Distribution And Abundance Of Vascular Epiphytes In Tropical Wet Forests

Download or read book Vascular Epiphytes written by David H. Benzing and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2008-01-07 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This synthesis of the growing body of information from research on epiphytes and their relations with other tropical biota provides a comprehensive overview of basic functions, life history, evolution, and the place of epiphytes in complex tropical communities. Epiphytes comprise more than one-third of the tropical vascular flora in some tropical forests. Growing within tropical forest canopies, epiphytes are subject to severe environmental constraints, and their diverse adaptations make them a rich resource for studies of water balance, nutrition, reproduction and evolution.