Host trait combinations drive abundance and canopy distribution of atmospheric bromeliad assemblages.

ABSTRACT: Epiphytes are strongly dependent on the conditions created by their host's traits and a certain degree of specificity is expected between them, even if these species are largely abundant in a series of tree hosts of a given environment, as in the case of atmospheric bromeliads. Despite their considerable abundance in these environments, we hypothesize that stochasticity alone cannot explain the presence and abundance of atmospheric bromeliads on host trees, since host traits could have a greater influence on the establishment of these bromeliads. We used secondary and reforested seasonal forests and three distinct silvicultures to test whether species richness, phylogenetic diversity and functional diversity of trees can predict the differential presence, abundance and distribution of atmo

SUBMITTER: Chaves CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4804201 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature