90-529: Acrocomia aculeata is a species of palm native to the Neotropics . Common names include grugru palm , gloo gloo , corojo , macaúba palm , coyol palm , and macaw palm ; synonyms include A. lasiospatha, A. sclerocarpa , and A. vinifera . It grows up to 15–20 m (50–70 ft) tall, with a trunk up to 50 cm (20 in) in diameter, characterized by numerous slender, black, viciously sharp 10 cm (4 in) long spines jutting out from
180-656: A fermented alcoholic beverage known as coyol wine . Arecaceae The Arecaceae ( / ˌ ær ə ˈ k eɪ s i . iː , - ˌ aɪ / ) is a family of perennial , flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales . Their growth form can be climbers , shrubs , tree -like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms . Those having a tree-like form are colloquially called palm trees . Currently, 181 genera with around 2,600 species are known, most of which are restricted to tropical and subtropical climates. Most palms are distinguished by their large, compound, evergreen leaves, known as fronds , arranged at
270-407: A clustering habit results. Exclusively sympodial genera include many of the rattans , Guihaia , and Rhapis . Several palm genera have both solitary and clustering members. Palms which are usually solitary may grow in clusters and vice versa. Palms have large, evergreen leaves that are either palmately ('fan-leaved') or pinnately ('feather-leaved') compound and spirally arranged at the top of
360-647: A conduit for the dispersal of pollen grains, spores and seeds , the atmosphere can be considered to be a habitat-type in its own right. There are metabolically active microbes present that actively reproduce and spend their whole existence airborne, with hundreds of thousands of individual organisms estimated to be present in a cubic meter of air. The airborne microbial community may be as diverse as that found in soil or other terrestrial environments, however, these organisms are not evenly distributed, their densities varying spatially with altitude and environmental conditions. Aerobiology has not been studied much, but there
450-404: A direct result of human activities, such as deforestation , the plowing of ancient grasslands, the diversion and damming of rivers, the draining of marshland and the dredging of the seabed. The introduction of alien species can have a devastating effect on native wildlife – through increased predation , through competition for resources or through the introduction of pests and diseases to which
540-489: A downpour occurs and lays its eggs in the transient pools that form; the tadpoles develop with great rapidity, sometimes in as little as nine days, undergo metamorphosis , and feed voraciously before digging a burrow of their own. Other organisms cope with the drying up of their aqueous habitat in other ways. Vernal pools are ephemeral ponds that form in the rainy season and dry up afterwards. They have their specially-adapted characteristic flora, mainly consisting of annuals,
630-413: A forest is divided into parts by logging, with strips of cleared land separating woodland blocks, and the distances between the remaining fragments exceeds the distance an individual animal is able to travel, that species becomes especially vulnerable. Small populations generally lack genetic diversity and may be threatened by increased predation, increased competition, disease and unexpected catastrophe. At
720-526: A home for both static organisms, anchored to the substrate , and for a large range of organisms crawling on or burrowing into the surface. Some creatures float among the waves on the surface of the water, or raft on floating debris, others swim at a range of depths, including organisms in the demersal zone close to the seabed, and myriads of organisms drift with the currents and form the plankton . Many animals and plants have taken up residence in urban environments. They tend to be adaptable generalists and use
810-463: A large amount of the human diet and several other human uses, both by absolute amount produced and by number of species domesticated . This is far higher than almost any other plant family, sixth out of domesticated crops in the human diet, and first in total economic value produced – sharing the top spot with the Poaceae and Fabaceae . These human uses have also spread many Arecaceae species around
900-716: A mile below the ice of Antarctica; in the absence of sunlight, they must rely on organic material from elsewhere, perhaps decaying matter from glacier melt water or minerals from the underlying rock. Other bacteria can be found in abundance in the Mariana Trench , the deepest place in the ocean and on Earth; marine snow drifts down from the surface layers of the sea and accumulates in this undersea valley, providing nourishment for an extensive community of bacteria. Other microbes live in environments lacking in oxygen, and are dependent on chemical reactions other than photosynthesis . Boreholes drilled 300 m (1,000 ft) into
990-444: A natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved to elsewhere or are dead, leading to a decrease in biodiversity and species numbers . Habitat destruction is in fact the leading cause of biodiversity loss and species extinction worldwide. The protection of habitat types is a necessary step in the maintenance of biodiversity because if habitat destruction occurs,
