Epiphytic Research Articles

Regulation and Significance of Color Patterns of the Spotted Kelpfish, Gibbonsia elegans Cooper, 1864 (Blennioidei: Clinidae)

The spotted kelpfish, Gibbonsia elegans Cooper is common in shallow waters off southern California, living in close association with either red or brown algae or green surfgrass. Kelpfish generally match the color of their plant habitats and occur in red, green, or brown color morphs. They are not sexually dimorphic in color morph, but exhibit sexual differences in belly color and body size. Almost all Gibbonsia match the color of their plant habitat. Their diet primarily consists of epiphytic crustaceans, which in turn, match the colors of the plants. The roles of epiphytic invertebrates and plant backgrounds in regulating color morphic changes were tested in laboratory experiments. Results indicated that Gibbonsia morphs are capable of slow color changes (within several weeks), which are apparently not regulated by diet and governed by plant background color alone. In situ color changes were more pronounced and occurred more rapidly than those in the laboratory experiments. Gut contents and laboratory behavioral experiments showed that Gibbonsia more frequently captured crustaceans which did not match the plant backgrounds.

In situ and in vitro studies on the endophytic red algae Audouinella porphyrae and A. vaga (Acrochaetiales)

Audouinella porphyrae (Drew) Garbary and A. vaga (Drew) Garbary et al., endophytic species of Acrochaetiaceae growing in Porphyra and Pterosiphonia, respectively, were studied in the field and in culture. Host plants were common at Point No Point, Vancouver Island, from February to October, but endophytes were found only from May to October. Initial infections of both endophytes were in either the basal portions (species of Porphyra) or in the large principal axes (Pterosiphonia bipinnata) of the hosts. Although the endophytes had different morphologies when growing in situ, the species were morphologically similar when grown free of their host. Attempts to reinfect the original hosts and to cross infect the alternate hosts were unsuccessful, and the isolates of Audouinella produced epiphytic plants in mixed culture. In all culture situations plants reproduced asexually by means of recycling generations of monosporangial plants. The two species are considered conspecific, and A. vaga is reduced to synonymy under A. porphyrae.

Comparative ecophysiology of CAM and C3 bromeliads. III. Environmental influences on CO2 assimilation and transpiration

Abstract Field measurements of the gas exchange of epiphytic bromeliads were made during the dry season in Trinidad in order to compare carbon assimilation with water use in CAM and C3 photosynthesis.The expression of CAM was found to be directly influenced by habitat and microclimate. The timing of nocturnal CO2 uptake was restricted to the end of the dark period in plants found at drier habitats, and stomatal conductance in two CAM species was found to respond directly to humidity or temperature. Total night‐time CO2 uptake, when compared with malic‐acid formation (measured as the dawn‐dusk difference in acidity, ΔH+), could only account for 10–40% of the total ΔH+ accumulated. The remaining malic acid must have been derived from the refixation of respired CO2 (recycling). Within the genus Aechmea (12 samples from four species), recycling was significantly correlated with night temperature at the six sample sites. Recycling was lowest in A. fendleri (54% of ΔH+ derived from respired CO2), a CAM bromeliad with little water‐storage parenchyma that is restricted to wetter, cooler regions of Trinidad.Gas‐exchange rates of C3 bromeliads were found to be similar to those of the CAM bromeliads, with CO2 uptake from 1 to 3 μmol m−2 s−1 and stomatal conductances generally up to 100 mmol m−2 s−1. The midday depression of photosynthesis occurred in exposed habitats, although photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) limited photosynthesis in shaded habitats. CO2 uptake of the C3 bromeliad Guzmania lingulata was saturated at around 500 μmol m−2 s−1 PAR, suggesting that epiphytic plants found in the shaded forest understorey are shade‐tolerant rather than shade‐demanding.Transpiration ratios (TR) during CO2 fixation in CAM (Phase I and IV) and C3 bromeliads were compared at different sites in order to assess the efficiency of water utilization. For the epiphytes displaying marked uptake of CO2, TR were found to be lower than many previously published values. In addition, the average TR values were very similar for dark CO2 uptake in CAM (42 ± 41, n= 12), Phase IV of CAM (69 ± 36, n= 3) and for C3 photosynthesis (99 ± 73, n= 4) in these plants. It appears that recycling of respired CO2 by CAM bromeliads and efficient use of water in all phases of CO2 uptake are physiological adaptations of bromeliads to arid microclimates in the humid tropics.

