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The functional roles of epiphytes and arboreal soils in tropical montane cloud forests

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 July 2016

Sybil G. Gotsch ,
Nalini Nadkarni  and
Autumn Amici
Sybil G. Gotsch*
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603USA
Nalini Nadkarni
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112USA
Autumn Amici
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112USA
*
1Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract:

Epiphytes and their associated decomposing litter and arboreal soils (herein, epiphytic material, EM) are ubiquitous features of tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF) and play important roles in ecosystem function. EM intercepts water and nutrients from the atmosphere and from intercepted host tree sources, and may contribute significant inputs of these resources to the forest floor. Despite the importance of EM in the TMCF, a systematic review of the ecosystem roles of EM has not been compiled before. We have synthesized the literature that documents functions of EM in undisturbed TMCFs and discuss how these roles may be affected by disturbances, including changes in climate and land use. The range of EM biomass and water storage in the TMCF varies greatly across sites, with different amounts associated with stand age and microclimate. EM is important as habitat and food for birds and mammals, with over 200 species of birds documented as using EM in the Neotropics. Given its sensitivity to moisture, projected shifts in cloud base heights or precipitation due to changes in climate will likely have a large impact on this community and changes in EM diversity or abundance may have cascading impacts on the ecosystem function of the TMCF.

Keywords

biomassdispersalhydrologyinterceptionnutrient cyclingpollinationreproductive biologywater storage
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 32 , Special Issue 5: The ecology of tropical montane cloud forests: a global synthesis , September 2016 , pp. 455 - 468
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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