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#17327867190041080-410: A parasitic organism, its habitat is the particular part of the outside or inside of its host on or in which it is adapted to live. The life cycle of some parasites involves several different host species, as well as free-living life stages, sometimes within vastly different microhabitat types. One such organism is the trematode (flatworm) Microphallus turgidus , present in brackish water marshes in
1170-443: A particular community of plants and animals. The chief environmental factors affecting the distribution of living organisms are temperature, humidity, climate, soil and light intensity , and the presence or absence of all the requirements that the organism needs to sustain it. Generally speaking, animal communities are reliant on specific types of plant communities. Some plants and animals have habitat requirements which are met in
1260-557: A particular species well, but its presence or absence at any particular location depends to some extent on chance, on its dispersal abilities and its efficiency as a colonizer. Arid habitats are those where there is little available water. The most extreme arid habitats are deserts . Desert animals have a variety of adaptations to survive the dry conditions. Some frogs live in deserts, creating moist habitat types underground and hibernating while conditions are adverse. Couch's spadefoot toad ( Scaphiopus couchii ) emerges from its burrow when
1350-487: A similar way; their eggs hatch and the juvenile fish grow with great rapidity when the conditions are right, but the whole population of fish may end up as eggs in diapause in the dried up mud that was once a pond. Freshwater habitat types include rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, marshes and bogs. They can be divided into running waters (rivers, streams) and standing waters (lakes, ponds, marshes, bogs). Although some organisms are found across most of these habitat types,
1440-509: A similarly rich fauna of invertebrates as a more varied habitat. The monotypic habitat occurs in both botanical and zoological contexts. Some invasive species may create monocultural stands that prevent other species from growing there. A dominant colonization can occur from retardant chemicals exuded, nutrient monopolization, or from lack of natural controls, such as herbivores or climate, that keep them in balance with their native habitat types. The yellow starthistle, Centaurea solstitialis
1530-498: A variety of bacteria and fungi; and snowfields on which algae grow. Whether from natural processes or the activities of man, landscapes and their associated habitat types change over time. There are the slow geomorphological changes associated with the geologic processes that cause tectonic uplift and subsidence , and the more rapid changes associated with earthquakes, landslides, storms, flooding, wildfires, coastal erosion , deforestation and changes in land use. Then there are
1620-637: A variety of different habitats. Their diversity is highest in wet, lowland forests. South America , the Caribbean , and areas of the South Pacific and southern Asia are regions of concentration. Colombia may have the highest number of palm species in one country. There are some palms that are also native to desert areas such as the Arabian Peninsula and parts of northwestern Mexico. Only about 130 palm species naturally grow entirely beyond
1710-442: A very limited set of factors to survive. The habitat of a species is not necessarily found in a geographical area, it can be the interior of a stem, a rotten log, a rock or a clump of moss ; a parasitic organism has as its habitat the body of its host , part of the host's body (such as the digestive tract), or a single cell within the host's body. Habitat types are environmental categorizations of different environments based on
1800-609: A water source, and in desert oases such as the date palm . A few palms are adapted to extremely basic lime soils, while others are similarly adapted to extreme potassium deficiency and toxicity of heavy metals in serpentine soils . Palms are a monophyletic group of plants, meaning the group consists of a common ancestor and all its descendants. Extensive taxonomic research on palms began with botanist H.E. Moore , who organized palms into 15 major groups based mostly on general morphological characteristics. The following classification, proposed by N.W. Uhl and J. Dransfield in 1987,
1890-595: A wide range of locations. The small white butterfly Pieris rapae for example is found on all the continents of the world apart from Antarctica . Its larvae feed on a wide range of Brassicas and various other plant species, and it thrives in any open location with diverse plant associations. The large blue butterfly Phengaris arion is much more specific in its requirements; it is found only in chalk grassland areas, its larvae feed on Thymus species, and because of complex life cycle requirements it inhabits only areas in which Myrmica ants live. Disturbance
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#17327867190041980-562: Is chemosynthesis , a process by which microbes convert such substances as hydrogen sulfide or ammonia into organic molecules. These bacteria and Archaea are the primary producers in these ecosystems and support a diverse array of life. About 350 species of organism, dominated by molluscs , polychaete worms and crustaceans , had been discovered around hydrothermal vents by the end of the twentieth century, most of them being new to science and endemic to these habitat types. Besides providing locomotion opportunities for winged animals and
