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Interactions with Other Organisms

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Plants on Plants – The Biology of Vascular Epiphytes

Part of the book series: Fascinating Life Sciences ((FLS))

Abstract

Due to the structural dependence of vascular epiphytes on a living host, the relationship of epiphyte and host is at the core of epiphyte biology. The usual assumption of a commensalistic association, however, only superficially grasps the complexity of the interaction between epiphytes and host. There are numerous studies that document anything from positive, neutral, to negative effects of epiphytes on their host. An understudied area in epiphyte ecology is the interaction with other structurally dependent plants, i.e., nonvascular epiphytes, hemiepiphytes, lianas, or mistletoes. I review the available information and conclude that, in particular, the assumed facilitation of the establishment of vascular epiphytes by epiphytic bryophytes needs more attention. An aspect that is highlighted in any popular text on rainforests is the association of epiphytes with a rich fauna, the typical example being tank bromeliads and enigmatic poison arrow frogs. I put less emphasis on these well-known cases. Rather, I describe the main types of interactions in considerable detail, mutualistic ones like pollination and dispersal or antagonistic ones like herbivory. Because of their importance as model systems for major ecological and evolutionary questions, phytotelmata, ant gardens, and ant house are discussed in separate subchapters. A final section is devoted to interactions of epiphytes with fungi. A major conclusion of the presented evidence is a key role of vascular epiphytes for faunal diversity in tree crowns.

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  1. Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany

    Gerhard Zotz

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Zotz, G. (2016). Interactions with Other Organisms. In: Plants on Plants – The Biology of Vascular Epiphytes. Fascinating Life Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39237-0_8

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