Host tree phenology affects vascular epiphytes at the physiological, demographic and community level

Einzmann, Helena J. R.; Beyschlag, Joachim; Hofhansl, Florian; Wanek, Wolfgang; Zotz, Gerhard

doi:10.1093/aobpla/plu073

Cited by 63 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…) as well as functional traits (Einzmann et al . ), and environmental filters, such as tree height zone, have been shown to best explain epiphyte community structure at large‐scales (Mota de Oliveira et al . , Mota de Oliveira & ter Steege ) .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, supporting evidence points to dispersal limitation as a main driver of epiphyte distributions of temperate and tropical forests alike (Sillett et al 2000, Werth et al 2006, Cascante-Marin et al 2009, Burns & Zotz 2010, Johansson et al 2012. However, phorophyte niche heterogeneity may also predict variation in both epiphyte community structure (Woods et al 2015) as well as functional traits (Einzmann et al 2015), and environmental filters, such as tree height zone, have been shown to best explain epiphyte community structure at large-scales (Mota de Oliveira et al 2009, Mota de Oliveira & ter Steege 2015 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Regional and Fine Scale Variation of Holoepiphyte Community Structure in Central Amazonian White‐Sand Forests

et al. 2016

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Factors controlling holoepiphyte (plants which start and complete their life cycle on a phorophyte) distributions may be wide and variable. They are determined either by spatial processes, as evidenced by dispersal limitation and/or historical factors, environmental filters, such as microsite variation within phorophytes, and/or biotic interactions. Disentangling the importance of these classes is particularly difficult in tropical forests where phorophyte alpha‐diversity is exceptionally high. We controlled for phorophyte specificity by studying the holoepiphytic communities of an emergent tree Aldina heterophylla (Fabaceae), known for its heavy epiphyte loads and dominance in Amazonian white‐sand habitats, in order to quantify the importance of tree zone and geographic distance on holoepiphytes at fine (100 m2) and regional (2500 km2) scales. At regional scales, tree zone explained nearly two‐thirds of the main compositional gradient, accounting for more than double that of site differences. No spatial effects were observed on holoepiphyte community structure at the fine scale as treelet communities were more dissimilar than by chance alone from their neighboring emergent phorophyte. These results suggest that microsite availability, as opposed to dispersal limitation, is the most important mechanism in structuring holoepiphyte communities of this insular forest type.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional and Fine Scale Variation of Holoepiphyte Community Structure in Central Amazonian White‐Sand Forests

et al. 2016

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“…Water‐holding capacity of phorophyte bark was estimated as reported previously (Callaway et al., ; Einzmann et al., ). For water‐holding capacity at saturation (WHC), 10 random samples (4 cm 2 ) per phorophyte species were chiseled from the bark adjacent to orchid roots.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bark water storage capacity influences epiphytic orchid preference for host trees

Zarate‐García

Noguera-Savelli

Andrade‐Canto

et al. 2020

American J of Botany

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PREMISE: Of all orchid species described, 70% live on phorophytes. Trees offer a vital space with characteristics that influence the successful establishment and life cycle of orchids. Field inventory and distribution analysis suggest that phorophyte selection is biased to certain tree species that would serve as better hosts. Phorophyte bark is known as an important factor that influences this preference, but the chemical and physical properties of bark that contribute to creating a favorable space for orchids are still poorly understood. In this work, the effect of bark physical characteristics on phorophyte preference of tropical orchids was studied. METHODS:Orchids and their phorophytes were counted and identified along transects inside two natural reserves in Southeast Mexico. A rhytidome classification was used to describe the bark decoration patterns of the phorophytes. To quantify bark fissuring, we developed a new protocol based on image processing of light micrographs using free-access software. Bark topology characterization was complemented with scanning electronic microscopy. Maximum and minimum water content was also determined. RESULTS:Analyses of bark decorations and bark fissuring were not enough to explain the preference found for some tropical trees. In contrast, a positive relationship was found among water-storage capacity, bark porosity, and phorophyte preference. The host trees preferred by most orchids have bark with higher pore density and higher water retention after draining. CONCLUSIONS: Unexpectedly, the phorophytes preferred by orchids are not those with more fissured bark but those with a higher ability to retain minimum water content after draining, which is a bark property positively correlated with higher pore density. Our data indicate that the bark microenvironment, determined by topology and water storage capacity, has a pivotal role in phorophyte specificity, a key factor that affects orchid diversity and distribution in the world.