2070-404: Is a concept sometimes used in conservation biology , in which a single species of animal or plant is the only species of its type to be found in a specific habitat and forms a monoculture . Even though it might seem such a habitat type is impoverished in biodiversity as compared with polytypic habitat types, this is not necessarily the case. Monocultures of the exotic plant Hydrilla support
2160-508: Is a revision of Moore's classification that organizes palms into 6 subfamilies. A few general traits of each subfamily are listed below. The Phytelephantoideae is the sixth subfamily of Arecaceae in N.W. Uhl and J. Dransfield's 1987 classification. Members of this group have distinct monopodial flower clusters. Other distinct features include a gynoecium with five to 10 joined carpels, and flowers with more than three parts per whorl. Fruits are multiple-seeded and have multiple parts. From
2250-516: Is a vigorous grass from Europe which has been introduced to the United States where it has become invasive. It is highly adapted to fire, producing large amounts of flammable detritus and increasing the frequency and intensity of wildfires. In areas where it has become established, it has altered the local fire regimen to such an extant that native plants cannot survive the frequent fires, allowing it to become even more dominant. A marine example
2340-494: Is evidence of nitrogen fixation in clouds , and less clear evidence of carbon cycling, both facilitated by microbial activity. There are other examples of extreme habitat types where specially adapted lifeforms exist; tar pits teeming with microbial life; naturally occurring crude oil pools inhabited by the larvae of the petroleum fly ; hot springs where the temperature may be as high as 71 °C (160 °F) and cyanobacteria create microbial mats ; cold seeps where
2430-581: Is found from southern Mexico and the Caribbean to Brazil , where it inhabits diverse environments such as the Cerrado savanna and the Mata Atlântica rainforest. It also extends into Paraguay and northern Argentina , thriving in environments ranging from grasslands to subtropical forests. The tree was noted by the English naturalist Henry Walter Bates in his 1863 book The Naturalist on
2520-605: Is from Dravidian *aṭ-ay-kkāy ("areca nut"). The suffix -aceae is the feminine plural of the Latin -āceus ("resembling"). Palm originates from Latin palma semantically overlapping with sense of " hand front " (due to similar splayed shape) ultimately from Proto-Indo-European * pl̥h₂meh₂ , a direct descendant folm once existed in Old English. Whether as shrubs, tree-like, or vines, palms have two methods of growth: solitary or clustered. The common representation
2610-559: Is important in the creation of biodiverse habitat types. In the absence of disturbance, a climax vegetation cover develops that prevents the establishment of other species. Wildflower meadows are sometimes created by conservationists but most of the flowering plants used are either annuals or biennials and disappear after a few years in the absence of patches of bare ground on which their seedlings can grow. Lightning strikes and toppled trees in tropical forests allow species richness to be maintained as pioneering species move in to fill
2700-414: Is more appropriate. The physical factors may include (for example): soil , moisture , range of temperature , and light intensity . Biotic factors include the availability of food and the presence or absence of predators . Every species has particular habitat requirements, habitat generalist species are able to thrive in a wide array of environmental conditions while habitat specialist species require
2790-496: Is often called "anomalous secondary growth". The Arecaceae are notable among monocots for their height and for the size of their seeds, leaves, and inflorescences. Ceroxylon quindiuense , Colombia's national "tree", is the tallest monocot in the world, reaching up to 60 metres (197 ft) tall. The coco de mer ( Lodoicea maldivica ) has the largest seeds of any plant, 40–50 centimetres (16–20 in) in diameter and weighing 15–30 kilograms (33–66 lb) each ( coconuts are
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2880-683: Is possible north of subtropical climates, and some higher latitude locales such as Ireland, Scotland, England, and the Pacific Northwest feature a few palms in protected locations and microclimates . In the United States , there are at least 12 native palm species, mostly occurring in the states of the Deep South and Florida . Palms inhabit a variety of ecosystems. More than two-thirds of palm species live in humid moist forests, where some species grow tall enough to form part of
2970-460: Is that of a solitary shoot ending in a crown of leaves. This monopodial character may be exhibited by prostrate, trunkless, and trunk-forming members. Some common palms restricted to solitary growth include Washingtonia and Roystonea . Palms may instead grow in sparse though dense clusters. The trunk develops an axillary bud at a leaf node, usually near the base, from which a new shoot emerges. The new shoot, in turn, produces an axillary bud and
