Abstract
Abstract Despite the ecological importance of vascular epiphytes in the tropics, even basic information on the processes that form epiphyte communities is scarce. This is partially due to an almost complete lack of long‐term studies. Here, we present data that were collected in three consecutive censuses over 21 years in a monospecific host tree system that is about 100 years old and interpret them in an empirical and a metapopulation/metacommunity framework. We documented an ongoing increase in abundance and diversity at the level of the entire system (metacommunity) and at the level of communities (all epiphytes growing on individual Annona glabra tree stands). This was also reflected at the population level; >2/3 of the species showed positive population growth rates. Similarly, colonisation of empty Annona trees was still ongoing, with the most abundant species being also the first to colonise empty trees. The community composition of colonised trees became more similar with time. In all three censuses, habitat size of epiphytes explained much of the variation in species richness among stands (groups of trees with individual trees within 25 m of each other) and overall abundant species tended to be more abundant at the stand scale. The species frequency distribution was unimodal, regardless of whether considering all stands or only stands with very large epiphyte communities, indicating that the metacommunity still has not reached an equilibrium phase. Similarly consistent in both census intervals, population growth rates decreased with increasing population size with substantial asynchrony among populations. Synthesis . In contrast to a typical herbaceous plant community, this epiphyte metacommunity is still expanding after one century of development. Our study shows that previously reported short‐term patterns of epiphyte community dynamics hold true in the long term. It remains to be shown, however, whether results from this monospecific host tree system are really representative for epiphyte community dynamics in more diverse tropical forests.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Epiphyte abundance and diversity increased at metacommunity and stand levels over 21 years.
- Taxon
- epiphytese0
- Interactor
- Annona glabra
Annona glabrae0host - Outcome
- abundance and diversitye0
- Direction
- increasee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ongoing increase in abundance and diversity at the level of the entire system (metacommunity) and at the level of communities (all epiphytes growing on individual Annona glabra tree stands)”
Claim · model-written summary
More than two thirds of epiphyte species had positive population growth rates.
Verbatim
e0“>2/3 of the species showed positive population growth rates”
t0“vascular epiphytes”
Claim · model-written summary
Colonization of empty Annona trees continued.
AnnonaNot reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“colonisation of empty Annona trees was still ongoing”
t0“vascular epiphytes”
Claim · model-written summary
The most abundant epiphyte species colonized empty trees first.
- Taxon
- vascular epiphytest0
- Outcome
- first to colonise empty treese0
- Qualifier
- most abundant speciese0
- Comparator
- most abundant speciese0
Not reportedMaterialOrgan / stageSettingDirection
Verbatim
e0“most abundant species being also the first to colonise empty trees”
t0“vascular epiphytes”
Claim · model-written summary
Epiphyte community composition became more similar among colonized trees over time.
Verbatim
e0“community composition of colonised trees became more similar with time”
t0“vascular epiphytes”
Claim · model-written summary
Epiphyte habitat size explained much stand-level variation in species richness in all censuses.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“habitat size of epiphytes explained much of the variation in species richness among stands”
t0“vascular epiphytes”
Claim · model-written summary
Species abundant overall tended to be abundant at the stand scale.
Verbatim
e0“overall abundant species tended to be more abundant at the stand scale”
t0“vascular epiphytes”
Claim · model-written summary
Epiphyte species frequency distributions were unimodal across both stand sets.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“species frequency distribution was unimodal, regardless of whether considering all stands or only stands with very large epiphyte communities”
t0“vascular epiphytes”
Claim · model-written summary
Population growth rates decreased as population size increased, with substantial asynchrony.
Verbatim
e0“population growth rates decreased with increasing population size with substantial asynchrony among populations”
t0“vascular epiphytes”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors infer that the epiphyte metacommunity has not reached equilibrium.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“metacommunity still has not reached an equilibrium phase”
t0“vascular epiphytes”
Claim · model-written summary
The epiphyte metacommunity was still expanding after one century of development.
Verbatim
e0“epiphyte metacommunity is still expanding after one century of development”