| dc.creator | CASANDRA REYES GARCIA | |
| dc.date | 2013-06-29 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-07-21T19:16:03Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-07-21T19:16:03Z | |
| dc.identifier | http://cicy.repositorioinstitucional.mx/jspui/handle/1003/75 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://repositorioslatinoamericanos.uchile.cl/handle/2250/7735702 | |
| dc.description | Studies of metapopulations of epiphytic
bromeliads have been useful to test dispersal limitations
and niche effects on the distribution of species,
but most studies have been done in wet forests. To
advance understanding of these processes in dry
environments and using additional microclimatic data,
we examined the horizontal distribution, vertical
stratification and abundance of epiphytic bromeliads
in trees from a dry forest and tested whether water
table depth (indicated by the distance to an exposed
underground lake, cenote) influenced the microenvironment
or structure of the vegetation. Seasonal
microenvironmental variables (relative humidity, temperature
and light) were characterized among sites,
two tree species and three vertical canopy strata.
Epiphytes and trees were surveyed in plots, and
various tree traits were recorded. Epiphyte density
decreased with distance from the cenote (water hole)
as the water table became farther from the ground
surface and thus unavailable to trees. Sites close to the
cenote had higher nighttime humidity, irrespective of
the tree species identity. Within the same tree species,
the base of the canopy was lower at sites close to the
cenote, denoting that the cenote influenced the structure
of the canopy. These factors may determine the
distribution of the epiphytes by positively influencing
the water status of these nocturnally transpiring plants
with Crassulacean acid metabolism. Epiphytes were
distributed randomly among all the species of trees
close to the cenote, but they exhibited a speciesspecific
vertical stratification, which may reflect
physiological differences among the epiphyte species. | |
| dc.format | application/pdf | |
| dc.rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess | |
| dc.rights | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 | |
| dc.subject | info:eu-repo/classification/cti/1 | |
| dc.subject | info:eu-repo/classification/cti/1 | |
| dc.title | Water table depth may influence the asymmetric arrangement of epiphytic bromeliads in a tropical dry forest | |
| dc.type | info:eu-repo/semantics/article | |
