The palm community in a forest of central Amazonia, Brazil

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. (Résumé d'auteur