Comparative ecophysiology of CAM and C3 bromeliads. II. Field measurements of gas exchange of CAM bromeliads in the humid tropics

Abstract The results described represent the first detailed measurements of gas exchange of epiphytic plants with crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) in the humid tropics. A portable steady‐state CO2 and H2O porometer was used to measure net exchange rates of CO2 and H2O vapour (JCO2, JH2O), leaf temperature (T1), air temperature (TA), air relative humidity (RH) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) for bromeliads in the field during the dry season in February and March 1983 on the tropical island of Trinidad. Different lengths of tubing (up to 25 m) were used so that the gas exchange could be measured of bromeliads in situ in their epiphytic habitats. Derived parameters such as leaf‐air water‐vapour‐concentration difference (Δw), water‐vapour conductance of leaves (g) and internal CO2 partial pressure (piCO2) could be calculated.The particular problems of making such measurements in the humid tropics due to high relative humidities and high dew‐point temperatures are discussed. The long and often broad, strap‐like leaves of bromeliads are well suited for measurements with the steady‐state porometer. It is shown that CAM activity varies along the length of individual leaves, and variability between different leaves is also demonstrated.The major phases of CAM, i.e. nocturnal stomalal opening, CO2 uptake and dark fixation as malic acid (Phase I), daytime stomatal closure and light‐dependent assimilation of CO2 derived from decarboxylation of the malic acid (Phase III), and late‐afternoon stomatal opening with direct light‐dependent assimilation of atmospheric CO2 (Phase IV) were all clearly shown by CAM bromeliads in situ. Their expression and magnitude depended on the environmental conditions. An early‐morning peak of CO2 uptake as is characteristic of Phase II of CAM was not detected during the night‐day transition. A bromeliad intermediate between C3 and CAM, Guzmania monostachia, showed substantial net CO2 uptake in the early morning but no net uptake integrated over the whole of the night.

Distinctions in Mollicutes Purine Metabolism: Pyrophosphate-Dependent Nucleoside Kinase and Dependence on Guanylate Salvage

Cell preparations of Acholeplasma florum L1T, Acholeplasma axanthum S743T, Acholeplasma granularum BTS-39T, Spiroplasma floricola 23-6T, Mycoplasma gallisepticum S6, and Mycoplasma arginini G230T were examined for 13 cytoplasmic enzyme activities involved in the salvage and interconversion of nucleobases, nucleosides, and 5′-mononucleotides. The unique pyrophosphate-dependent nucleoside kinase activity known only in Acholeplasma laidlawii B-PG9 was found in A. axanthum and A. granularum. All the organisms could be divided into three groups based upon their patterns of purine salvage and interconversion activities. All the tested organisms, A. laidlawii, and apparently Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides lack the ability to synthesize guanylates from other purine mononucleotides, indicating that these members of the class Mollicutes can only salvage guanylates. The plant epiphytes A. florum and S. floricola had an identical purine enzyme pattern which was different from those of all other members of the Mollicutes studied.

The Capitate-Flowered Epiphytic Spiranthinae (Orchidaceae) and a New Genus from Paraguay

The Eurystyles Alliance is reviewed with regard to column characters, and a new genus, Synanthes, is described. Three genera, Eurystyles, Pseudoeurystyles, and Synanthes, compose the alliance of capitate-flowerd epiphytic Spiranthinae.

