Abundance and distribution patterns of vascular epiphytes were studied on isolated specimens of Ficus organensis in the northern coastal plain of Rio Grande Sul. The study area lies around Terra de Areia town (29°35'S; 50°04'W), a region with a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). A total of 60 trees were climbed for the inventory of vascular epiphytes. Abundance parameters were estimated for the species and the Shannon diversity index was calculated for the community. Spatial distribution of vascular epiphytes was detected in two ways, one analyzing occurrence on structural segments of host trees (stem, inner and outer crown) and other applying a multivariate technique (principal coordinate analysis). Floristic composition resulted in 77 species, 32 genera and 10 families. The Shannon index of diversity resulted in 3.519 nats/individual. Four species presented a distinct higher value of importance, 12 species presented intermediate values and 61 relatively lower values. The same pattern was obtained with the ordination of species. Epiphytic richness according to host tree segments showed the higher species number in the inner crown. The community diversity may be considered as relatively high for a study with a single phorophyte species and a set of disturbed environments. The distribution of epiphytic species into three distinct groups according to abundance estimates was previously observed for well-preserved coastal plain forests of the same region. The highest richness in the inner crown obviously reflects a suitable habitat provided by relatively thick and horizontal branches.
Epiphytism; abundance; distribution; fig tree; Southern Brazil
