Please infuse this with the research below;
Euterpe edulis (Jucara palm)
Jucara palm key points
Humans eating too many hearts – heart of palm. The heart- the central growing tip, can only be reached if all the palm leaves are removed— as it is the growing tip, removing it effectively terminates the palm. The stump is nothing without the tip. Brazil was the leader in providing ‘heart of palm” for the rest of the world since the 1970s- a practice which nearly killed off the palm. In 2001, Brazilians alone ate 100,000 tons of palm heart a year. This was nearly the entire crop. However, internationally, palm hearts were wanted as a jarred-substitute for asparagus, and so 30% of the production went elsewhere. Eventually, the palm was nearly extinct due to demand. There was even illegal trade to get the palm hearts and surveillance was needed. What?! Yes.
Agricultural lens now - (From my email) There are a lot of local farmers/organizations who are now cultivating that particular palm for the fruits, rather than the “hearts” so as to not kill the tree. They leave 1/3 of the fruits on the tree, allowing local critters to still use it as a food source. AND, instead of having large swaths of monoculture, farmers are turning their backyards into cultivation spots, and there’s a huge effort to create wildlife corridors within this community.
One organization in particular gathers the seeds after processing (the 2/3 actually taken), bundle them up in enormous amounts… And drop them over the rainforest via helicopter. One article I read said that they believe 22,000 new palms have been established thanks to this method so far. Wild, right? I love stories like this where culture and nature align. This is extra important for the palm, in this case, because its home turf is in the Mata Atlantica, a rainforest on the Eastern side of the country…and it’s horribly fragmented. It’s in significantly worse shape than most rainforests. And yet, the number of different groups looking to restore this land climbs every day!
Here’s one example: https://jucai.ca/sustainability/
https://news.mongabay.com/2021/01/indigenous-agroforestry-revives-profitable-palm-trees-and-the-atlantic-forest/ “The white people induced the Indigenous to cut the palms in exchange for tools. When the money came, the Indigenous starting selling to the white people. It was a disaster,” says Adolfo Timótio, chief of the Ribeirão Silveira Indigenous Territory, a 9,000-hectare (22,000-acre) area tucked between the Boraceia beach and the Serra do Mar mountain range. By the late ’80s, there was almost no jussara left. “We had to go further and further into the forest to get palm hearts,” Adolfo says.”
A Note on the Mata Atlantica (Atlantic Rainforest) A forgotten rainforest. Some reports site that only 7% of the rainforest remains and claim that it is the most threatened ecosystem in Brazil (I’d look into the cerrado, though, too. That ecosystem has also been largely destroyed, mostly by agriculture, and is another key habitat in Minas Gerais). The remaining Mata Atlantica rainforest, which was once one giant, interconnected stripe, has been heavily fragmented. It is essentially like a patchwork of isolated remnants.
This is problematic for the palm because it limits its genetic diversity and that can put anything at massive risk. It’s almost like the trees are experiencing inbreeding. If we reestablish the trees and connect the habitat again OR if they stay in the pockets where they are… and if you have a particular infection or insect that can do serious damage to the tree… it can wipe out all of them. This reminds me of the beetle problem we have in the western US where I live, or even the genetically bottlenecked cheetah.
Anyhow. Agriculture like sugar cane and coffee are usually to blame for the fragmentation, but urban expansion is arguably a larger challenge.
One thing I’d like to highlight is that most people don’t even know that this forest exists at all—it gets overshadowed by its cousin, the Amazon. So, I think there’s potentially a story here. The biodiversity and endemism here is CRAZY, so it’s so sad that its story isn’t being told.
Part of the reason why it is so fragmented is also because of the mountain ranges that separate the Mata Atlantica from the western part of the country. The ranges are relatively close to the coast. So, while the rainforest is extremely long, it’s also very thin. But again- the fact that there is a mountain range separating the rainforest from other habitats tells us that there is going to be a lot of uniqueness here, in terms of the species we see. Similarly, when we think of the Amazon, we think flat and ribboned through with rivers. The geography here is different. You’ve got mountains/changes in altitude, pockets and within those mountains, in some places sheer cliffs that drop off, and other areas which taper down eventually becoming beaches. Huge, dramatic landscape.
https://sagittaria.ch/en/mata-atlantica/ Here’s a nice overview of the Mata Atlantica.
https://www.neoenergia.com/en/w/mata-atlantica-o-bioma-mais-ameacado-do-brasil
Juçara berries – the Juçara palm is related to the palm which makes acai berries- the granola bowl mix in that became so crazy popular maybe a decade ago. While acai can come from many sources and not just ONE species of tree, the traditional acai is the Amazonian acai. Some sources say that the berries from the Jucara are much higher in antioxidants and are thus a “superior fruit.” The fibers from the mashed-up pulp are used in bakery goods, too, apparently.
