Please turn the following into shorter summaries:
Humans eating too many hearts – heart of palm. 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 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 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.