3060-416: Is the small-scale physical requirements of a particular organism or population. Every habitat includes large numbers of microhabitat types with subtly different exposure to light, humidity, temperature, air movement, and other factors. The lichens that grow on the north face of a boulder are different from those that grow on the south face, from those on the level top, and those that grow on the ground nearby;
3150-404: Is ubiquitous, it is called the coco paraguayo (Paraguayan coconut), as it is much less common in the rest of the world. It has been suggested that grugru nuts, which come in mass numbers from each tree, can be used in the manufacture of biodiesel . The grugru nut, while very hard, can be sliced into thin circles to be sanded and worn as rings. The trunk of the palm can also be 'milked' to yield
3240-507: Is very challenging to research, and as well as being little-studied, it is vast, with 79% of the Earth's biosphere being at depths greater than 1,000 m (3,300 ft). With no plant life, the animals in this zone are either detritivores , reliant on food drifting down from surface layers, or they are predators, feeding on each other. Some organisms are pelagic , swimming or drifting in mid-ocean, while others are benthic, living on or near
3330-412: Is very tough to break and contains usually one single, dark brown, nut-like seed 1–2 cm ( 1 ⁄ 2 – 3 ⁄ 4 in) in diameter. The inside of the seed, also called endosperm , is a dry white filling that has a vaguely sweet taste like coconut when eaten. The fruit turns yellow when ripe and has a hard outer shell. The pulp is slightly sweet and is extremely slimy and sticky. The species
3420-468: Is when sea urchin populations " explode " in coastal waters and destroy all the macroalgae present. What was previously a kelp forest becomes an urchin barren that may last for years and this can have a profound effect on the food chain . Removal of the sea urchins, by disease for example, can result in the seaweed returning, with an over-abundance of fast-growing kelp. Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) occurs when
3510-566: The Dasypogonaceae . For a phylogenetic tree of the family, see the list of Arecaceae genera . The Arecaceae were the first modern family of monocots to appear in the fossil record around 80 million years ago (Mya), during the late Cretaceous period. The first modern species, such as Nypa fruticans and Acrocomia aculeata , appeared 69 Mya, as evidenced by fossil Nypa pollen. Palms appear to have undergone an early period of adaptive radiation . By 60 Mya, many of
3600-579: The canopy and shorter ones form part of the understory . Some species form pure stands in areas with poor drainage or regular flooding, including Raphia hookeri which is common in coastal freshwater swamps in West Africa. Other palms live in tropical mountain habitats above 1 thousand metres (3 thousand feet), such as those in the genus Ceroxylon native to the Andes . Palms may also live in grasslands and scrublands, usually associated with
3690-508: The methane and hydrogen sulfide issue from the ocean floor and support microbes and higher animals such as mussels which form symbiotic associations with these anaerobic organisms ; salt pans that harbour salt-tolerant bacteria , archaea and also fungi such as the black yeast Hortaea werneckii and basidiomycete Wallemia ichthyophaga ; ice sheets in Antarctica which support fungi Thelebolus spp., glacial ice with
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3780-467: The photic zone in the oceans are relatively familiar habitat types. However the vast bulk of the ocean is inhospitable to air-breathing humans, with scuba divers limited to the upper 50 m (160 ft) or so. The lower limit for photosynthesis is 100 to 200 m (330 to 660 ft) and below that depth the prevailing conditions include total darkness, high pressure, little oxygen (in some places), scarce food resources and extreme cold. This habitat
3870-647: The Ceroxyloideae and Phytelephantoideae. Studies have suggested the lack of a fully resolved hypothesis for the relationships within the family is due to a variety of factors, including difficulties in selecting appropriate outgroups, homoplasy in morphological character states, slow rates of molecular evolution important for the use of standard DNA markers , and character polarization. However, hybridization has been observed among Orbignya and Phoenix species, and using chloroplast DNA in cladistic studies may produce inaccurate results due to maternal inheritance of
3960-574: The IUCN, and was published in 1996. The rarest palm known is Hyophorbe amaricaulis . The only living individual remains at the Botanic Gardens of Curepipe in Mauritius . Some pests are specialists to particular taxa . Pests that attack a variety of species of palms include: The palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory in classical antiquity . The Romans rewarded champions of
4050-526: The Middle East and North Africa. A wide range of common products and foods are derived from palms. In contemporary times, palms are also widely used in landscaping. In many historical cultures, because of their importance as food, palms were symbols for such ideas as victory, peace, and fertility. The word Arecaceae is derived from the word areca with the suffix "-aceae". Areca is derived from Portuguese , via Malayalam അടയ്ക്ക ( aṭaykka ), which
