Werner, F.A. & Gradstein, S.R. (2008): <b>Seedling establishment of vascular epiphytes on isolated and enclosed forest trees in an Andean landscape, Ecuador</b>. <i>Biodiversity and Conservation</i> <b>17</b>(13), 3195-3207.
Resource Description
Title:
Seedling establishment of vascular epiphytes on isolated and enclosed forest trees in an Andean landscape, Ecuador
FOR816dw ID:
279
Publication Date:
2008-01-01
License and Usage Rights:
Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Resource Owner(s):
Individual:
Florian A. Werner
Contact:
email:
florianwerner <at> yahoo.com
AG Funktionelle Ökologie
Institut für Biologie und Umweltwissenschaften
Universität Oldenburg
Postfach (P.O. box) 2503
D-26111 Oldenburg
Individual:
S. Robbert Gradstein
Contact:
email:
sgradst <at> uni-goettingen.de
Untere Karspüle 2
Department of Plant Systematics
Georg August University Göttingen
Albrecht von Haller Institute of Plant Sciences
37073 Goettingen
Germany
Abstract:
The impact of human disturbance on colonisation dynamics of vascular epiphytes<br/>
is poorly known. We studied abundance, diversity and floristic composition of epiphyte<br/>
seedling establishing on isolated and adjacent forest trees in a tropical montane landscape. All<br/>
vascular epiphytes were removed from plots on the trunk bases of Piptocoma discolor. Newly<br/>
established epiphyte seedlingswere recorded after 2 years, and their survival after another year.<br/>
Seedling density, total richness at family and genus level, and the number of families and genera<br/>
per plot were significantly reduced on isolated trees relative to forest trees. Seedling assemblages<br/>
on trunks of forest trees were dominated by hygrophytic understorey ferns, those on<br/>
isolated trees by xerotolerant canopy taxa. Colonisation probability on isolated trees was<br/>
significantly higher for plots closer to forest but not for plots with greater canopy or bryophyte<br/>
cover. Seedling mortality on isolated trees was significantly higher for mesophytic than for<br/>
xerotolerant taxa. Our results show that altered recruitment can explain the long-term impoverishment<br/>
of post-juvenile epiphyte assemblages on isolated remnant trees.We attribute these<br/>
changes to a combination of dispersal constraints and the harshermicroclimate documented by<br/>
measurements of temperature and humidity. Although isolated trees in anthropogenic landscapes<br/>
are considered key structures for themaintenance of forest biodiversity inmany aspects,<br/>
our results show that their value for the conservation of epiphytes can be limited.We suggest<br/>
that abiotic seedling requirementswill increasingly constitute a bottleneck for the persistence of<br/>
vascular epiphytes in the face of ongoing habitat alteration and atmospheric warming.
Literature type specific fields:
ARTICLE
Journal:
Biodiversity and Conservation
Volume:
17
Issue:
13
Page Range:
3195-3207
Publisher:
Springer
Metadata Provider:
Individual:
S. Robbert Gradstein
Contact:
email:
sgradst <at> uni-goettingen.de
Untere Karspüle 2
Department of Plant Systematics
Georg August University Göttingen
Albrecht von Haller Institute of Plant Sciences
37073 Goettingen
Germany