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“…The assembly of vascular epiphytes strongly depends on the growth of their host trees and the spatiotemporal variation of related ecological niches on each host tree (Parra, Acuña, Corcuera, & Saldaña, 2009; Taylor & Burns, 2015; Zotz & Vollrath, 2003). During host tree ontogeny, the total bark area as well as the environmental heterogeneity increases as a function of tree architecture, growth rate and crown dynamics (Einzmann, Beyschlag, Hofhansl, Wanek, & Zotz, 2014; Flores‐Palacios & García‐Franco, 2006; Sarmento Cabral et al, 2015; Wagner, Mendieta‐Leiva, & Zotz, 2015; Wagner & Zotz, 2020; Zotz & Vollrath, 2003). The characteristics of host individuals in combination with the vertical stratification of the forest stand may allow for an impressive number of epiphyte species to coexist in a single tree (Hietz, Winkler, Scheffknecht, & Hulber, 2012; Petter et al, 2016; Ruiz‐Cordova, Toledo‐Hernández, & Flores‐Palacios, 2014), the record being over 200 species found on a single tree in a cloud forest in Peru (Catchpole & Kirkpatrick, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

EpIG‐DB: A database of vascular epiphyte assemblages in the Neotropics

Mendieta‐Leiva

Ramos

Elias

et al. 2020

J Vegetation Science

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Vascular epiphytes are a diverse and conspicuous component of biodiversity in tropical and subtropical forests. Yet, the patterns and drivers of epiphyte assemblages are poorly studied in comparison with soil-rooted plants. Current knowledge about diversity patterns of epiphytes mainly stems from local studies or floristic inventories, but this information has not yet been integrated to allow a better understanding of large-scale distribution patterns. EpIG-DB, the first database on epiphyte assemblages at the continental scale, resulted from an exhaustive compilation of published and unpublished inventory data from the Neotropics. The current version of EpIG-DB consists of 463,196 individual epiphytes from 3,005 species, which were collected from a total of 18,148 relevés (host trees and 'understory' plots). EpIG-DB reports the occurrence of 'true' epiphytes, hemiepiphytes and nomadic vines, including information on their cover, abundance, frequency and biomass. Most records (97%) correspond to sampled host trees, 76% of them aggregated in forest plots. The data is stored in a TURBOVEG database using the most up-to-date checklist of vascular epiphytes. A total of 18 additional fields were created for the standardization of associated data commonly used in epiphyte ecology (e.g. by considering different sampling methods). EpIG-DB currently covers six major biomes across the whole latitudinal range of epiphytes in the Neotropics but welcomes data globally. This novel database provides, for the first time, unique biodiversity data on epiphytes for the Neotropics and unified guidelines for future collection of epiphyte data. EpIG-DB will allow exploration of new ways to study the community ecology and biogeography of vascular epiphytes. K E Y W O R D S biodiversity, community ecology, database, forest plot, hemiepiphytes, Neotropics, nomadic vines, taxonomic diversity, vascular epiphytes, vegetation relevé 520 |

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Host tree phenology affects vascular epiphytes at the physiological, demographic and community level

Cited by 63 publications

References 58 publications

Regional and Fine Scale Variation of Holoepiphyte Community Structure in Central Amazonian White‐Sand Forests

Regional and Fine Scale Variation of Holoepiphyte Community Structure in Central Amazonian White‐Sand Forests

Bark water storage capacity influences epiphytic orchid preference for host trees

EpIG‐DB: A database of vascular epiphyte assemblages in the Neotropics

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