Southwestern Cacti Growing as Epiphytes

Southwestern Cacti Growing as Epiphytes

The Pattern of Colonization of Epiphytes on Calabash Trees (Crescentia alata HBK.) in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica

We examined the structure of the community of epiphytes growing on Crescentia alata trees in Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica. Four orchid species were dominant in this community, showing a distinct order of colonization of the calabash trees, with Oncidium cebolleta colonizing first, Encyclia cordigera second, Brassavola nodosa third, and Laelia rubescens fourth. We were unable to find any differentiation of the locations of these species based on the physical characteristics of the sites. It is hypothesized that the colonization pattern observed is due to the quantity of propagules produced by each species. THE NUMBER OF SPECIES found in a community is determined by five major factors-the time for colonization, the distance over which colonizers must travel, the number of potential colonizers, the size of the area to be colonized, and the biotic interactions between colonizers (MacArthur and Wilson 1967). Two approaches have been used to determine the effects of these factors upon the community organization of oceanic islands (e.g., Diamond 1969, Simberloff and Wilson 1969) and a variety of island-like situations (e.g., Vuilleumier 1970, Brown 1971, Culver, Holsinger, and Baroody 1973, Opler 1974). One approach applied to both plant (Johnson, Mason, and Raven 1965) and animal (Hamilton, Barth, and Rubinoff 1964, Wilson and Taylor 1967) communities has been to use correlative techniques to describe the patterns of species number and distribution from to on a large geographical scale. The second approach, applied exclusively to animal communities, has been to manipulate the five factors experimentally (e.g., Simberloff and Wilson 1969, Addicott 1974, Schoener 1974). In this paper we describe the community structure of plants occurring on a local scale using correlative techniques and suggest that this system is one in which experimental work on the relative roles of these five factors in determining community structures may be performed. STUDY AREA AND METHODS Individual Crescentia alata HBK, the calabash tree (Bignoniaceae), constitute an island-like situation for epiphytic plants. The calabash tree is an ideal epiphyte host because its soft, deep bark provides easy anchorage for epiphytes and recess for humus accumulations (Pittendrigh 1948). The study site, a 10 ha calabash orchard in Santa Rosa National Park, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica, has been described by Janzen et al. (1980). It is surrounded by dry, deciduous thorn-forest, the dominant vegetation type in this region (Holdridge 1967). No individual calabash tree at this site is located more than 100 m from the edge of the thorn-forest. The spherical canopies of the calabash trees range from 0.5 to 7.5 m radius. Since trees are spaced at least 5 m apart, canopies of individuals rarely intertwine. Each calabash tree was considered an island which may be colonized by epiphytic plants: one cactus species, three bromeliads, and five species of orchids. Nomenclature is that of Janzen and Liesner ( 1980). We measured the canopy radius of a randomly chosen calabash tree and recorded the species of epiphytes present (sample sizes are indicated in figure 1). Canopy radius was used because it was both easily measured and accurate with repetition. The existence of a species-area relationship was investigated by means of regression analysis using a logarithmic curve fit after making a scatter plot of the data. To explore the temporal pattern of colonization, we calculated the percent occurrence of each epiphytic species in one-species, two-species, three-species, etc. communities. To study the role of biotic interactions, we contrasted the relative abundance of each epiphytic species on small trees (less than 2 m canopy radius) with that on large trees (greater than 4 m canopy radius). To obtain these numbers, at least two branches were randomly chosen on a minimum of five inBIOTROPICA 14(2): 137-14

Microfungi as epiphytes on the leaves of Callitriche intermedia hoffm

Microfungi as epiphytes on the leaves of Callitriche intermedia hoffm

Structure, Productivity, and Transpiration of a Subtropical Dry Forest in Puerto Rico

Structure, Productivity, and Transpiration of a Subtropical Dry Forest in Puerto Rico