Using all of the tree – Extinction of this tree would have been a big deal for small native farmers/producers. The hearts and even the berries only tell one part of the story. The tree reminds us of N. American stories of Native peoples who used every part of the bison. The leaves/trunk material from the palm are used in creating homes, baskets, other crafts. Some parts of the seed are also used to filter water or are used fertilizer and so on. Seems to be a common thread throughout history- indigenous peoples recognize and use an organism for myriad things. Agriculture comes around, creates a monoculture, tries to control the organism and alter the landscape to do so, focuses on extracting one thing, and then leaves it in ruins. Now, luckily, we are seeing more and more stories of wisdom from elders come through which teach us so much more about the plant (or animal) and its whole context, whole organism.
The idea of reciprocity is often key and I think that may be an interesting story to play with here. These are gifts from Nature. It isn’t just about taking and using the majority of the tree but also – what can we give back? How might we take care of the tree like it takes care of us? This story comes full circle when you consider the work being done with farmers now. But that begs the question- are indigenous voices leading the way? Are ancient practices available? Are there ancient practices around cultivation? We see a little of that in point 2 above, but its worth exploring more.
Evolutionary history Around 65 million years ago, S. America drifted away from Africa. Eventually, the Atlantic Forest curved its way down the eastern coast. The truly massive movement and shifting of the Andes later created the mountains we see on the East coast, which is really bananas when you think about it. Fossil records and genetic studies suggest this palm has weathered dramatic climate shifts – super humid during the Last Glacial Maximum (20,000 ish years ago) to the drier Holocene epoch. Today, it is, or should be, the dominant palm tree.
Charasmatic megafauna: Back then, jucara palms shared their world with megafauna like giant ground sloths and toxodonts— (weird rhino-looking things. See: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/toxodonts-traveled-north). These giant critters probably dispersed its seeds way before humans started using the tree for food/shelter etc.
Jucara’s habitat – high humidity, frequent rain, moist soil. Because the palm requires shade produced by other plants and damp soil, it cannot be a pioneer plant. While it can deal with some sun, it is an understory plant and unlike the tulip tree, the palm is a plant that thrives in a mid-successional forest. (reminder: a pioneer species is one of the first species which could colonize an area after disturbance or would pop up in a field. A “pioneer” essentially starts the ecosystem from scratch. Kind of. A mid-successional forest is one that has more diversity and layers, but isn’t yet what we would call the “climax” community of a fully mature forest). This palm is a mid-successional plant.
Relationship with other organisms: Jucara palm is like many fruiting trees in that its importance comes from food for pollinators, and organisms which may disperse the seeds.
Pollinators are usually cited as stingless bees, though the European honey bee, like in the US, has largely taken over though it is not native. One interesting note: one article (https://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/bitstream/handle/10915/139965/Documento_completo.pdf?sequence=1) said that the palm also relies on pollination from the wind- up to 30%. This dual-strategy gives resilience! So, if the native stingless bees (of which there are at least four major species) decline, at least the palm has the wind.
The yellow-legged thrush (Turdus flavipes) comes up as being the number one dispersal buddy now, but other big birds like toucans, guans, and bellbirds rise to the top, too (All three are cool birds - toucans we know, guans look like little black female turkeys, almost. Bellbirds have an absurdly loud call that they are famous for).
Climate change connection: HOWEVER, if jacura seeds evolve to becoming smaller (if large birds disappear, then those seeds aren’t moved and only seeds eaten by smaller seeds are) AND climate change continues to happen, the palm could be in further danger because smaller seeds dry up faster when temps are especially hot and dry. So, the seeds might be dispersed… but they might not actually be able to germinate.
Birds are useful in that they travel long distances before dropping the seeds—this helps with the genetic issue. Other sources say that howler monkeys and tapirs are big players in the dispersal game, but I couldn’t find it in the research.
