Diversity and species of vascular epiphytes in Tingana, the highest flooded forest in Peru

Abstract

A variety of ecosystems can be found on the eastern flank of the Peruvian Andean-Amazonian piedmont. Amongst these, seasonally flooded forests (which include many peatlands) have attracted scientific attention because of the ecosystem services they provide. Our research was conducted in the Tingana flooded forests situated in the Alto Mayo Valley, San Martin (Peru). The canopies and branches of phorophytes (epiphyte-bearing plants) located within fourteen 20 × 20 m plots at two study sites were accessed using climbing equipment, and 107 epiphytic species were recorded. The epiphyte genera with the highest diversity were Epidendrum (15 species), Asplenium (7 species), Anthurium (6 species) and Peperomia (5 species), and the phorophyte with the highest epiphyte diversity was Ficus trigona. The richness estimators (Chao1 and ACE) accounted for > 75.3 % of the species present, with Stratum III being the most abundant and diverse. Demographic studies will be needed to comprehend the potential consequences of climate change for the epiphyte communities of flooded forests as they recover from disturbance.

Keywords

• alto mayo valley
• orchids
• phorophyte
• strata
• climate change