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Life In The Slow Lane: Palmetto Seedlings Exhibit Remarkable Survival But Slow Growth In Florida's Nutrient-Poor Uplands, W. G. Abrahamson, C. R. Abrahamson
Life In The Slow Lane: Palmetto Seedlings Exhibit Remarkable Survival But Slow Growth In Florida's Nutrient-Poor Uplands, W. G. Abrahamson, C. R. Abrahamson
Warren G. Abrahamson, II
The palmettos Serenoa repens and Sabal etonia are crucial foundation species in many peninsular Florida vegetative associations. We monitored the survival and growth of individual palmetto seedlings using two cohorts found in different vegetative associations. Seedling cohorts containing both S. repens and S. etonia were individually tagged in 1989 and have been monitored until 2008, a period of 19 years. One cohort (N = 100 seedlings) occurs in a xeric, “inopina-phase” scrubby flatwoods and a second cohort (N =78 seedlings) lives in a well-drained, “wiregrass-phase” flatwoods. The soils at both sites are very nutrient-poor Entisols that show rapid permeability, low …