Plants on Plants – The Biology of Vascular Epiphytes

Zotz, Gerhard

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-39237-0

Cited by 234 publications

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“…Data are based on diameters at breast height-based extrapolations from of 22 trees plus area-based extrapolation from twenty-two 2 Â 2-m plots in the undergrowth. ( Zotz, 2016). The largest eudicot epiphyte family globally is the Piperaceae, which also contributed 6% (nine species) to the total species count in this study, occupying the first place of eudicotyledonous families, followed by Ericaceae and Gesneriaceae.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…In addition to this living component, epiphytic matter is composed of plant litter, canopy humus, associated invertebrates, fungi, and microorganisms (Chen, Liu, & Wang, 2010;Freiberg & Freiberg, 2000;Nadkarni et al, 2004;Nadkarni & Solano, 2002). Here, we will use, as suggested by Zotz (2016), the term ''epiphytic matter'' to refer to the mass of all epiphytic components (dead or alive) and epiphytic biomass to refer only to living plants.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…TMCFs form at elevations in the condensation zone, where mist or low clouds occur almost daily (Hofstede, Dickinson, & Mark, 2001). Studies in TMCFs documented epiphytic matter amounting to several tons per hectare (Hofstede, Wolf, & Benzing, 1993;Ko¨hler et al, 2007;Nadkarni et al, 2004) although the variation between estimates is huge (Zotz, 2016; Table 1). They range from 370 kg ha À1 in a lower montane rain forest in Jamaica (Tanner, 1980) to 44,000 kg ha À1 in an upper montane Colombian forest (Hofstede et al, 1993).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Species Richness and Biomass of Epiphytic Vegetation in a Tropical Montane Forest in Western Panama

González

Quiel

Zotz

et al. 2017

Tropical Conservation Science

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In tropical montane forests epiphytes represent a substantial proportion of biodiversity and green biomass, particularly where fog occurs almost daily. Epiphytes play important ecological roles in these ecosystems, for example, in forest hydrology and in amplifying arthropod biodiversity, but quantitative assessments of epiphytic biomass and species diversity are rare. Such data are important, however, for a better understanding on their ecological roles and as a baseline for detecting ecological change due to climate or land-use changes. In a tropical lower montane cloud forest (c. 1,150 m above sea level) in Panama, we identified and weighed all epiphytic matter, which includes vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, and dead organic matter from the trunks of 22 trees varying in diameters at breast height and 28 canopy branches. Additionally, we collected epiphytic matter in the understory in 22 plots of 2 Â 2 m. A total of 155 species of vascular epiphytes, hemiepiphytes, and nomadic vines were found. Orchidaceae were by far the most species-rich family, followed by Araceae and Bromeliaceae. The vertical distribution of these species in the forest showed species-specific vertical preferences, but species numbers varied little in undergrowth, trunks, and tree crowns. Epiphytic matter was positively related to tree size, and we used tree-size data inventory data from a nearby 1-ha plot to extrapolate our findings to the plot level. The resulting estimate of 16,439 kg ha À1 for total epiphytic matter and 6,214 kg ha À1 for living plants, the latter representing about 2% of aboveground forest biomass.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Species Richness and Biomass of Epiphytic Vegetation in a Tropical Montane Forest in Western Panama

González

Quiel

Zotz

et al. 2017

Tropical Conservation Science

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“…The most represented fern families in this study are the world's most species rich in the epiphytic environment (Madison 1977;Kress 1986;Zotz 2016). Polypodiaceae is considered one of the richest families among Neotropical vascular epiphytic flora, along with Orchidaceae and Bromeliaceae (Gentry & Dodson 1987).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The dominance of Polypodiaceae has also been recorded in numerous other studies of fern epiphytes in the Neotropical Region (Sota 1971;Labiak & Prado 1998;Moran et al 2003;Schmitt et al 2005;Schmitt & Windisch 2010;Schneider & Schmitt 2011;Barros et al 2014;Quevedo et al 2014). Zotz (2016) estimated that there are approximately 2,900 fern epiphytes, of which 50 % belong to Polypodiaceae (broad sense).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epiphytic ferns in swamp forest remnants of the coastal plain of southern Brazil: latitudinal effects on the plant community

2016

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Community structure and spatial distribution of epiphytic ferns in swamp forest remnants along the coastal plain of the state of Rio Grande do Sul were analyzed. A total of 440 trees were sampled in fi fty-seven 10 x 10 m plots. Each phorophyte was divided into fi ve ecological zones (strata), where all species of epiphytic ferns were recorded. A total of 34 species representing 18 genera in six families were recorded. Polypodiaceae was the most represented family with 17 species, and Microgramma vacciniifolia had the highest epiphytic importance value. Characteristic holoepiphyte was the predominant ecological category, representing 70 % of the species. Ordination analysis showed a gradual change in fl oristic composition between ecological zones with richness diff ering signifi cantly between strata. We observed that with increasing latitude there was a decrease in mean temperature and total rainfall, but an increase in frosts. Th ese climatic and phytogeography changes result in a reduction in species richness and a change in the structure of epiphytic fern communities in a north-to-south direction. Th e importance of swamp forest remnants of the coastal plain to the diversity of epiphytic ferns is discussed.

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Functional Ecology of Vascular Epiphytes

Zotz

Hietz

Einzmann

2021

Annual Plant Reviews Online

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The epiphytic life form characterizes almost 10% of all vascular plants. Defined by their mechanical dependence throughout their life and their non‐parasitic relationship with the host, the term epiphyte describes a very heterogenous and taxonomically diverse group of plants. This article explores the functional ecology of this group, acknowledging from the start that our current knowledge is highly biased, e.g. with a strong focus on particular families like bromeliads or orchids. This bias goes along with a number of problematic and weakly founded generalizations in the literature. Our article covers a set of particularly important aspects of epiphyte ecology, e.g. germination, water and nutrient relationships, and biomechanical aspects of the epiphyte‐host relationship. Throughout our article, we describe ways for future research projects to reach a more comprehensive and representative understanding of the biological responses to the varying challenges of the arboreal habitat, and emphasize that the study of epiphytes should not only be of interest to the narrow expert: a comparison of the functional ecology of epiphytes and ground‐rooted terrestrials offers unique perspectives to understanding both evolutionary and ecological, phenotypic responses to the diverse habitats of vascular plants in general.

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Plants on Plants – The Biology of Vascular Epiphytes

Cited by 234 publications

References 0 publications

Species Richness and Biomass of Epiphytic Vegetation in a Tropical Montane Forest in Western Panama

Species Richness and Biomass of Epiphytic Vegetation in a Tropical Montane Forest in Western Panama

Epiphytic ferns in swamp forest remnants of the coastal plain of southern Brazil: latitudinal effects on the plant community

Functional Ecology of Vascular Epiphytes

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