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Epiphyte

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Tillandsia bourgaeigrowing on an oak tree in Mexico

Anepiphyteis a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are calledphorophytes.Epiphytes take part innutrient cyclesand add to both the diversity and biomass of the ecosystem in which they occur, like any other organism. They are an important source of food for many species. Typically, the older parts of a plant will have more epiphytes growing on them. Epiphytes differ fromparasitesin that they grow on other plants for physical support and do not necessarily affect the host negatively. An organism that grows on another organism that is not a plant may be called anepibiont.[1]Epiphytes are usually found in the temperate zone (e.g., manymosses,liverworts,lichens,andalgae) or in the tropics (e.g., manyferns,cacti,orchids,andbromeliads).[2]Epiphyte species make goodhouseplantsdue to their minimal water and soil requirements.[3]Epiphytes provide a rich and diverse habitat for other organisms including animals, fungi, bacteria, andmyxomycetes.[4]

Epiphyte is one of the subdivisions of theRaunkiær system. The termepiphyticderives from the Greekepi-(meaning 'upon') andphyton(meaning 'plant'). Epiphytic plants are sometimes called "air plants" because they do not root in soil. However, that term is inaccurate, as there are many aquatic species ofalgaethat are epiphytes on other aquatic plants (seaweeds or aquaticangiosperms).

Terrestrial epiphytes

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The best-known epiphytic plants includemosses,orchids,andbromeliadssuch asSpanish moss(of the genusTillandsia), but epiphytes may be found in every major group of the plant kingdom. Eighty-nine percent of (or about 24,000) terrestrial epiphyte species areflowering plants.The second largest group are theleptosporangiate ferns,with about 2,800 species (10% of epiphytes). About one-third of all fern species are epiphytes.[5]The third largest group isclubmosses,with 190 species, followed by a handful of species in each of thespikemosses,other ferns,Gnetales,andcycads.[6]

The first important monograph on epiphyticplant ecologywas written byA. F. W. Schimper(Die epiphytische Vegetation Amerikas,1888). Assemblages of large epiphytes occur most abundantly in moisttropical forests,but mosses and lichens occur as epiphytes in almost all biomes. In Europe there are no dedicated epiphytic plants using roots, but rich assemblages of mosses and lichens grow on trees in damp areas (mainly the western coastal fringe), and the commonpolypody ferngrows epiphytically along branches. Rarely, grass, small bushes or small trees may grow insuspended soilsup trees (typically in a rot-hole).

Terrestrial epiphytes
  • Epiphytes can grow on the trunks of trees or sometimes in the canopy of a tree
    Epiphytes can grow on the trunks of trees or sometimes in the canopy of a tree
  • An epiphytic orchid on a tree in a Brazilian cloud forest
    An epiphytic orchid on a tree in a Brazilian cloud forest
  • Clinging root of an orchid
    Clinging root of anorchid

Holo-epiphyte or hemi-epiphyte

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Epiphytes however, can generally be categorized into holo-epiphytes or hemi-epiphytes. A holo-epiphyte is a plant that spends its whole life cycle without contact with the ground and a hemi-epiphyte is a plant that spends only half of its life without the ground before the roots can reach or make contact with the ground.[7]Orchidsare a common example of holo-epiphytes andStrangler Figsare an example of hemi-epiphytes.

Plant nutrient relations

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Epiphytes are not connected to the soil, and consequently must get nutrients from other sources, such as fog, dew, rain and mist,[8]or from nutrients being released from the ground rooted plants by decomposition or leaching, and dinitrogen fixation.[8]Epiphytic plants attached to their hosts high in thecanopyhave an advantage over herbs restricted to the ground where there is less light and herbivores may be more active. Epiphytic plants are also important to certain animals that may live in their water reservoirs, such as some types offrogsandarthropods.

Epiphytes can have a significant effect on the microenvironment of their host, and of ecosystems where they are abundant, as they hold water in the canopy and decrease water input to the soil.[9]Some non-vascular epiphytes such as lichens and mosses are well known for their ability to take up water rapidly.[10]Epiphytes create a significantly cooler and more moist environment in the host plant canopy, potentially greatly reducing water loss by the host through transpiration.

Plant metabolism

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CAM metabolism,a water-preserving metabolism present among variousplant taxa,is particularly relevant to epiphytic communities.[11]For example, it is estimated that among epiphytic orchids, as many as 50% are likely to use it.[12]Other relevant epiphytic families which display such metabolism areBromeliacee(e.g. in generaAechmeaandTillandsia),Cactaceae(e.g. inRhipsalisandEpiphyllum) andApocynaceae(e.g. inHoyaandDischidia).