Ants and tree health: In one study, Atta Sexdens ants were noted to prune vegetation around the palm to prevent from comeptition around seedlings. Palms may also hold bromeliads nestled within the spaces where the leaves meet the “trunk”.
Bat buddies: One study says that bats can roost under the leaves during the day which makes me wonder if they, or other organisms, fertilize the soil below.
https://www.scielo.br/j/aabc/a/BhRqQTkwr73NswR5pC86LnS/?format=pdf&lang=en This seems to be a pretty good research paper.
Tree friends of a larger size: Seeds of the jucara can hang out and remain dormant for a long time, waiting for, like the tulip tree, a light gap, but that light gap often must be a lot smaller. So there’s a tipping point there. Too much sun, and the soil will be too dry and smaller seeds are likely to die as they dry out. So, the idea of a microclimate is helpful here—a larger tree creates a more humid, cool patch, preserving moisture in the soil as well. In other words, the microclimate created by the “big tree” helps the littler guy. ALSO, often large birds will grab the fruits and perch on a nearby or overhead tree that is large enough to support them comfortably.
When we think about any plant’s in relation to crucial birds or insects, we have to consider what that organism may need and how many of those things the plant (or partnership of plants) can provide. It may give food in the way of pollen, nectar, or fruits. But, does it also provide a home or nesting material? A safe place to hide , build a nest, or perch? Thinking about the life cycles of the organisms needed by the tree can help flesh out the whole picture. The palms roots are able to access water from deep in the soil layers and distribute it, however, so it may be that there is reciprocity from the palm to other flora. Worth looking into. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2022.909901/full
Keystone species:
A keystone species is any organism that plays a much larger role in the ecosystem than what might be considered “normal”. Basically, it has a disproportionate effect on the health or function (or creation) of the ecosystem.
FRUIT: In this palm’s case, it is a keystone species because it creates a TON of fruit for a LONG time.
First, on the “ton of fruit” part. Each tree makes ropy, bushy bundles of fruits which kind of hang down beneath the leaves. It makes maybe 3-5 of these big bundles a year. Each bundle creates about 1,300 fruits!
Most trees in this ecosystem create 2-4 month windows of fruit, but this palm fruits for 6-8 months! It isn’t just that it makes fruit for a longer time, but the timing it self matters. Most trees fruit during Dec-Feb. But the palm fruits between April – November (but are at their peak production in May, June, and July) So, it essentially gets rid of the gap. It’s like a food bridge. This is especially important for the yellow-legged thrush I mentioned earlier. This is as migratory bird who needs to build up fat for its long flight. They time their migration during the fruiting peaks (May – July). So, the bird helps disperse the seed, and the tree provides the food… but only if the times line up. The bird can’t replant the forest if the food isn’t there to begin with.
There are all sorts of numbers out there for how many birds and mammals rely on the palm—some say in the 80s with 50ish birds and 20 ish mammals, but the numbers are all over the place.
Protective mechanisms – Like many palms, the Jucara’s trunk can bend significantly in response to strong winds, making it less likely to snap. (***See below for details on its trunk, and you can probably guess why this is the case).
Instead of a deep, single root like some trees have, the jucara palm spreads out a wide network of reddish-brown, fibrous roots. Instead of a taproot, they’re all just below the surface. It’s kind of like the palm has cast a wide, shallow net in the soil.
These roots form a dense cone at the base of the trunk. Each root about as thick as your thumb. This root structure is actually super smart for the jucara’s home in the Mata Atlantica becasue in tropical environments like this, most of the nutrients are found in the top layers of soil. By spreading its roots out horizontally rather than digging deep, the jucara can quickly slurp up water and nutrients when they’re available. Plus, being wide, the roots act like a natural anchor, helping the palm stay upright even when it grows tall (they can get up to 100 feet). The roots are, in part, what can make the palm tall—it allows them to grow on a sandy ridge or a valley slope or a flat forest floor. Makes me wonder what “digging in” might look like from the tree’s perspective.
