title: [The phorophyte occupation patterns by vascular epiphyte species in the High Orinoco tropical humid forest, Amazonas State, Venezuela].
abstract: By international agreement (Austria-Venezuela), an experimental area was selected for canopy ecology studies. A tower crane was installed that allows direct access to the canopy of 1.5 ha area of the forest. This is a quantitative study of the phorophyte occupation patterns by vascular epiphyte species in an Amazon tropical humid forest. The forest of Surumoni consists roughly of four arboreal strata, i.e., emergent (conspicuous), superior, middle and lower. The largest proportion of trees occurs in the lower diametric classes (smaller DBH), and the total distribution approaches an "inverted J" curve. The most abundant tree species in the three strata is Goupia glabra (Celastraceae); making this forest a case where a single arboreal species dominants. Mean of epiphyte individuals per occupied phorophyte is too variable, depending on phorophyte species and showing no correlation with occupied tree percentage. The species Eschweleira parviflora (Lecythidaceae) represented in the study area by a single individual of the superior stratum with high density of vascular epiphytes, indicates that this support species is particularly favorable for the establishment epiphytic flora.
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela. jhernan@strix.ciens.ucv.ve
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hernández-Rosas
mesh_terms: D017753:Ecosystem; D006813:Humidity; D014197:Trees / Q000145:classification; D014329:Tropical Climate; D014687:Venezuela
vernacular_title: Ocupación de los portadores por epifitas vasculares en un bosque húmedo tropical del Alto Orinoco, Edo. Amazonas, Venezuela.