FRUIT FALL IN THE LUQUILLO-EXPERIMENTAL-FOREST, PUERTO-RICO

Fruit fall in the Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF) varied with fores t type but averaged 600 kg/ha/yr for the 11,000 ha forest. Within a gi ven forest type, fruit fall varied spatially and seasonally. A palm (P restoea montana) flood plain forest averaged 560 kg/ha/yr and individu al palm fruit mass changed from season to season. Lower montane wet, o r tabonuco (Dacryodes excelsa), forest had a low rate of fruit fall (3 32 kg/ha/yr) and strong seasonal pulses in both space and time. Fruit fall was higher in secondary forests (820 kg/ha/yr) and plantations (1 418 kg/ha/yr) than in mature tabonuco forests that normally occur in t hose sites. Fruit fall in the upper montane, or colorado (Cyrilla race miflora), forest averaged 263 kg/ha/yr. Somewhere in the LEF there alw ays appears to be a stand at peak mte of fruit production. Fruit fall data are used to reduce a previous estimate of forest carrying capacit y for the endangered Puerto Rican parrot, Amazona vittata, from 5 1,00 0 to 2000-38,000 birds.