*** Palm trees are not like the typical tree we think of, with their vertical AND horizontal growth. Typical broadleaf trees build rings, right? They get wider over time. They also have multiple places where they can branch off or create new trunks. Think about the tulip tree and how many different ways it can spring back from a single source. Palms can’t do that. They’re more like grasses in this way. They don’t have a big thick ring of bark. Instead, their fronds form like a sheath around the plant. When the plant grows vertically, the fronds break off but leave that sheath behind, giving the tree the rough-but-segmented look. At least, in palms we normally think about. The Jucara, however, seems to have a much more smooth “trunk”. If you want to know more about this, look up diagrams that show “monocot vs. dicot.” Most trees we think of are “dicots”. Palms are “monocots.” The terminology doesn’t matter, but the structure is tooooootally different and could lead to some story ideas which compare the tulip tree’s existence (dicot) from how a palm might think about moving water, or growth, or healing etc. They are resilient in wind, for example, more than most trees we think about, but if they break? That’s kind of it.
Research paper blurbs
Research paper blurb 1: (Look for words in bold)
Towards chemical characterization and possible applications of juçara fruit: an approach to remove Euterpe edulis Martius from the extinction list https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9873873/
Danielle Cunha de Souza Pereira 1,✉, Flávia dos Santos Gomes 2, Renata Valeriano Tonon 2, Carolina Beres 2, Lourdes Maria Corrêa Cabral 2
“ Juçara (Euterpe edulis Martius) is a palm widely distributed in the Atlantic Forest. It produces a non-climacteric, black-violet small fruit similar to the Amazonian açaí (Euterpe precatoria). The fruit is known as superfruit because it presents chemical characteristics of great importance, such as anthocyanins content. … Despite the rich bioactive compound content of juçara fruits, this plant has been traditionally used for palm heart production. The accelerated and illegal palm heart exploitation, without the use of an adequate management has led to the risk of extinction of this species. In order to prevent this species from vanishing, several studies have valued the health characteristics of juçara fruit chemical composition. An economical approach has been the production of juçara pulp described as a source of bioactive compounds, which has attracted the attention of industrial field aiming the production of functional foods, foodstuff, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. A full botanical and chemical characterization of juçara tree and fruit is presented in this paper, as well as suggestions to increase the use of this tropical fruit and derivatives.”
“The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is one of the most biologically diverse and threatened regions on the planet (Maier et al. 2019). Vanishing of E. edulis poses a danger to the Atlantic Forest fauna. More than 48 birds and 20 mammal’s species have juc¸ara seeds and fruits as their main source of nutrients. Toucans, guans, thrushes and bellbirds are the main seed-dispersal agents, while agoutis, tapirs, peccaries, squirrels and other animals benefit from its nutritive fruits (Moon 2017). In such a scenario, juc¸arap alm has been described as one of the most important species for the maintenance of the Atlantic Forest biome in Brazil, which covers from the state of Bahia (10°00’S) to northern Rio Grande do Sul (30°00’S), with a coastal geographic distribution, as well as the riparian forests of the states of Minas Gerais, Goia´s, Mato Grosso do Sul, Sa˜o Paulo and Parana´ (Fig. 1) (Reis et al. 2000). Juc¸ara palm is also found in the gallery forests of the Cerrado, forests in Paraguay and northern Argentina (Trevisan et al. 2015).”
Blurb 2:
National Public Radio --- All Things Considered. (You can listen to the story here, too)
Big-Mouthed Toucans Key To Forest Evolution
Christopher Joyce
https://wamu.org/story/13/05/31/big_mouthed_toucans_key_to_forest_evolution/
“These large birds, they have an extremely important role in the forest,” Galetti says, “not only because they disperse seeds, but because they disperse large seeds.”
The largest palm seeds — some the size of marbles inside a thin-skinned fruit — are too big for most birds, except for those big-mouthed toucans. So as the toucans disappeared, the palms that made big seeds were out of luck — no seed dispersers. Meanwhile, jucara trees that were genetically predisposed to make small seeds did just fine. In fact, they thrived and started to dominate the forest.
“The extinction of large birds changed the evolution of this palm,” Galetti says. His team checked other possible causes of evolutionary change — shifts in soil fertility or rainfall, or in other seed dispersers. But the genetic change in the palm populations occurred most often where the toucans were scarcest.
Now, humans have always been messing with nature. When we cut down forests or prairie or when we overhunt, we change a region’s mix of plants and animals. That’s an “ecological” change, Galetti explains. But in this case, humans actually altered the genetic makeup of a wild palm tree population — in just a century, indirectly, and by accident.
