Fonseca, M.G. & Santos, F.A.M. 2005. The influence of liana coverage on the fruit production of a timber tree species in eastern Amazon. 19th Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology. p. 77. Liana cutting is a common feature of reduced impact logging operations, but its impact on tree fecundity and food availability for the fauna is unknown. We assessed the effect of liana infestation on fruit production of Chrysophyllum lucentifollium subsp. pachycarpum (Sapotaceae), a timber tree species, in Pará state, Brazil. We measured the dbh and visu ally classified liana coverage of 76 trees into three categories. Fruit production was assessed each 15 days from October 2003 until March 2004 and was considered a binary variable. The data was analyzed using logistic regression. C. lucentifollium trees not infested were 21 times more likely to produce fruits than trees with 5 to 50% of the crown infested, and were 57 times more likely to produce fruits than trees with over 50% of the crown infested. Although liana cutting might reduce resources liana species provide for the fauna, it may increases fruit production of some tree species and favor tree regeneration. |