Keywords
VASCULAR EPIPHYTES
EPIPHYTES
NEOTROPICAL CLOUD FOREST
COSTA RICA
Neotropical montane forests
How to Cite
Abstract
Neotropical montane forests are characterized partially by their great abundance and high diversity of epiphytes. We vouchered a species list of vascular epiphytes from a four-hectare lower montane site in Monteverde, Costa Rica, and compared the floristic composition of epiphytes to other epiphyterich communities. We collected at four different seasons using singletechniques to access the forest canopy. Collections included 56 pteridophyte species from 10 families, and 200 angiosperms from 27 families. Orchidaceae were approximately four times more speciose (92 species) than Bromeliaceae (22 species), the next most species-rich angiosperm family. Together, Orchidaceae, Pteridophyta, Bromeliaceae, Araceae, Ericaceae, Piperaceae, and Gesneriaceae accounted for 84% of the vascular epiphyte flora. The number of angiosperm families represented by epiphytes in the lower montane study site equals those present in all of Mexico, and exceeds the number for lowland sites in Costa Rica (La Selva) and Ecuador (Centinela and Río Palenque), and a montane site in Ecuador (Cajanuma).
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