Tree Ferns in the Interior and at the Edge of a Mexican Cloud Forest Remnant: Spore Germination and Sporophyte Survival and Establishment

Biotropica ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 83 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Bernabe ◽  
G. Williams-Linera ◽  
M. Palacios-Rios
Keyword(s):  
Spore Germination ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Tree Ferns ◽  
Forest Remnant

scholarly journals Spore germination of two tree-ferns

1985 ◽  
Vol 86 ◽  
pp. 450-451
Author(s):  
G. M. Felippe ◽  
L. M. Esteves ◽  
W. M. Ferreira ◽  
Therezinha S. Melhem
Keyword(s):  
Spore Germination ◽  
Tree Ferns

Host preferences of low-trunk vascular epiphytes in a cloud forest of Veracruz, Mexico

2005 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 651-660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Mehltreter ◽  
Alejandro Flores-Palacios ◽  
José G. García-Franco
Keyword(s):  
Water Retention ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Water Retention Capacity ◽  
Retention Capacity ◽  
Host Preferences ◽  
Host Group ◽  
Vascular Epiphytes ◽  
Lower Trunk ◽  
Tree Ferns ◽  
Epiphyte Species

The diversity, abundance and frequency of vascular epiphytes on the lower trunk were compared between two host groups of a Mexican cloud forest: angiosperm trees (n = 72) and tree ferns (n = 28). The bark of the five most frequent host trees and the root mantle of the two tree ferns were analysed for their thickness, water content, water retention capacity and pH. A total of 55 epiphyte species and 910 individuals were found on the 27 host species. On hosts with a dbh range of 5–10 cm, epiphytes were significantly more diverse (4.3±0.9 species per host) and more abundant (12.5±2.2 individuals per host) on tree ferns than on angiosperm trees (1.9±0.2 species per host and 3.9±0.6 individuals per host). However, these differences were not significant for the dbh class of 10–20 cm, because epiphyte numbers increased on angiosperm trees with larger host size, but not in tree ferns. Most epiphyte species had no preference for any host group, but four species were significantly more frequent on tree ferns and two species on angiosperm trees. The higher epiphyte diversity and abundance on tree fern trunks of the smallest dbh class is attributed to their presumably greater age and to two stem characteristics, which differed significantly between host groups, the thicker root mantle and higher water retention capacity of tree ferns. These bark characteristics may favour germination and establishment of epiphytes.

scholarly journals Historical reconstruction of climatic and elevation preferences and the evolution of cloud forest-adapted tree ferns in Mesoamerica

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Sosa ◽  
Juan Francisco Ornelas ◽  
Santiago Ramírez-Barahona ◽  
Etelvina Gándara
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Divergence Time ◽  
Phenotypic Traits ◽  
Cloud Forests ◽  
Altitudinal Distribution ◽  
Ancestral Area ◽  
Divergence Time Estimates ◽  
Tree Ferns ◽  
Extant Species

BackgroundCloud forests, characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover and fragmented distribution, are one of the most threatened habitats, especially in the Neotropics. Tree ferns are among the most conspicuous elements in these forests, and ferns are restricted to regions in which minimum temperatures rarely drop below freezing and rainfall is high and evenly distributed around the year. Current phylogeographic data suggest that some of the cloud forest-adapted species remainedin situor expanded to the lowlands during glacial cycles and contracted allopatrically during the interglacials. Although the observed genetic signals of population size changes of cloud forest-adapted species including tree ferns correspond to predicted changes by Pleistocene climate change dynamics, the observed patterns of intraspecific lineage divergence showed temporal incongruence.MethodsHere we combined phylogenetic analyses, ancestral area reconstruction, and divergence time estimates with climatic and altitudinal data (environmental space) for phenotypic traits of tree fern species to make inferences about evolutionary processes in deep time. We used phylogenetic Bayesian inference and geographic and altitudinal distribution of tree ferns to investigate ancestral area and elevation and environmental preferences of Mesoamerican tree ferns. The phylogeny was then used to estimate divergence times and ask whether the ancestral area and elevation and environmental shifts were linked to climatic events and historical climatic preferences.ResultsBayesian trees retrievedCyathea, Alsophyla, GymnosphaeraandSphaeropterisin monophyletic clades. Splits for species in these genera found in Mesoamerican cloud forests are recent, from the Neogene to the Quaternary, Australia was identified as the ancestral area for the clades of these genera, except forGymnosphaerathat was Mesoamerica. Climate tolerance was not divergent from hypothesized ancestors for the most significant variables or elevation. For elevational shifts, we found repeated change from low to high elevations.ConclusionsOur data suggest that representatives of Cyatheaceae main lineages migrated from Australia to Mesoamerican cloud forests in different times and have persisted in these environmentally unstable areas but extant species diverged recentrly from their ancestors.

