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The Mineral Nutrition of Epiphytes

  • Chapter
Vascular Plants as Epiphytes

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 76))

Abstract

A recent review (Chapin 1980) of the literature on the mineral nutrition of wild plants made no reference to epiphytes. In fact, reports on mechanisms of ion procurement and use and the nutritional status of nonparasitic plants that routinely anchor in tree crowns are fairly numerous. This literature is scattered, however, and titles that emphasize morphological peculiarities or ecological implications of particular nutritional phenomena may often frustrate computer searches. This chapter surveys the literature on epiphyte nutrition and organizes that information into several subject areas. Attention is first directed to nutrient sources in tree crowns and then to trophic mutualisms, nutritional types among the epiphytes, mechanisms of nutrient acquisition and utilization, interactions with other resources during plant growth and finally, the effects of epiphytes on the overall economy of hosting forest ecosystems. Epiphytic vegetation is depicted as nutritionally heterogeneous and often specialized, occasionally to the point of uniqueness.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, 44074, USA

    D. H. Benzing

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  1. D. H. Benzing
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Botanik, TH Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstraße 3–5, 6100, Darmstadt, Germany

    Ulrich Lüttge

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© 1989 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Benzing, D.H. (1989). The Mineral Nutrition of Epiphytes. In: Lüttge, U. (eds) Vascular Plants as Epiphytes. Ecological Studies, vol 76. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74465-5_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74465-5_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-74467-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-74465-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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