Leaf litter is essential for seed survival of the endemic endangered tree Pouteria splendens (Sapotaceae) from central Chile

SOTES GJ; BUSTAMANTE RO; HENRÍQUEZ C

WEB ECOLOGY

COPERNICUS PUBLICATIONS

Año: 2018

Pouteriasplendens (A.DC.) Kuntze, the Chilean lúcumo, is an endemic tree and the onlymember of the Sapotaceae family in Chile. It is considered an endangeredspecies as a consequence of its restricted distribution and small populationsize. Currently, individuals of P. splendens are immersed in a heterogeneous landscapewith rocky mounds and plains located in areas densely populated by humans.Natural regeneration in the species seems to be low, despite the fact thatplants are able to produce fruits. The species produces brightly colored fleshydrupes. There is no information about the dispersal pattern and the fate of theseeds. In this work we investigate (i) the seed dispersal pattern and (ii) theeffect of tree canopy and the presence of leaf litter on seed survival, both inrocky mounds and plains. Results indicated an extremely low distance of seeddispersal, with most of the seeds falling down under the canopy. Seed survivalunder the canopy without leaf litter was very low and even zero in rockymounds. Nevertheless, the presence of leaf litter covering the seeds increasedsurvival in both habitats. Outside the canopy, seed survival only increased inplains. We suggest that future conservation programs should focus on protectingboth adult plants and leaf litter under trees.