Epiphyllous organisms on C. macrophyllus were found in two plots examined in July 1996, in two areas with different fire disturbance intensity, in the Parque Estadual do Rio Doce, MG. Fourteen epiphyllous species were found including: 11 lichens, one alga, one hepatica and one fungus. Lichens accounted for 81.8% of the epiphyllous species found in the less disturbed area and 72.7% in the other one. The most abundant species was Porina epiphylla, found in 80.8% of phorophytes in the former area, and 97% in the latter. The number of epiphyllous covered leaves per phorophyte, the coverage in each leaf, and the height of the phorophytes were significantly different for both areas, whereas the leaf area and the number of leaves per phorophyte were not. Although no significant differences were found in the epiphyllous specific composition between both areas, the highest occurrence of epiphylls could be associated with disturbance events. The intensified light penetration caused by gaps in the disturbed forest may have enhanced the phorophyte height growth and the colonization of leaves by epiphylls.
Lichens; epiphyllous organisms; Conchocarpus macrophyllus; Parque Estadual do Rio Doce