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Water table depth may influence the asymmetric arrangement of epiphytic bromeliads in a tropical dry forest

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Abstract

Studies of metapopulations of epiphytic bromeliads have been useful to test dispersal limitations and niche effects on the distribution of species, but most studies have been done in wet forests. To advance understanding of these processes in dry environments and using additional microclimatic data, we examined the horizontal distribution, vertical stratification and abundance of epiphytic bromeliads in trees from a dry forest and tested whether water table depth (indicated by the distance to an exposed underground lake, cenote) influenced the microenvironment or structure of the vegetation. Seasonal microenvironmental variables (relative humidity, temperature and light) were characterized among sites, two tree species and three vertical canopy strata. Epiphytes and trees were surveyed in plots, and various tree traits were recorded. Epiphyte density decreased with distance from the cenote (water hole) as the water table became farther from the ground surface and thus unavailable to trees. Sites close to the cenote had higher nighttime humidity, irrespective of the tree species identity. Within the same tree species, the base of the canopy was lower at sites close to the cenote, denoting that the cenote influenced the structure of the canopy. These factors may determine the distribution of the epiphytes by positively influencing the water status of these nocturnally transpiring plants with Crassulacean acid metabolism. Epiphytes were distributed randomly among all the species of trees close to the cenote, but they exhibited a species-specific vertical stratification, which may reflect physiological differences among the epiphyte species.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the National Park Dzibilchaltún-INAH. Filogonio May, Celene Espadas, Robert Us and Luis Sima helped during field work and processing data. Thanks to Alejandro Flores-Palacios for reviewing an earlier version of this manuscript and to Raymond Froend and two anonymous reviewers for providing comments to substantially improve the manuscript. Research was funded by Fondo SEP-CONACYT 80181 and SEMARNAT-CONACYT 107916 to Reyes-García. N. Chilpa received a Masters scholarship from CONACYT (27813).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unidad de Recursos Naturales, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, A.C., Calle 43 Núm. 130, Colonia Chuburná de Hidalgo, Mérida, 97200, Yucatán, Mexico

    Nahlleli Chilpa-Galván, Manuela Tamayo-Chim, José Luis Andrade & Casandra Reyes-García

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  1. Nahlleli Chilpa-Galván
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  2. Manuela Tamayo-Chim
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  3. José Luis Andrade
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  4. Casandra Reyes-García
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Correspondence to Casandra Reyes-García.

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Supplementary Fig. 1

Schematic representation of the subdivision of the host tree into zones (I = base of tree, IIa = lower trunk, IIb = upper trunk, III = lower canopy, IV = middle canopy, V = upper canopy [modified from Kelly et al. 2004; Johannson 1974]) (TIFF 101 kb)

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Chilpa-Galván, N., Tamayo-Chim, M., Andrade, J.L. et al. Water table depth may influence the asymmetric arrangement of epiphytic bromeliads in a tropical dry forest. Plant Ecol 214, 1037–1048 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-013-0229-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-013-0229-3

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