4140-580: The Rathayatra carts which carry the deities of Krishna and his family members in the cart festival of Jagganath Puri in India are marked with the emblem of a palm tree. Specifically it is the symbol of Krishna's brother, Baladeva. In 1840, the American geologist Edward Hitchcock (1793–1864) published the first tree-like paleontology chart in his Elementary Geology , with two separate trees of life for
4230-591: The River Amazons , where he wrote that [The hyacinth macaw ] flies in pairs, and feeds on the hard nuts of several palms, but especially of the Mucuja ( Acrocomia lasiospatha ). These nuts, which are so hard as to be difficult to break with a heavy hammer, are crushed to a pulp by the powerful beak of this macaw. The plants inhabit a wide variety of climates and situations; in Paraguay , for example, where it
4320-436: The animals and plants reliant on that habitat suffer. Many countries have enacted legislation to protect their wildlife. This may take the form of the setting up of national parks, forest reserves and wildlife reserves, or it may restrict the activities of humans with the objective of benefiting wildlife. The laws may be designed to protect a particular species or group of species, or the legislation may prohibit such activities as
4410-530: The area. The sale of seeds to nurseries and collectors is another threat, as the seeds of popular palms are sometimes harvested directly from the wild. In 2006, at least 100 palm species were considered endangered, and nine species have been reported as recently extinct. However, several factors make palm conservation more difficult. Palms live in almost every type of warm habitat and have tremendous morphological diversity. Most palm seeds lose viability quickly, and they cannot be preserved in low temperatures because
4500-409: The array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species . A species habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ecological niche . Thus "habitat" is a species-specific term, fundamentally different from concepts such as environment or vegetation assemblages, for which the term "habitat-type"
4590-407: The base. The stamens generally number six, with filaments that may be separate, attached to each other, or attached to the pistil at the base. The fruit is usually a single- seeded drupe (sometimes berry-like) but some genera (e.g., Salacca ) may contain two or more seeds in each fruit. Like all monocots , palms do not have the ability to increase the width of a stem ( secondary growth ) via
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#17327867190044680-416: The changes in habitat types brought on by alterations in farming practices, tourism, pollution, fragmentation and climate change. Loss of habitat is the single greatest threat to any species. If an island on which an endemic organism lives becomes uninhabitable for some reason, the species will become extinct . Any type of habitat surrounded by a different habitat is in a similar situation to an island. If
4770-424: The characteristics of a given geographical area, particularly vegetation and climate. Thus habitat types do not refer to a single species but to multiple species living in the same area. For example, terrestrial habitat types include forest , steppe , grassland , semi-arid or desert . Fresh-water habitat types include marshes , streams , rivers , lakes , and ponds ; marine habitat types include salt marshes,
4860-471: The chloroplast DNA. Chemical and molecular data from non-organelle DNA, for example, could be more effective for studying palm phylogeny. Recently, nuclear genomes and transcriptomes have been used to reconstruct the phylogeny of palms. This has revealed, for example, that a whole-genome duplication event occurred early in the evolution of the Arecaceae lineage, that was not experienced by its sister clade,
4950-570: The coast, the intertidal zone , estuaries , reefs , bays, the open sea, the sea bed, deep water and submarine vents . Habitat types may change over time. Causes of change may include a violent event (such as the eruption of a volcano , an earthquake , a tsunami , a wildfire or a change in oceanic currents); or change may occur more gradually over millennia with alterations in the climate , as ice sheets and glaciers advance and retreat, and as different weather patterns bring changes of precipitation and solar radiation . Other changes come as
5040-503: The cold kills the embryo. Using botanical gardens for conservation also presents problems, since they can rarely house more than a few plants of any species or truly imitate the natural setting. There is also the risk that cross-pollination can lead to hybrid species. The Palm Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) began in 1984, and has performed a series of three studies to find basic information on
5130-455: The collecting of bird eggs, the hunting of animals or the removal of plants. A general law on the protection of habitat types may be more difficult to implement than a site specific requirement. A concept introduced in the United States in 1973 involves protecting the critical habitat of endangered species , and a similar concept has been incorporated into some Australian legislation. International treaties may be necessary for such objectives as
