Substrate preference of Cryosophila warscewiczii, a neotropical palm

Abstract. Tree seedlings of various species have been shown to exhibit a preference for nurse logs both in temperate and tropical ecosystems. In this study, I examined the substrate preference of seedlings of Cryosophila warscewiczii, a neotropical palm, at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. I counted the total number of seedlings growing on old logs and on the surrounding soil. I found no significant preference for a soil or log substrate, although this may have been due to insufficient data, as anecdotal evidence and the general trend of the data suggest that C. warscewiczii seedlings prefer a soil substrate. Increased seedling substrate specificity toward the equator could contribute to the latitudinal gradient in species diversity.