ATLANTIC EPIPHYTES: a data set of vascular and non‐vascular epiphyte plants and lichens from the Atlantic Forest

Abstract

Epiphytes are hyper‐diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non‐vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts. Our work presents the first epiphyte data set with information on abundance and occurrence of epiphyte phorophyte species. All data compiled here come from three main sources provided by the authors: published sources (comprising peer‐reviewed articles, books, and theses), unpublished data, and herbarium data. We compiled a data set composed of 2,095 species, from 89,270 holo/hemiepiphyte records, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, recorded from 1824 to early 2018. Most of the records were from qualitative data (occurrence only, 88%), well distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest. For quantitative records, the most common sampling method was individual trees (71%), followed by plot sampling (19%), and transect sampling (10%). Angiosperms (81%) were the most frequently registered group, and Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the families with the greatest number of records (27,272 and 21,945, respectively). Ferns and Lycophytes presented fewer records than Angiosperms, and Polypodiaceae were the most recorded family, and more concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern regions. Data on non‐vascular plants and lichens were scarce, with a few disjunct records concentrated in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Forest. For all non‐vascular plant records, Lejeuneaceae, a family of liverworts, was the most recorded family. We hope that our effort to organize scattered epiphyte data help advance the knowledge of epiphyte ecology, as well as our understanding of macroecological and biogeographical patterns in the Atlantic Forest. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication and teaching events.

Catalogue of the vascular epiphytic flora of Uruguay

“…The richest epiphytic families in Uruguay also match overall those found in epiphytic communities of humid subtropical areas in northeastern Argentina (Cabral & Salas 2008;Martín 2014), eastern Paraguay (Basualdo et al 2005) and southern Brazil (Gonçalves & Waechter 2003;Giongo & Waechter 2004;Buzatto et al 2008;Staudt et al 2012;Perleberg et al 2013;Matos et al 2017;Ramos et al 2019). However, in Uruguay Orchidaceae shows a lower contribution when compared with these studies, where it stands as the richest plant family.…”

“…Tillandsia stands out as the richest epiphytic genus in Uruguay, and furthermore represents an overwhelming amount of atmospheric against urn or tank bromeliads (in the rate 15:2). In moist tropical regions, this proportion is commonly inverse, i.e., there are more bromeliads with water-containing rosettes of the genera Aechmea or Vriesea (Fontoura et al 2012;Ramos et al 2019). The combination of a dense cover of water-absorbing trichomes, the waterretention in narrow and succulent leaves and the reflective surfaces of plants given by grayish tones, positions several Tillandsia-species among the most xerophytic epiphytes, allowing their occurrence in dry or enduring water-deficit environments (Benzing 1987;1990).…”

Drivers of bromeliad leaf and floral bract variation across a latitudinal gradient in the Atlantic Forest

“…The past and present environmental dynamics have a role in biome diversification and current species distribution. Vriesea (Bromeliaceae) is one of the most representative genera of Atlantic Forest epiphytes (Ramos et al, 2019), where more than 90% of its 225 species occur (BFG, 2018). Vriesea (Bromeliaceae) is one of the most representative genera of Atlantic Forest epiphytes (Ramos et al, 2019), where more than 90% of its 225 species occur (BFG, 2018).…”

“…Both the Pliocene geological processes and subsequent Pleistocene climatic oscillations and the strong gradient across its latitudinal range may lead to genetic and morphological divergence not only within species, but also within complexes of closely related taxa (Alvares, Stape, Sentelhas, de Moraes, & Sparovek, 2013;Turchetto-Zolet, Pinheiro, Salgueiro, & Palma-Silva, 2013). Vriesea (Bromeliaceae) is one of the most representative genera of Atlantic Forest epiphytes (Ramos et al, 2019), where more than 90% of its 225 species occur (BFG, 2018). Recent diversification of the genus has caused low infrageneric resolution and unclear species boundaries (Costa, Gomesda-Silva, & Wanderley, 2014;Gomes-da-Silva & Souza-Chies, 2017).…”

Estimation of metapopulation colonization rates from disturbance history and occurrence‐pattern data

“…Moreover, increasing the knowledge on how to estimate the colonization rate and dispersal range of the hyperdiverse, functionally important focal study group, epiphytes (e.g., Ramos et al. ), cannot be overestimated. Our Q2 distinguished recent colonizations from occurrences resulting from past colonization, but the lack of such knowledge could be compensated by jointly estimating the dispersal parameters and the force of colonization in Q3.…”