So what happens if these small-seed palms eventually take over? Well, it turns out that smaller seeds aren’t so good. They dry up and die faster than big ones in hot, dry weather. And scientists predict that climate change will make parts of Brazil hotter and drier, so much so that the jucara may not survive. Says Galetti: “The impacts on the forest could be quite dramatic because several animal species … rely on this palm for food.” In fact, about 60 species of animals depend on this palm for food. So the take-home message is: As the toucan goes, so goes the forest.
Blurb 3
Population structure, aggregation, and dispersal of Euterpe edulis Mart. at two sites of interior atlantic forest
https://www.scielo.br/j/aabc/a/BhRqQTkwr73NswR5pC86LnS/?format=html#:~:text=Contrasting%20with%20its%20concerning%20conservation%20status%2C%20E.%20edulis,consumed%20by%20more%20than%2050%20animal%20species%20
“E. edulis is considered a keystone species (Galetti et al. 1999, Reis et al. 1996) because it
bears fruits for long intervals – even though the onset and end of fruiting varies between regions – that are consumed by more than 50 animal species (Castro et al. 2007, Galetti et al. 1999, da Silva & dos Reis 2019). In turn, the presence of dispersers, along with suitable abiotic conditions, seems to be key to the maintenance of juçara-palm populations (Galetti et al. 2015, Pizo et al. 2006, Portela & Dirzo 2020). Because
animals either swallow or manipulate E. edulis fruits, many species end up dispersing its
seeds, which can benefit palm populations by lowering intraspecific competition, finding or repopulating suitable habitats, and maintaininggene flow among populations (de Barros Leite et al. 2012, Seoane et al. 2005, Soares et al.2019). Given such relevance of seed dispersal, the absence of effective dispersers may hence compromise the proper functioning of E. edulis populations.
Separating actual dispersal from seed predation is a difficult task. Quickly quantifying
the actual consequences of absent or reduced dispersal rates is equally difficult for plant
populations. Large birds are probably among the most important dispersers of E. edulis, both for carrying seeds over long distances and for doing so mostly without causing damage to the seed embryo (da Silva & dos Reis 2019, Galetti et al. 2015). Many of those birds use large trees as perches (hereafter “perch-trees”), where they manipulate fruits or defecate the seeds, generating a “seed rain” (Mikich & da Silva Possette 2007, Howe & Smallwood 1982). Thus, to quickly access whether dispersal is occurring, interrupted, or recently reset, we propose here to contrast population size structure of E. edulis under perch-trees with that under adult juçara-palms.”
Some of the references:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2022.909901/full
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2022.909901/full
https://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/articles/entry/bringing-back-the-atlantic-forests-jucara-palm/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9873873/
https://medwinpublishers.com/article-description.php?artId=9050
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28460899/
https://www.adaptation-undp.org/how-acai-berries-and-agroforestry-are-boosting-food-security-and-income-brazil
https://modernfarmer.com/2022/12/jucara-palm-berries/
https://ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/web/direct-files/14946290/fc91b8b5-dbc9-486d-8916-6289d07866e1/This-palm-tree-nearly-went-extinct.-Now-its-super-berries-are-helping-to-save-it.-_-CNN.pdf
https://www.scielo.br/j/bjb/a/GrBm7ZXJNvJC6DCsZ7dJ3nx/?lang=en
Euterpe edulis on site: Our Celebritrees
Site 1: Parque do Cristo - -20.766816, -42.880294 (https://maps.app.goo.gl/soyxm3tZDDGvwxzE7)
Site 2: Serra do Palmital - 20°50’09.7”S 42°51’05.2”W (https://maps.app.goo.gl/L1Hm977cWNwUSnMA8)
The two sites given seem to be about 25 minutes/13km away from each other.
Site 1 seems to be a small park (Parque do Cristo) between a school and a terraced landscape in the outskirts of Vicosa (a small city or large town?). Judging from the scant few pictures, it appears that some sort of educational group is learning about the land. While slightly cut off from the surrounding nature, there is a broad swath of what may be protected forest to the south, cutting on an angle from east to west. On the other side appears to be the “Laboratório de Hidrologia Florestal” or Forest Hydrology Laboratory (http://www.lcf.esalq.usp.br/lab/laborat%C3%B3rio-de-hidrologia-florestal). It would be curious to see if there was any sort of partnership with the lab, or indeed with the educational group from the photos. I wonder if there is any potential for “citizen science” or a way to tell the tree’s story with a relationship from the students/people who spend time outside of the building and into this little patch to get some fresh air. In either case, this is a landscape that is studied by humans and is partially dominated by human-driven design. A story here touch on human relationships and perhaps, how different ages of humans view a tree or nature here differently. We have a couple of different audiences who seem to span education and age.
