Vascular epiphytes in a woodland savanna forest in southeastern Brazil1

Abstract

We studied the floristic composition, the abundance, and the vertical distribution pattern of the vascular epiphyte community of a woodland savanna forest fragment in the municipality of Bauru, State of Saõ Paulo, southeastern Brazil. We sampled 533 specimens of vascular epiphytes of 17 species from 12 genera and four families: Bromeliaceae, Cactaceae, Orchidaceae, and Polypodiaceae. The families Bromeliaceae and Polypodiaceae were the richest in species and the most abundant. We observed that most epiphyte individuals concentrate in the high-trunk stratum. We attribute the low species richness and low abundance of epiphytes observed in the woodland savanna to the existence of a climatic seasonality characterized by a season of low rainfall that limits colonization by a large number of species and individuals. We believe that humidity and solar irradiation determine the vertical distribution pattern of epiphytes in the woodland savanna.