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 much importance because the amount of land used by gardeners is much less than potentially available. 

 However, if the area has a relatively high population density of gardeners and a relatively high forest 

 conversion rate, this rate will be important because overused lands eventually lose their fertility and 

 their ability to grow either crops or forests (Noguez-Galvez, 1991; Nye and Greenland, 1960; 

 Stromgaard, 1986, 1991). This will affect both native plants and wildlife, as well as gardeners. 



Crops often were planted and harvested in gardens for two or more years in a row. Based on 

 information provided by the gardener, gardens were aged (number of years of previous use 

 immediately prior to the present growing season) and classified as "new" (not used as a garden the 

 previous year) or "old" (used as a garden the previous year). Gardens categorized as old underwent 

 the entire annual horticultural cycle and were different from managed fallows at other sites (see Alcorn, 

 1984a, 1984b) where crops continued to be weeded and harvested during subsequent years without 

 additional planting. 



Crop Phenologv and Mortality 



Maya gardeners reported that different species of wildlife use crops at different developmental 

 stages. Accordingly, crop phenology was measured during the 1990 growing season in order to relate 

 specific wildlife use to a particular crop developmental stage. 



Crop phenology was monitored in circular plots that were 2 m in diameter (3.1 m-) at the 

 seven selected gardens. The number of plots per garden was proportional to garden size (about 6-7 

 plots/ha). Plots were randomly located within gardens and were surveyed about once a month during 

 7/90-1/91 (month/year), the period of time from planting through harvest. Given that gardeners 

 planted by hand a mixture of four-six seeds per clump in rows at roughly 1-m intervals, a plot size of 

 3.1 m^ was selected to assure a sample of three-five seed clumps per plot. Crop density was 

 determined by converting these values to stalks/m^. 



For each plot survey, the following variables were measured for each crop: number of plants 

 (stalks), height of plants (determined by measuring tape to within 5 cm), developmental stage of plants. 



