TRC882203 Supplemental Material9 - Supplemental material for Vascular Epiphytic Diversity in a Neotropical Transition Zone Is Driven by Environmental and Structural Heterogeneity (original) (raw)
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Tropical Conservation Science
Vascular epiphytes contribute significantly to tropical diversity. Research on the factors that determine vascular epiphytic diversity and composition in tropical areas is flourishing. However, these factors are entirely unknown in tropical-temperate transition zones, which represent the distribution limit of several epiphytic species. We assessed the degree to which climatic and structural variables determine the diversity of vascular epiphytic assemblages (VEAs) in a transition zone in Mexico: the El Cielo Biosphere Reserve. We found 12,103 epiphytic individuals belonging to 30 species and 15 genera along a climatic gradient from 300 to 2,000 m a.s.l. Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the most species-rich families. Forests along the windward slope of the Sierra Madre Oriental (semideciduous forest and tropical montane cloud forest) had higher species richness than forests along the leeward slope (pine-oak forest and submontane scrub). Species richness was largely determined by seasonality and, to a lesser degree, by forest structure, whereas abundance was mainly determined by host tree size. Variation in VEAs composition was largely explained by climatic variables, whereas forest structure was not as important. VEAs differed among forest types and slopes in terms of taxonomic and functional composition. For example, certain bromeliad indicator species reflected differences between slopes. Although within-tree epiphytic species richness (alpha diversity) was low in this transition zone relative to other habitats, species turnover among forest types (beta diversity) was high. These findings suggest that each forest type makes a unique and important contribution to epiphytic diversity in this transition zone.
Acta Botanica Brasilica, 2015
Epiphytes are common in the canopy of temperate and tropical forests, where they substantially contribute to species diversity and to key ecosystem processes. However, little is known about the effects caused by deforestation on this group of species, especially in northeastern Brazil, an area experiencing intense anthropogenic pressure. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of environmental variables on the structure of assemblies of vascular epiphytes in a fragment of open ombrophilous forest, Areia, northeastern Brazil. Sixty 10 × 10 m sampling plots were installed to cover different environments within the fragment. The relationship between environmental variables and species composition was evaluated by means of a generalized linear mixed model. The composition of assemblies of epiphytes differed with respect to distance from the edge and luminosity. In the study area, deforestation led to a change in the composition of epiphytic species both at the edge and the interior of the fragment.
Brazilian Journal of Botany, 2017
Epiphytism is responsible for a significant part of the diversity that makes tropical rainforests one of the most complex ecosystems in the biosphere. Approximately 9% of all vascular plants are epiphytes, found almost exclusively in tropical and subtropical forests. The objective of this study was to analyze the distribution of epiphytic species in different environments in a toposequence of a subtropical forest in southern Brazil. The species were sampled in six areas established within the forest: two areas with anthropic interference and four conserved areas, two near the river and two areas distant from the river. In each area, five point-centered quarters were demarcated, considering the nearest trees, with DBH C10 cm, as a sample unit. As a result, the correspondence analysis identified three distinct groups, influenced by different microclimates variable. Different environments favored the development of communities with characteristic species, where some have preference for sites near watercourses and others for more open or closed forests. Moisture and light incidence were some of the environmental factors that are linked to the preference of the species, contributing to the diversity and development of groups of species in the forest.
Vascular epiphyte distribution patterns: explaining the mid-elevation richness peak
Journal of Ecology, 2006
We examined in situ diversity and distribution of vascular epiphytes, as well as site environmental variables at six sites along a continuous elevational gradient (30-2600 m a.s.l.) of old-growth forest in Costa Rica. 2 A total of 555 species of vascular epiphytes from 130 genera of 53 families were identified to species or morphospecies. The ferns were the most diverse group, with 138 species, followed by orchids (112 species). Cloud forest at 1000 m was the richest site, representing the maximum of a pronounced mid-elevation peak in epiphyte species richness. 3 Spatial randomizations of recorded elevational ranges suggest that the overall elevational richness pattern of most epiphyte groups on this transect is substantially influenced by the mid-domain effect (MDE, the mid-elevation overlap of large-ranged species). Among the environmental factors considered (rainfall, temperature and canopy light environment), only rainfall was significantly correlated with richness. 4 Different patterns of richness for vascular epiphytes and for trees indicate that mechanisms differ between life forms. 5 We collected 26% of the estimated epiphyte species of Costa Rica along a single mountain transect. This, together with the finding that different groups and life forms varied in the elevation at which species richness peaked, highlights the need to conserve the few remaining intact elevational gradients in Latin America.