5220-729: The deserts, it also created a more amenable habitat for the people to live in by providing shade and protection from the desert winds. An indication of the importance of palms in ancient times is that they are mentioned more than 30 times in the Bible , and at least 22 times in the Quran . The Torah also references the "70 date palm trees", which symbolize the 70 aspects of Torah that are revealed to those who "eat of its fruit." Arecaceae have great economic importance, including coconut products, oils, dates, palm syrup , ivory nuts, carnauba wax, rattan cane, raffia, and palm wood . This family supplies
5310-420: The edge of each forest fragment, increased light encourages secondary growth of fast-growing species and old growth trees are more vulnerable to logging as access is improved. The birds that nest in their crevices, the epiphytes that hang from their branches and the invertebrates in the leaf litter are all adversely affected and biodiversity is reduced. Habitat fragmentation can be ameliorated to some extent by
5400-673: The games and celebrated military successes with palm branches. Early Christians used the palm branch to symbolize the victory of the faithful over enemies of the soul, as in the Palm Sunday festival celebrating the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem . In Judaism , the palm represents peace and plenty, and is one of the Four Species of Sukkot ; the palm may also symbolize the Tree of Life in Kabbalah . The canopies of
5490-745: The gaps created. Similarly, coastal habitat types can become dominated by kelp until the seabed is disturbed by a storm and the algae swept away, or shifting sediment exposes new areas for colonisation. Another cause of disturbance is when an area may be overwhelmed by an invasive introduced species which is not kept under control by natural enemies in its new habitat. Terrestrial habitat types include forests, grasslands, wetlands and deserts. Within these broad biomes are more specific habitat types with varying climate types, temperature regimes, soils, altitudes and vegetation. Many of these habitat types grade into each other and each one has its own typical communities of plants and animals. A habitat-type may suit
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#17327867190045580-500: The habitat, and those with small habitat ranges are most vulnerable to them. The harvesting of heart of palm, a delicacy in salads, also poses a threat because it is derived from the palm's apical meristem , a vital part of the palm that cannot be regrown (except in domesticated varieties, e.g. of peach palm ). The use of rattan palms in furniture has caused a major population decrease in these species that has negatively affected local and international markets, as well as biodiversity in
5670-432: The history of the Middle East and North Africa. In the text "Date Palm Products" (1993), W.H. Barreveld wrote: One could go as far as to say that, had the date palm not existed, the expansion of the human race into the hot and barren parts of the "old" world would have been much more restricted. The date palm not only provided a concentrated energy food, which could be easily stored and carried along on long journeys across
5760-470: The indigenous species have no immunity. The word "habitat" has been in use since about 1755 and derives from the Latin habitāre , to inhabit, from habēre , to have or to hold. Habitat can be defined as the natural environment of an organism , the type of place in which it is natural for it to live and grow. It is similar in meaning to a biotope ; an area of uniform environmental conditions associated with
5850-720: The lichens growing in the grooves and on the raised surfaces are different from those growing on the veins of quartz. Lurking among these miniature "forests" are the microfauna , species of invertebrate , each with its own specific habitat requirements. There are numerous different microhabitat types in a wood; coniferous forest, broad-leafed forest, open woodland, scattered trees, woodland verges, clearings, and glades; tree trunk, branch, twig, bud, leaf, flower, and fruit; rough bark, smooth bark, damaged bark, rotten wood, hollow, groove, and hole; canopy, shrub layer, plant layer, leaf litter , and soil; buttress root, stump, fallen log, stem base, grass tussock, fungus, fern, and moss. The greater
5940-531: The majority have more specific requirements. The water velocity, its temperature and oxygen saturation are important factors, but in river systems, there are fast and slow sections, pools, bayous and backwaters which provide a range of habitat types. Similarly, aquatic plants can be floating, semi-submerged, submerged or grow in permanently or temporarily saturated soils besides bodies of water. Marginal plants provide important habitat for both invertebrates and vertebrates, and submerged plants provide oxygenation of
6030-694: The modern phylogenomic data, the Phytelephantoideae are tribe in the Ceroxyloideae subfamily. Currently, few extensive phylogenetic studies of the Arecaceae exist. In 1997, Baker et al. explored subfamily and tribe relationships using chloroplast DNA from 60 genera from all subfamilies and tribes. The results strongly showed the Calamoideae are monophyletic, and Ceroxyloideae and Coryphoideae are paraphyletic. The relationships of Arecoideae are uncertain, but they are possibly related to
