ABSTRACT
Diversity, abundance, and vertical stratification of vascular epiphytes were studied in the Barreiro Rico Ecological Station, a Semideciduous Seasonal Forest in São Paulo State, Brazil. Of the 25 species found (15 genera and six families), the Angiosperms were represented by 20 species and the ferns by five. The Shannon diversity (H') was 2.77 nats. The characteristic holoepiphytes are dominant in the area (88%) as well as the anemochoric species (60%). The orchid family showed the greatest richness, but also the rarest species (Epiphytic Importance Value < 1). The intermediate height zones had the highest number of species and records.The zones next to the ground and the outermost canopy were dominated by species with distinctive features, adapted to shaded environments or extreme luminosity respectively. The species distribution and abundance indicate a relatively simple epiphytic community influenced by few dominant factors and limited by microclimatic factors.
Keywords:
bromeliads; ferns; orchids; Phytosociology of epiphytes; Semideciduous Seasonal Forest