In terms of Life’s Principles, I could look at this story from the perspective of:
Adapt to Changing Conditions – how might a palm (or its ecological partners) appropriately respond to dynamic contexts?
Embody Resilience – In this human-nature interface, how might the palm function after disturbance? What variation/redundancies/decentralization exists in its anatomical structure or relationships which might add up to resilience?
Cultivate Cooperative Relationships – what might it look like for humans and tree to have a reciprocal relationship with this palm? What other relationships does the tree have that it could the tree teach humans about?
Use Feedback Loops – How might cyclic information flows modify a reaction appropriately? How might tree/human/other partners respond to and continue to fit into their environment? How could they communicate with each other and learn how to “hear” and take care of each other?
Site 2 is almost directly south and a bit to the east of Site 1 and is much more “in the country”. Completely different vibe than the first. This site is surrounded mainly by densely forested landscape, with a combination of tiny bubbles residential housing and perhaps some agriculture dotting the area (also terraces). Directly to the north is a horse breeder. It appears to be at the top of a hill/small plateau, whereas the first site was at the bottom of a series of terraces. Running from west to east, to the south of the site and down the hill/plateau lies what looks like a small stream. This story could play more with the geography angle from both an “over time” perspective, as well as the multitude of different geometries, textures, elevations, of the land. Could be about the physical attributes and the flows of the land, water, energy, materials.
In terms of Life’s Principles I could look at this story from the perspective of
Fit form to function: the roots, leaves, and fruits all have a story to tell. How much their shapes, colors, textures tell a story? Why are they perfectly suited for who they are? How does the tree meet its needs with those geometries and material properties? How does it mimic the greater picture or fit into the greater picture of the surrounding land?
Build from the bottom up and Combine Nested and Modular Components: alongside an ecosystem which has a variety of vertical gradients, what does the tree think about its own vertical gradient? What does growth and development mean for a tree? As it grows, piece by piece at time, what could it experience based on how tall it is? What would it “know” or experience that it didn’t know before? How does the tree’s structure- leaves, trunk, roots- build in units and become more complex tie into the story of its surroundings?
Both sites fall within the Bahía Interior Forests ecoregion. You can find more about that particular ecosystem here: https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/bahia-interior-forests/
Biomimetic Connections
A quick search on biomimetics related to palms in general turned up:
WIND TURBINE DESIGN
University of Colorado Boulder
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder, led by electrical, computer and energy engineer Lucy Pao, have developed a hurricane-resilient wind turbine design inspired by palm trees . Their project, called the Segmented Ultralight Morphing Rotor SUMR) turbine, features a two-blade downwind rotor that can bend in strong winds, mimicking the flexibility of palm trees during hurricanes.
University of Virginia
Eric Loth, the chair of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Virginia, has also been involved in developing palm tree-inspired wind turbines . Their design aims to create 50-megawatt turbines, which is a significant improvement over current turbines that produce only 8-10 megawatts.
BUILDING DESIGN and ARCHITECTURE
Gulf Organisation for Research and Development
Researchers at the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development in Qatar have been studying palm tree biomimicry for architectural applications . They are investigating how the form, content, and mechanisms of palm trees can be applied to building designs to enhance both aesthetic and functional values.
PEST CONTROL
Palmear Palmear
A startup based in Abu Dhabi, has developed an innovative pest control solution inspired by the challenges faced by palm tree farmers . Their AI-powered acoustic sensing device can detect early-stage pest presence in palm trees, allowing for targeted interventions and reducing the need for widespread pesticide use.
