Seed banks on stems of wetland palms

Seeds can accumulate in the soil or elsewhere, and one potential site is on the stems of palms when these are covered by persistent sheaths. Corrêa et al. study sheaths of Attalea phalerata (Arecaceae) in the Pantanal wetland of Brazil and find that 65 % contain seeds, belonging to 75 species in 12 families. This seed bank is primarily made up of small, endozoochoric seeds, with both abundance and species richness being greater in the wet season than in the dry. Seeds of some species such as Cecropia pachystachya (fig) are able to successfully establish seedlings on palms and become adults. The palm stems can thus provide safe sites where seeds (and seedlings) can escape flooding.