Institutional Repository of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden
| Vascular epiphytes in the temperate zones - a review | |
| Zotz, G | |
| 2005 | |
| Source Publication | PLANT ECOLOGY
 |
| ISSN | 1385-0237 |
| Volume | 176Issue:2Pages:173-183 |
| Abstract | Vascular epiphytes are typically associated with tropical rainforests, whereas their occurrence in temperate forests is little appreciated. This review summarises the available information on epiphytism in the temperate zones ( > 23.5 degrees latitude), which has not been reviewed comprehensively for more than a century, and critically analyses the proposed mechanisms behind the observed biogeographical patterns. Although in the temperate zone epiphytic vascular plants are rarely as impressive as in tropical forests, there are noteworthy exceptions. Temperate rain forests of Chile and New Zealand, or montane forests in the Himalayas are comparable to many tropical forests in terms of epiphyte biomass and diversity, but differ in their taxonomic spectrum: temperate epiphyte communities are generally dominated by ferns and fern-allies. Other,temperate areas are not, however, necessarily barren of epiphytes, as repeatedly implied. Quite in contrast, local populations of epiphytes in a large number of other non-tropical areas in both the southern and the northern hemisphere can be quite conspicuous. The proposed reasons for the latitudinal gradients in epiphyte abundance and,diversity (water scarcity or low temperatures) are not fully convincing and, moreover, still await experimental verification. Other factors, both historical (e.g., Pleistocene extinctions) and ecological (e.g., prevalence of conifers in the northern hemisphere), should also be taken into consideration to obtain a comprehensive explanation of the extant global distribution of vascular epiphytes. |
| Keyword | Rain-forest New-zealand Species Richness Dry Forest Vegetation Diversity Patterns Ecology Biomass Biogeography |
| Subject Area | Plant Sciences ; Environmental Sciences & Ecology ; Forestry |
| Indexed By | SCI |
| Document Type | 期刊论文 |
| Identifier | https://ir.xtbg.ac.cn/handle/353005/9770 |
| Collection | 文献共享 |
| Recommended Citation GB/T 7714 | Zotz, G. Vascular epiphytes in the temperate zones - a review[J]. PLANT ECOLOGY,2005,176(2):173-183. |
| APA | Zotz, G.(2005).Vascular epiphytes in the temperate zones - a review.PLANT ECOLOGY,176(2),173-183. |
| MLA | Zotz, G."Vascular epiphytes in the temperate zones - a review".PLANT ECOLOGY 176.2(2005):173-183. |
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