Marine epiphytes

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The ecology of epiphytes in marine environments differs from those in terrestrial ecosystems. Epiphytes in marine systems are species of algae, bacteria, fungi, sponges, bryozoans, ascidians, protozoa, crustaceans, molluscs and any other sessile organism that grows on the surface of a plant, typicallyseagrassesor algae.[13][14]Settlement of epiphytic species is influenced by a number of factors including light, temperature, currents, nutrients, and trophic interactions. Algae are the most common group of epiphytes in marine systems.[14]Photosynthetic epiphytes account for a large amount of the photosynthesis in systems in which they occur.[15]This is typically between 20 and 60% of the total primary production of the ecosystem.[14]They are a general group of organisms and are highly diverse, providing food for a great number of fauna.[15]Snail and nudibranch species are two common grazers of epiphytes.[14]Epiphytespecies compositionand the amount of epiphytes can be indicative of changes in the environment. Recent increases in epiphyte abundance have been linked to excessive nitrogen put into the environment from farm runoff and storm water. High abundance of epiphytes are considered detrimental to the plants that they grow on often causing damage or death, particularly in seagrasses.[13]This is because too many epiphytes can block access to sunlight or nutrients. Epiphytes in marine systems are known to grow quickly with very fast generation times.[16]

Marine epiphytes

See also

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References

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  1. ^Hickey, M.; King, C. (2001).The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms.Cambridge University Press.
  2. ^Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged.(1976). Vol. I, p. 764. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Chicago.
  3. ^Dabbs, Amy (19 December 2014)."Epiphytes are easy to grow Houseplants get water from air".Post and Courier.Retrieved15 December2016.
  4. ^Sydney E. Everhart; Joseph S. Ely; Harold W. Keller (2009)."Evaluation of tree canopy epiphytes and bark characteristics associated with the presence of corticolous myxomycetes"(PDF).Botany.87(5): 509–517.doi:10.1139/b09-027.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2013-09-26.
  5. ^Hogan, C Michael, 2010.Fern.Encyclopedia of Earth. National council for Science and the EnvironmentArchivedNovember 9, 2011, at theWayback Machine.Washington, DC
  6. ^Schuettpelz, Eric (2007),The evolution and diversification of epiphytic ferns(PDF),Duke University PhD thesis, archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2010-06-20,retrieved2009-12-11
  7. ^Nieder, Jürgen; Prosper´ı, Juliana (2001)."Epiphytes and their contribution to canopy diversity".Plant Ecology.153:51–63.doi:10.1023/A:1017517119305.S2CID37082364.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^abZotz, Gerhard; Hietz, Peter (November 2001)."The physiological ecology of vascular epiphytes: current knowledge, open questions".Journal of Experimental Botany.52(364): 2067–2078.doi:10.1093/jexbot/52.364.2067.PMID11604445.S2CID22635086.
  9. ^Stanton, D.E.; Chávez, J.H.; Villegas, L.; Villasante, F.; Armesto, J.; Hedin, L.O.; Horn, H. (2014)."Epiphytes Improve Host Plant Water Use by Microenvironment Modification".Functional Ecology.28(5): 1274–1283.doi:10.1111/1365-2435.12249.
  10. ^Johansson, Dick (1974)."ECOLOGY OF VASCULAR EPIPHYTES IN WEST AFRICAN RAIN FOREST"(PDF).Acta Phytogeographica Suecica.59.
  11. ^Zotz, Gerhard; Andrade, José Luis; Einzmann, Helena J R (2023-01-07)."CAM plants: their importance in epiphyte communities and prospects with global change".Annals of Botany.132(4): 685–698.doi:10.1093/aob/mcac158.ISSN0305-7364.PMC10799991.
  12. ^Winter, Klaus; Smith, J. Andrew C., eds. (1996)."Crassulacean Acid Metabolism".Ecological Studies.114.doi:10.1007/978-3-642-79060-7.ISBN978-3-642-79062-1.ISSN0070-8356.
  13. ^ab"MV Commission"(PDF).
  14. ^abcd"SeagrassLI.org Cornell Cooperative Extension Eelgrass Restoration".seagrassli.org.Retrieved2017-06-26.
  15. ^ab"Marine Plants / Algae - Biscayne National Park (U.S. National Park Service)".nps.gov.Retrieved2017-06-26.
  16. ^"An Assessment of Coastal Hypoxia and Eutrophication in U.S. Waters"(PDF).NOAA.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2017-05-07.Retrieved2017-06-26.
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