A considerable number of plants depend on structural support by other plants. To understand their diversity and ecology, it is essential to know how strongly potential host species differ in their suitability as hosts. A new review in AoB PLANTS by Wagner et al. focuses on vascular epiphytes, i.e. structurally dependent plants that do not parasitize their hosts. Despite a longstanding interest in the topic, knowledge on the strength of their host specificity is still scanty. This is arguably due to conceptual confusion, but also because of the large complexity of the study system, which makes quantifying host specificity in the field rather challenging. The authors conclude that future research should use a more comprehensive approach by (i) determining the relative importance of various potential mechanisms acting locally and (ii) testing several proposed hypotheses regarding the relative strength of host specificity in different habitats and among different groups of structurally dependent flora.
You may also like
Evaluating the structure of epiphyte–phorophyte networks
Naranjo et al. provide a perspective on epiphyte–phorophyte networks and their placement with respect to the networks of other biotic interactions.
Dispersal and establishment of vascular epiphytes in modified landscapes
The ongoing destruction of old-growth forests puts tropical forest species, with epiphytes as a key element, under great pressure. To maintain viable epiphyte communities in fragmented landscapes, remaining habitable...
Host tree phenology affects vascular epiphytes at the physiological, demographic and community level
The processes that govern diverse tropical plant communities have rarely been studied in life-forms other than trees. Structurally dependent vascular epiphytes, a major part of tropical biodiversity, grow in a three...
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
Read this in your language
The Week in Botany
On Monday mornings we send out a newsletter of the links that have been catching the attention of our readers on Twitter and beyond. You can sign up to receive it below.