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE PESQUISAS DA AMAZÔNIA.
Date Issued:	2026
Citation:	Forest Ecology and Management, v. 619, 124066, 2026.
Description:	In recent years, studies have reported changes in the structure of different taxonomic groups in tropical forests without any apparent environmental disturbances. Changes in forest phytosociology, climate change, or even stochastic variation may be responsible for the observed results. Factors such as topography may mitigate or amplify these effects. We analyzed the long-term dynamics of an assembly of palm species in a 10-ha permanent plot within a continuous, mature forest in the Central Amazon. A previous census was conducted in 1990. As previously, all newly found adult palms were marked, identified, and classified by forest strata. Thus, we evaluated assembly dynamics overall and by strata, considering abundance, composition, and beta diversity. All parameters were contrasted with topography. We recorded 33 palm species, three more species than in 1990, and an impressive increase in abundance. Even with 1/3 of mortality, the net increase of the assembly was almost 50%, revealing a dramatic change in density from around 650 to almost 1000 adult palms per hectare. Mortality among the sub-canopy palm trees was more pronounced than for other strata. Meanwhile, the forest's understory presented the highest diversity. Species gain over time drove changes in the assemblage composition. Regarding topography, elevation influenced species distribution, while slope affected understory and assemblage dynamics. Thus, changes in the palm assemblage showed that even in forests considered preserved, certain groups are undergoing structural changes, which may be related to internal assemblage factors or external drivers, such as climate change and stochastic effects.
NAL Thesaurus:	Arecaceae Community ecology
Keywords:	Directional changes Forest dynamics Tropical rainforest
Type of Material:	Artigo de periódico
Access:	openAccess
Appears in Collections:	Artigo em periódico indexado (CPAA)