Abstract:Abundance and physiology of three understorey tree fern species were compared in a Mexican cloud forest. We hypothesized that the distribution of species would be associated with canopy openness and leaf physiological characteristics. In gullies (1–2% full sun), Alsophila firma was abundant, Cyathea divergens was distributed in moderately open places (4–9%), and Lophosoria quadripinnata preferred more open canopy (9–30%). Although 11 leaf traits of five plants of each species growing under closed and open canopies over 1 y did not differ within species, there were significant interspecific differences. Alsophila firma had comparatively low maximum electron transport rate ETRmax (26.8 ± 1.81 μmol m−2 s−1) and ETR light saturation point (ETRLSP: 261 ± 36.1 μmol m−2 s−1), high specific leaf area (SLA), thin leaves and decreased quantum yield during a leaf desiccation experiment. Cyathea divergens had relatively high maximum quantum yield (0.84 ± 0.004), ETRmax (37.3 ± 1.8 μmol m−2 s−1) and ETRLSP (409 ± 40.0 μmol m−2 s−1). Lophosoria quadripinnata had comparatively thick leaves, low SLA, high predawn water potential, high density (606 ± 25.5 mm−2) and small length (0.026 ± 0.002 mm) stomata. The results support the hypothesis that light sensitivity shapes tree fern distribution in the cloud forest.

Specialization to humid habitats in the tree fern gametophyte restricts the species to humid forests, while differences in the plasticity of the sporophyte facilitate coexistence of the species.

Antecedentes y Objetivos: La luz y el agua son recursos que limitan la germinación y el crecimiento de las plantas en los bosques, y el establecimiento influye importantemente en la distribución de las especies. Por tal razón se evaluó si los helechos simpátricos Blechnum appendiculatum y B. schiedeanum (Blechnaceae) difieren en la preferencia de hábitat y si los requerimientos en la germinación podrían ayudar a explicar su distribución en un bosque mesófilo de montaña.Métodos: Las esporas se expusieron a tratamientos de calidad de luz, cantidad de luz y potencial hídrico. También se registró la frecuencia de esporofitos de ambas especies y la proporción de luz recibida en el bosque.Resultados clave: Ambas especies no germinaron en oscuridad y pocas esporas lo hicieron con luz rojo-lejana, en comparación con luz roja y blanca. El brote de la espora aumentó con la cantidad de luz recibida, y 0.04 µmol m-2 s-1 de luz fue suficiente para que en ambas especies éste fuese mayor a 60%. La disminución en la disponibilidad de agua redujo la germinación, pero B. appendiculatum mostró mayor capacidad para soportar la escasez hídrica a -1.05 MPa. En ambientes con dosel relativamente cerrado fue abundante B. schiedeanum, mientras que B. appendiculatum ocurrió con mayor frecuencia en ambientes abiertos.Conclusiones: Los requerimientos para la germinación de la espora se relacionaron parcialmente con la preferencia del hábitat de las especies. Blechnum schiedeanum parece ser más tolerante a la sombra que B. appendiculatum.

The northeastern slope of the Andes is an area of high diversity of ferns and lycophytes. In this study we assessed the diversity patterns of ferns and lycophytes in ten 250 m x 2 m plots installed at three elevational zones, from 418 to 3447 m.a.s.l., in the Napo province of Ecuador. Floristic diversity was measured using Hill numbers and by partitioning species diversity. Three functional diversity indices were calculated from a set of five leaf traits and weighted by species abundance: functional richness (FRic), evenness (FEve) and divergence (FDiv). To disentangle functional diversity from species richness, the standardized effect size (SES) of each index was also calculated. We recorded 148 species, Polypodiaceae and Dryopteridaceae being the most representative families. Species richness continuously decreased with elevation. Floristic composition was highly heterogeneous among elevation zones, with total species turnover found between 1500 and 2000 m.a.s.l. SES-FDiv and SES-FEve were higher than the null expectation for plots at mid-elevations, suggesting that deterministic mechanisms, such as biotic or abiotic filters, could explain assemblage composition at these sites. However, SES-FEve, SES-FRic and SES-FDiv did not differ from the null expectations at low and high elevation sites, suggesting the predominance of a stochastic process. By combining floristic and functional diversity, we were able to infer the observed community patterns with the resource-use strategies of fern and lycophytes in a mountain area, an approach that can be used to understand how assemblages might react to changing environmental conditions.