Sources:
Biomimicry of Palm Tree Leaves Form and Pattern on Building Form https://www.e3s-conferences.org/articles/e3sconf/pdf/2014/02/e3sconf_etsdc2014_01024.pdf
A Sound Solution: How Palmear Is Revolutionizing Palm Tree Pest Control https://sustainablebrands.com/read/sound-solution-palmear-palm-tree-pest-control
Towards an innovative design approach: Palm tree biomimicry between form and content https://www.qscience.com/content/papers/10.5339/qproc.2015.qgbc.19 https://www.qscience.com/docserver/fulltext/qproc/2015/2/qproc.2015.qgbc.19.pdf?expires=1739915569&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=540A0F8A584F4C968DB9C052A187F803
A Wind Turbine Acting Like a Palm Tree Delivers Five Times the Electricity https://www.planetizen.com/node/83579/wind-turbine-acting-palm-tree-delivers-five-times-electricity
Inspired by palm trees, scientists develop hurricane-resilient wind turbines https://www.preventionweb.net/news/inspired-palm-trees-scientists-develop-hurricane-resilient-wind-turbines
Hardy palm trees inspire hurricane-resilient wind turbines https://www.imeche.org/news/news-article/hardy-palm-trees-inspire-hurricane-resilient-wind-turbines
Also look at:
“Tropical Passive House” Biomimicry of a Palm Tree – global design challenge- whole booklet https://issuu.com/mikelmaury/docs/final_book_mikel_maury_separdo
AI generated general jucara palm story example
I am Euterpe edulis, the jucara palm, a living testament to the resilience and beauty of the Atlantic Forest. My story begins millions of years ago when South America drifted away from Africa, carving out the coastline that would become my home. Through eons of climate shifts, I adapted and thrived, becoming the dominant palm of this lush, diverse ecosystem.
My life is one of patience and persistence. Unlike my fast-growing neighbors, I bide my time in the understory, waiting for just the right amount of sunlight to filter through the canopy. My roots spread wide and shallow, forming a reddish-brown network that efficiently captures nutrients and water from the rich topsoil. This strategy has served me well, allowing me to grow tall and strong, reaching heights of up to 100 feet while remaining firmly anchored in the sandy ridges and valley slopes of the Mata Atlantica.
My purpose is deeply intertwined with the forest around me. I am a keystone species, a pillar of life in this ecosystem. For six to eight months of the year, I bear an abundance of fruit, each bundle containing around 1,300 berries. This extended fruiting period provides a critical food bridge for countless creatures, especially during the lean months when other trees are barren. The yellow-legged thrush, in particular, times its migration to coincide with my peak fruiting season, feasting on my berries to fuel its long journey.
My relationships are many and varied. Stingless bees buzz among my flowers, joined by European honeybees and even the gentle caress of the wind, all working to pollinate my blossoms. Birds like toucans, guans, and bellbirds feast on my fruits, spreading my seeds far and wide. Even the tiny Atta sexdens ants play a role, pruning vegetation around my seedlings to give them a fighting chance. Bats find shelter beneath my leaves, and bromeliads nestle in the crooks of my trunk, creating a miniature ecosystem within my embrace.
Yet, my story is not without challenges. Humans once prized my heart, harvesting it so intensively that I teetered on the brink of extinction. But there is hope. Today, many are working to protect and restore my kind, cultivating me for my fruits rather than my heart, and even dropping my seeds from helicopters to reforest my fragmented home. Indigenous wisdom is being rediscovered, teaching a more holistic approach to my cultivation and use.
As I stand tall in the Atlantic Forest, I am a symbol of both vulnerability and resilience. My very existence is a reminder of the delicate balance of nature and the importance of biodiversity. Through countless seasons, I have witnessed the ebb and flow of life in this magnificent forest. And as long as I stand, I will continue to nourish, shelter, and support the myriad creatures that call this place home, playing my part in the grand tapestry of life in the Mata Atlantica.
GENERAL NOTES
Biology and Ecology Over Time:
Evolutionary History: The Euterpe genus belongs to the Arecaceae (palm) family, which has a long evolutionary history dating back to the Cretaceous period. The evolutionary history of Euterpe edulis is closely tied to the development of the Atlantic Forest. Monocots show up in the fossil record long before dicots.
Life Cycle: The juçara palm has a relatively slow growth rate. It can take several years to reach maturity and begin producing fruit.
Seed Dispersal: The fruits are a key food source for many birds and mammals, which act as seed dispersers. This mutualistic relationship is vital for the palm’s regeneration and spread.
Competition: In the Atlantic Forest, the juçara palm competes with other plant species for resources like light, water, and nutrients. Its ability to tolerate shade gives it an advantage in the understory forest where there is plenty of organic matter.
Light: As an understory species, the juçara palm is adapted to lower light levels, especially when young. As it matures, it can tolerate more sunlight, particularly when it reaches the canopy.