Epiphyte diversity and biomass loads of canopy emergent trees in Chilean temperate rain forests: A neglected functional component |
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| Authors: | Iván A Díaz Kathryn E Sieving Maurice E Peña-Foxon Juan Larraín Juan J Armesto |
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| Institution: | 1. Instituto de Silvicultura, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Austral de Chile, P.O. Box 567, Valdivia, Chile;2. Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA;3. Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity IEB, Las Palmeras 3425, Ñuñoa, Santiago, Chile;4. Departamento de Botánica, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile;5. Center for Advanced Studies in Ecology and Biodiversity, Departamento de Ecología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile |
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| Abstract: | We document for the first time the epiphytic composition and biomass of canopy emergent trees from temperate, old-growth coastal rainforests of Chile (42°30′S). Through tree-climbing techniques, we accessed the crown of two large (c. 1 m trunk diameter, 25–30 m tall) individuals of Eucryphia cordifolia (Cunoniaceae) and one large Aextoxicon punctatum (Aextoxicaceae) to sample all epiphytes from the base to the treetop. Epiphytes, with the exception of the hemi-epiphytic tree Raukaua laetevirens (Araliaceae), were removed, weighed and subsamples dried to estimate total dry mass. We recorded 22 species of vascular epiphytes, and 22 genera of cryptogams, with at least 30 species of bryophytes, liverworts and lichens. The dominant vascular epiphytes were Fascicularia bicolor (Bromeliaceae), Raukaua laetevirens, Sarmienta repens (Gesneriaceae), and filmy ferns (Hymenophyllaceae). Epiphyte loads per tree ranged between 134 and 144 kg dry mass, with 60–70% water. The hemi-epiphytic tree R. laetevirens added between 1 and 2.6 t of dry mass to each host tree. A main component of epiphyte biomass, making 70% of the weight, was detritus and roots, while leaves, stems, and fronds made up the remaining 30%. Emergent trees hold a high proportion of the regional diversity of epiphytes: 33% of all flowering epiphytes, and 50% of all filmy ferns described for Chilean temperate forests. Dry epiphyte biomass associated only with the emergent E. cordifolia trees in coastal forests was estimated in 10 t/ha. Epiphyte biomass may store up to 300 l of water in each emergent tree, and add 40–150% of photosynthetic biomass to the tree crowns. Based on this evidence, epiphytes may play key but generally neglected roles in ecosystem carbon uptake, water storage, and nutrient cycling. Moreover, emergent trees represent nuclei of biodiversity and ecosystem functions distributed throughout mature forests. Forest management should recognize large trees as significant management units for the preservation of biodiversity and ecological functions. |
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| Keywords: | Epiphytes Emergent canopy trees Eucryphia cordifolia Aextoxicon punctatum |
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