6120-660: The modern, specialized genera of palms appeared and became widespread and common, much more widespread than their range today. Because palms separated from the monocots earlier than other families, they developed more intrafamilial specialization and diversity. By tracing back these diverse characteristics of palms to the basic structures of monocots, palms may be valuable in studying monocot evolution. Several species of palms have been identified from flowers preserved in amber, including Palaeoraphe dominicana and Roystonea palaea . Fossil evidence of them can also be found in samples of petrified palmwood . The relationship between
6210-521: The needs of the local residents for food, fuel and other resources. Faced with hunger and destitution, a farmer is likely to plough up a level patch of ground despite it being the last suitable habitat for an endangered species such as the San Quintin kangaroo rat , and even kill the animal as a pest. In the interests of ecotourism it is desirable that local communities are educated on the uniqueness of their flora and fauna. A monotypic habitat type
6300-546: The plants and the animals. These are crowned (graphically) with the Palms and with Man. Today, the palm, especially the coconut palm, remains a symbol of the tropical island paradise . Palms appear on the flags and seals of several places where they are native, including those of Haiti , Guam , Saudi Arabia , Florida , and South Carolina . Some species commonly called palms, though they are not true palms, include: Habitat (ecology) In ecology , habitat refers to
6390-545: The proteins the flexibility they need. There are also unsaturated fats in their membranes which prevent them from solidifying at low temperatures. Hydrothermal vents were first discovered in the ocean depths in 1977. They result from seawater becoming heated after seeping through cracks to places where hot magma is close to the seabed. The under-water hot springs may gush forth at temperatures of over 340 °C (640 °F) and support unique communities of organisms in their immediate vicinity. The basis for this teeming life
6480-428: The provision of wildlife corridors connecting the fragments. These can be a river, ditch, strip of trees, hedgerow or even an underpass to a highway. Without the corridors, seeds cannot disperse and animals, especially small ones, cannot travel through the hostile territory, putting populations at greater risk of local extinction . Habitat disturbance can have long-lasting effects on the environment. Bromus tectorum
6570-573: The rocky seabed have found microbial communities apparently based on the products of reactions between water and the constituents of rocks. These communities have not been studied much, but may be an important part of the global carbon cycle . Rock in mines two miles deep also harbour microbes; these live on minute traces of hydrogen produced in slow oxidizing reactions inside the rock. These metabolic reactions allow life to exist in places with no oxygen or light, an environment that had previously been thought to be devoid of life. The intertidal zone and
6660-399: The same kind of vascular cambium found in non-monocot woody plants . This explains the cylindrical shape of the trunk (almost constant diameter) that is often seen in palms, unlike in ring -forming trees. However, many palms, like some other monocots, do have secondary growth, although because it does not arise from a single vascular cambium producing xylem inwards and phloem outwards, it
6750-565: The seabed. Their growth rates and metabolisms tend to be slow, their eyes may be very large to detect what little illumination there is, or they may be blind and rely on other sensory inputs. A number of deep sea creatures are bioluminescent ; this serves a variety of functions including predation, protection and social recognition. In general, the bodies of animals living at great depths are adapted to high pressure environments by having pressure-resistant biomolecules and small organic molecules present in their cells known as piezolytes , which give
6840-486: The second largest). Raffia palms ( Raphia spp.) have the largest leaves of any plant, up to 25 metres (82 ft) long and 3 metres (10 ft) wide. The Corypha species have the largest inflorescence of any plant, up to 7.5 metres (25 ft) tall and containing millions of small flowers. Calamus stems can reach 200 metres (656 ft) in length. Most palms are native to tropical and subtropical climates. Palms thrive in moist and hot climates but can be found in
6930-400: The seeds of which survive the drought, but also some uniquely adapted perennials. Animals adapted to these extreme habitat types also exist; fairy shrimps can lay "winter eggs" which are resistant to desiccation , sometimes being blown about with the dust, ending up in new depressions in the ground. These can survive in a dormant state for as long as fifteen years. Some killifish behave in
7020-531: The setting up of marine reserves. Another international agreement, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals , protects animals that migrate across the globe and need protection in more than one country. Even where legislation protects the environment, a lack of enforcement often prevents effective protection. However, the protection of habitat types needs to take into account
