A Gray-Green Band Around Barro Colorado Island: Population Structure of the Inundation-Tolerant Tree Annona glabra

Annona glabra L. is a conspicuous component of the shoreline vegetation of Barro Colorado Island (BCI). Given that this species is restricted to such inundated habitats, all extant individuals must have established during the past 110 years after the formation of Gatún Lake. In this chapter, we describe the current distribution of A. glabra around BCI, and its population structure with comments on the role of nurse logs for recruitment and changes over the past three decades of direct observation. We close with a discussion of the possible consequences of the change in lake level as a result of the expansion of the Panama Canal for this tree and its rich epiphyte flora.