Leaf phenological traits of the tree fern Cyathea praecincta (Cyatheaceae) in a Brazilian lowland tropical forest

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (8) ◽  
pp. 618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayara Magna Silva ◽  
Rafael de Paiva Farias ◽  
Lucas Erickson Nascimento da Costa ◽  
Iva Carneiro Leão Barros
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forest ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Leaf Expansion ◽  
Tree Fern ◽  
Leaf Production ◽  
Lowland Tropical Forest ◽  
Tree Ferns ◽  
Forest Remnant ◽  
Reproductive Processes

Phenological studies are fundamental to our understanding of how the environment can influence plant growth and reproductive processes. Environmental triggers of fern phenology are poorly known. We investigated the leaf phenological traits of the tree fern Cyathea praecincta (Kunze) Domin in a Brazilian lowland tropical forest with a short dry season. We monitored 47 plants over an 18-month period, measuring leaf production, leaf fertility, leaf mortality and the relation of these variables with rainfall and temperature. Data on leaf expansion and lifespan were also presented. Full leaf expansion in C. praecincta took up to 3 months. The production of sterile and fertile leaves showed dissimilar interactions with climate, a common pattern among most tree ferns studied worldwide. Whereas production of sterile leaves of C. praecincta was not influenced by climatic variability, leaf fertility was driven by increasing rainfall. Some fertile plants (30%) produced exclusively fertile leaves and attained full maturity, playing a key role in the maintenance and growth of the population. The estimated leaf lifespan was 17.9±5.89 months. The finding that leaf mortality was driven by decreasing rainfall is in contrast with most tree ferns, which are not influenced by climate. None of the phenological variables was influenced by temperature. We demonstrated that rainfall plays a crucial role on leaf fertility and leaf mortality of C. praecincta in a tropical forest remnant with a short dry season and inversely related rainfall and temperature.

Epiphyte assemblages respond to host life-form independently of variation in microclimate in lower montane cloud forest in Panama

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 625-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer C. Sanger ◽  
James B. Kirkpatrick
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Life Form ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Montane Forest ◽  
Vascular Epiphytes ◽  
Montane Cloud Forest ◽  
Tree Ferns ◽  
Host Life ◽  
Light Profiles

Abstract:We investigated the effects of host tree on epiphyte diversity, controlling for microclimate. We measured the light profiles of the lower trunks of 20 individuals, each from three host groups (tree ferns, dicots, palms) occupying the understorey in a tropical montane forest in Panama. The per cent cover and species richness of vascular and non-vascular epiphytes were surveyed on the lower trunks of each understorey host. Light varied considerably between trees (5–21% total transmitted light) but mean light level did not vary between types of host. Light was not significant as a covariate with host in any model. Tree ferns had higher covers than dicots and palms of filmy ferns (15%, 0.02% and 0.2%), other ferns (7%, 0% and 0.5%) and other vascular epiphytes (16%, 3% and 3.4%), and greater species richness of vascular epiphytes (filmy ferns: 3, 0.4 and 0.5; other ferns: 2, 0.2 and 0; other vascular: 7, 2 and 2). Dicots had a higher cover of liverworts (53%) than palms (18%) and tree ferns (27%). Palms and tree ferns were the compositional extremes. We conclude that the differences in species composition and cover between the three host groups relate better to physical differences between hosts than differences in light climate.

scholarly journals Rapid defaunation of terrestrial mammals in a protected Neotropical cloud forest remnant

2020 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 125861
Author(s):  
Hannah M.J. Hoskins ◽  
Niall P. McCann ◽  
Merlijn Jocque ◽  
Neil Reid
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Forest Remnant

Distribution of Tree Ferns (Cyatheaceae) across the Successional Mosaic in an Andean Cloud Forest, Narino, Colombia

1998 ◽  
Vol 88 (2) ◽  
pp. 60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Crystal Arens ◽  
Patricia Sanchez Baracaldo
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Tree Ferns

Effects of light, temperature and pH on spore germination and early gametophytic development of Alsophila metteniana

2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Du Honghong ◽  
Li Yang ◽  
Li Dong ◽  
Dai Shaojun ◽  
Jiang Chuangdao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spore Germination
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