7110-535: The southeastern United States. Its first intermediate host is a snail and the second, a glass shrimp . The final host is the waterfowl or mammal that consumes the shrimp. Although the vast majority of life on Earth lives in mesophyllic (moderate) environments, a few organisms, most of them microbes , have managed to colonise extreme environments that are unsuitable for more complex life forms. There are bacteria , for example, living in Lake Whillans , half
7200-485: The status of palms in the wild, use of wild palms, and palms under cultivation. Two projects on palm conservation and use supported by the World Wildlife Fund took place from 1985 to 1990 and 1986–1991, in the American tropics and southeast Asia, respectively. Both studies produced copious new data and publications on palms. Preparation of a global action plan for palm conservation began in 1991, supported by
7290-411: The stem. The leaves have a tubular sheath at the base that usually splits open on one side at maturity. The inflorescence is a spadix or spike surrounded by one or more bracts or spathes that become woody at maturity. The flowers are generally small and white, radially symmetric, and can be either uni- or bisexual. The sepals and petals usually number three each and may be distinct or joined at
7380-559: The structural diversity in the wood, the greater the number of microhabitat types that will be present. A range of tree species with individual specimens of varying sizes and ages, and a range of features such as streams, level areas, slopes, tracks, clearings, and felled areas will provide suitable conditions for an enormous number of biodiverse plants and animals. For example, in Britain it has been estimated that various types of rotting wood are home to over 1700 species of invertebrate. For
7470-482: The subfamilies is shown in the following cladogram: Calamoideae Nypoideae Coryphoideae Ceroxyloideae Arecoideae Evidence for cultivation of the date palm by Mesopotamians and other Middle Eastern peoples exists from more than 5,000 years ago, in the form of date wood, pits for storing dates, and other remains of the date palm in Mesopotamian sites. The date palm had a significant effect on
7560-484: The top of an unbranched stem, except for the Hyphaene genus, who has branched palms. However, palms exhibit an enormous diversity in physical characteristics and inhabit nearly every type of habitat within their range, from rainforests to deserts . Palms are among the best known and most extensively cultivated plant families. They have been important to humans throughout much of history, especially in regions like
7650-455: The town's features to make their homes. Rats and mice have followed man around the globe, pigeons , peregrines , sparrows , swallows and house martins use the buildings for nesting, bats use roof space for roosting, foxes visit the garbage bins and squirrels , coyotes , raccoons and skunks roam the streets. About 2,000 coyotes are thought to live in and around Chicago . A survey of dwelling houses in northern European cities in
7740-647: The tropics, mostly in humid lowland subtropical climates, in highlands in southern Asia, and along the rim lands of the Mediterranean Sea . The northernmost native palm is Chamaerops humilis , which reaches 44°N latitude along the coast of Liguria , Italy . In the southern hemisphere, the southernmost palm is the Rhopalostylis sapida , which reaches 44°S on the Chatham Islands where an oceanic climate prevails. Cultivation of palms
7830-507: The trunk. This palm tree usually grows up to 10 - 15 metres tall. The leaves are pinnate, 3–4 m (10–13 ft) long, with numerous slender, 50–100 cm (1 ft 8 in – 3 ft 3 in) long leaflets. Petioles of the leaves are also covered with spines. The flowers are small, produced on a large branched inflorescence 1.5 m (5 ft) long. The fruit is a yellowish-green drupe 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) in diameter. The inner fruit shell, also called endocarp ,
7920-418: The twentieth century found about 175 species of invertebrate inside them, including 53 species of beetle, 21 flies, 13 butterflies and moths, 13 mites, 9 lice, 7 bees, 5 wasps, 5 cockroaches, 5 spiders, 4 ants and a number of other groups. In warmer climates, termites are serious pests in the urban habitat; 183 species are known to affect buildings and 83 species cause serious structural damage. A microhabitat
8010-460: The water, absorb nutrients and play a part in the reduction of pollution. Rivers Ponds Lakes Marine habitats include brackish water, estuaries, bays, the open sea, the intertidal zone, the sea bed, reefs and deep / shallow water zones. Further variations include rock pools , sand banks , mudflats , brackish lagoons, sandy and pebbly beaches, and seagrass beds, all supporting their own flora and fauna. The benthic zone or seabed provides
8100-426: The world. Along with dates mentioned above, members of the palm family with human uses are numerous: Like many other plants, palms have been threatened by human intervention and exploitation . The greatest risk to palms is destruction of habitat , especially in the tropical forests , due to urbanization , wood-chipping , mining , and conversion to farmland . Palms rarely reproduce after such great changes in
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