A Method of Access into the Crowns of Emergent and Canopy Trees

A method of climbing into the canopy of tall trees is described, using equipment which does not damage the tree and which can be carried by a single person. EPIPHYTIC PLANT DISTRIBUTIONS and densities within the upper canopy of tropical rainforests vary from tree to tree and with location (Went 1940, Richards 1964). Dominance by a given tree species in these forests tends to be lacking, and conspecifics are usually separated by long distances (Richards 1964). Spatial heterogeneity of plant species and of food resources such as flowers, fruits, and new leaves are primary factors in the movements and locations of numerous flying and arboreal animals (McClure 1966, Janzen 1971, Medway 1972, Frankie 1975). Ground-level observations on these subjects are difficult, and quantitative studies are virtually impossible due to obstructing lower vegetation and the inaccessibility of the upper canopy, which ranges from 30 to more than 60 meters. Thus, the animalplant interactions involving pollinators and foragers of canopy trees are largely unexplored. A knowledge of these interactions, however, is of major importance to an understanding of the structure and dynamics of tropical rainforest ecosystems (Regal 1977). Methods providing access and mobility in the canopy are essential for such studies, but most efforts have been put into constructing immobile structures such as towers, catwalks (Muul and Liat 1970), and platforms (Nicholson 1931, Hingston 1932, McClure 1966). Only one to a few trees can be closely studied from these structures, and the view of the canopy is often limited. A dozen towers, for instance, would be needed to study adequately the pollination ecology of a single tree species, so the cost would be pro, hibitive. Tree-climbing methods should be non-injurious to trees and safe for the researcher. Pole-climbers have been extensively employed to climb tropical rainforest trees (Hingston 1932), but the climbing spikes punch holes in the trunks, promoting fungal infections and insect attack. Further, they are often dangerous and difficult to use since contact with the trunk, and with its assorted noxious animals, is necessary. Once the crown is attained, movement is limited to the region of the leader (main stem), and thus access to the peripheral branches is often impossible. Denison et al. (1972) pioneered a methed for climbing large Douglas firs to conduct in situ quantitative studies on arboreal epiphytic community structure. Unfortunately, since long lag bolts are driven into the trunk every few feet to provide climbing support, the arguments against pole-climbers also apply to his procedures. He was the first, however, to apply rock climbing techniques, using rope ascendors (fig. 1-A), for scaling trees. The following method retains Denison's positive contributions while eliminating some of the problems. I report here on a tree-climbing method which is mobile, non-injurious to trees, and inexpensive. It also, provides access to the peripheral branches where flowers and fruits are often found. It was used extensively in the summers of 1974, 1975, and 1976 to study the pollination ecology of an emergent tree, Dipteryx panamensis (Perry and Starrett, ms. in prep.), factors influencing the micro-distributions of arboreal epiphytes (Perry 1978), and the vertical distributions of insect families in a lowland wet forest in Costa Rica (Perry, ms. in prep.). Lowland tropical rainforest canopy and emergent trees are not readily climbed due to the general absence of limbs along the first 25 m of trunk. To avoid touching or injuring the trunk, a rope is climbed which is hung from a high point in the tree. The placing of the rope is achieved by using an 80-lb pull crossbow and weighted arrow to shoot a 30-lb test monofilament line over the tree's crown or high limb. The weighting of the arrow ensures its return to the ground. Tangling of the line is prevented by wrapping it on a spool. A stronger (120to 240-lb test) braided nylon line is needed to lift the climbing rope into place. The braided line is too heavy to shoot directly into the canopy, so it must be pulled into the tree with the first line. A 240-lb test braided nylon line should be used when the rope touches several limbs, for abrasion becomes severe BIOTROPICA 10(2): 155-157 1978 155 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.143 on Wed, 15 Jun 2016 05:21:22 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

Diatoms in pond plankton: relationships to epiphytic and epipelic populations

(1975). Diatoms in pond plankton: relationships to epiphytic and epipelic populations. SIL Proceedings, 1922-2010: Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 2722-2728.

Midsummer metabolism of an eelgrass community

Eelgrass ( Zostera marina) is the dominant member of an important intertidal ecosystem found in many parts of the world. In this preliminary study the metabolism of the entire eelgrass community, including epiphytic plants and other organisms, has been measured in Great South Bay on Long Island, New York. In July it is in equilibrium and consumes as much oxygen as it produces, but in August both photosynthesis and respriation are reduced, with a net increase in oxygen production. This is due largely to the rapid growth of epiphytes during that month.