Physiological diversity and biogeography of vascular epiphytes at Río Changuinola, Panama
Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants, 2011
The taxonomic composition of the vascular epiphyte flora at the Río Changuinola, Panama, was examined and complemented with an analysis of biogeographic affinities and physiological parameters related to plant water and nutrient relations. In an area of ca. 1000 ha, we found a total of 476 species of vascular epiphytes. This marks a new diversity record among lowland rainforest sites. Species composition was closely related to nearby lowland forest sites but not to montane sites. The floristic similarity with lowland sites decreased with distance and relative position towards the Andes. On basis of isotope discrimination, the proportion of species with Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) was found to be low compared to other studies, and many of these species showed a rather weak expression of this photosynthetic pathway. This observation and distributional shifts in 15% of the species in the study area towards lower elevations suggest that local water availability is high which in turn is arguably responsible for the high species richness.
2002
Epiphytism in Colombian Amazonia was described by counting vascular epiphytes in thirty 0.025-ha (5 · 50 m) plots, well-distributed over the main landscape units in the middle Caqueta´area of Colombian Amazonia. Each plot was directly adjacent to a 0.1-ha plot at which the species composition of trees and lianas (diameter at breast height (DBH) ‡ 2.5 cm) had been recorded 3 years earlier. The purpose of the study was to explore abundance, diversity, and distribution of epiphytes between the principal landscape units. A total of 6129 individual vascular epiphytes were recorded belonging to 27 families, 73 genera, and 213 species (which included 59 morpho-species). Araceae, Orchidaceae, and Bromeliaceae were the most speciose and abundant families. A total of 2763 phorophytes were registered, 1701 (62%) of which with DBH ‡ 2.5 cm. About 40-60% of the woody plants with DBH ‡ 2.5 cm carried epiphytes, which points at low phorophyte limitation throughout all landscapes. Epiphytism was concentrated on stem bases. Just as trees, epiphyte species assemblages were well associated with the main landscapes. Contrary to trees, however, epiphyte abundance and diversity (species richness, Fisher's alpha index) hardly differed between the landscapes. This calls for caution when explanations for distribution and dynamics of tree species are extrapolated to growth forms with a totally different ecology.
Edinburgh Journal of Botany, 2019
Epiphytes are an important component of the diversity of tropical forests, and they also have several ecological functions. Vegetation heterogeneity is one of the features responsible for the high biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest, especially in the domain’s seasonal semideciduous forest (SSF). This biodiversity presents as high endemism and species richness. Owing to the seasonal nature of SSF, organisms that require high humidity (e.g. epiphytes) would be expected to show low species richness in these forests. The aims of this study were to conduct a survey of the vascular epiphytes in remnants of montane SSF in the Serra do Ibitipoca, Brazil, and to evaluate the importance of habitat heterogeneity for the richness and composition of species in these areas. We also evaluated whether the intrinsic characteristics of the SSF phytophysiognomy and fragmentation could result in low species richness and a high number of accidental epiphyte species. The study was conducted in the cours...
Diversity and distribution of vascular epiphytes in an insular Brazilian coastal forest
Revista de Biología Tropical, 2008
The study was carried out in a 3 000m 2 area of coastal Atlantic rain forest at Ilha do Mel island (25 o 30''S 48 o 23'W), on 100 assorted trees separated into 2 meter-high strata starting from the ground. In each stratum all of the occurring epiphytic species were recorded. The sampled species were grouped into three categories: exclusive, preferential, and indifferent, according to their abundance in each strata, and selective, preferential and indifferent, according to abundance on the forophytes. Intermediate strata registered the highest diversity. Six species were considered exclusive to one or two strata, 15 were restricted to some strata and 5 presented a broad distribution. No epiphytic species showed uniform horizontal distribution on the area. The epiphyte richness in a host tree varied from zero to 30. Regarding to fidelity on host tree species, few selective or preferential, and mainly indifferent epiphyte species, were found. A total of 82 epiphyte species were sampled in the surveyed tree, and the Wittaker plot indicate a highly dominant assemblage. Rev. Biol. Trop. 57 : 749-759. Epub 2009 September 30.
Physiological diversity and biogeography of vascular epiphytes at R�o Changuinola, Panama
Fuel and Energy Abstracts, 2011
The taxonomic composition of the vascular epiphyte flora at the Río Changuinola, Panama, was examined and complemented with an analysis of biogeographic affinities and physiological parameters related to plant water and nutrient relations. In an area of ca. 1000 ha, we found a total of 476 species of vascular epiphytes. This marks a new diversity record among lowland rainforest sites. Species composition was closely related to nearby lowland forest sites but not to montane sites. The floristic similarity with lowland sites decreased with distance and relative position towards the Andes. On basis of isotope discrimination, the proportion of species with Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) was found to be low compared to other studies, and many of these species showed a rather weak expression of this photosynthetic pathway. This observation and distributional shifts in 15% of the species in the study area towards lower elevations suggest that local water availability is high which in turn is arguably responsible for the high species richness.