Sabal minor fruit floatability data

Sabal minor is a member of Arecaceae, the palm family, and is confined to lower latitudes in both western hemispheres. Diaspore viability, approximated by the floatability of fruits, was used to evaluate distribution by hydrochory. Fruits were harvested from a single population in late winter 2018-2019. A diaspore buoyancy test was conducted. Fruits were subjected to three distilled water-based salinity regimes of 0%, 1%, and 5%. In addition, a single ambient water solution, measured at 1% salinity, was obtained from the open waters of Back Bay, VA constituting a fourth treatment. Three replicates of each salinity treatment were established. For each replicate, 50 fruits were randomly selected and placed in a beaker filled with 500 ml of treatment solution. Observations were recorded daily over a 32-day period as the number of fruits that sank. Statistical analyses were performed using two-sample t-tests with 0% NaCl concentration as the control. Results indicate no significant difference between treatment groups at the ⍺=0.05 level: 1% NaCl p=0.11643, 1% NaCl BBW p= 0.265754 and 5% NaCl p=0.710503.