Taxonomy of Barkeria (Orchidaceae)

The genusBarkeria (Orchidaceae) consists of four species and eight subspecies (the treatment includes a key) of epiphytic plants endemic to Mexico and Central America.Barkeria is separated from the genusEpidendrum on the structure of the rostellum and column in the flower, plus shape of the pseudobulbs. The authors suggest thatBarkeria is most closely related toCaularthron based on the general shape of the flowers, widely spreading fleshy column wings, and structure of the rostellum.

A note on some epiphytic plants for their repellent activities against <i>Tribolium castaneum</i> adults

DOI: 10.3329/ujzru.v28i0.5293Univ. j. zool. Rajshahi Univ. Vol. 28, 2010 pp. 77-80

Epiphytic Plants on Stand of Schima wallichii (D.C.) Korth. at Mount Lawu

The objectives of the research were to know: (1) the diversity of epiphyte species at the stand of puspa trees (Schimawallichii (D.C.) Korth.) in Cemoro Sewu and Cemoro Kandang of mount Lawu, and (2) the distribution and cover abundance of the species based on its location from the land surface. The research objects were all species of epiphyte plants on the stand of puspa trees. The procedures of data collection were including species collection in the field, make up herbariums, observation of epiphyte vegetation using transect method and morphology observation in the laboratory. The results show that in the south slope of the mount Lawu were found 23 species of epiphyte consisting 4 species of lichenes, 2 species of Fungi, 3 species of Bryophyte, 10 species of Pterydophyte, 2 species of Orchidaceae and 2 species of liana. The species with the highest density was Bryophyte, and the highest diversity was Pterydophyte. The height of the trees affects the distribution, diversity and density of the epiphyte plants.© 2000 Jurusan Biologi FMIPA UNS Surakarta
 Key words: Schima wallichii (D.C.) Korth., mount Lawu, biodiversity, epiphyte plant.

Folk uses of new world aroids

In this paper, I have tried to consider a single plant family, thbe Araceae, from the point of view of its significance to man: to both primitive and civilized peoples in the past and in the present. Such a study permits an appreciation of the relationship of plants to man in terms of the chemical, morphological, and geographic aspects of a natural plant family. The Araceae are poorly known from an economic point of view. Peoples of temperate climates know them primarily as a group of unusual woodland species or as ornamental indoor pot plants. In the wet tropics, however, the aroids are found everywhere as conspicuous terrestrial or epiphytic plants, growing wild or cultivated as omamentals. The many tropical species provide most of the information for this study, although these are botanically less well known than the temperate species which have, in most cases, been extensively studied. Because of my interest in the neotropical floras, I have limited my considerations to aroids of the New World. For their kind interest and assistance in the following study, I would like to thank Dr. Richard Evans Schultes, Dr. George Bunting, Dr. Abraham Krikorian, Dr. Allen Witztum, Dr. Siri von Reis Altschul, Miss Merri Swid and Mrs. Lillian Hanscom.

Influence of an Iron-Sintering Plant on Corticolous Epiphytes in Wawa, Ontario

Influence of an Iron-Sintering Plant on Corticolous Epiphytes in Wawa, Ontario

Influence of an Iron-Sintering Plant on Corticolous Epiphytes in Wawa, Ontario

Influence of an Iron-Sintering Plant on Corticolous Epiphytes in Wawa, Ontario

The altitudinal sequence of climax vegetation on Mt Anglem, Stewart Island

Summary The composition of ground and epiphytic plant communities, consisting mainly cf bryophytes, is recorded in samples from c:ght stands of climax vegetation at different altitudes on Mt Anglem, Stewart Island. Hepatics form at least 40–50% of the total species list in the ground and epiphytic layers of most stands. Ground vegetation was recorded as presence or abscncc data using cither decimetre square quadrats or point quadrats. The abundance of epiphytic spccics was estimated visually and then converted to cover values using empirical conversion constants. Some defects of this technique are discussed. The list of Stewart Island bryophytes compiled by Martin is brought up to date by the inclusion of new records from this study and from other publications.