Aspects of the Ecology of Vascular Epiphytes in Colombian Cloud Forests, I. The Distribution of the Epiphytic Flora

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Abstract
The diversity and abundance of vascular epiphytes is greater in the neotropics than in other tropical regions. Previous observations indicate that this difference is partially due to the presence of large areas of montane cloud forest in the neotropics. The distribution of epiphytes was compared in two montane regions, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Serrania de Macuira, both situated in northeastern Colombia. The greatest abundance and diversity of vascular epiphytes were found in those montane regions where periods of cloud cover are most frequent, regular and prolonged. Amount of rainfall was of little consequence to cloud-forest epiphytes; the greatest abundance of vascular epiphytes was found on the Serrania de Macuira, which experiences daily 14 h periods of cloud cover and negligible rainfall for 10 mo./yr.

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