Synopses & Reviews
This synthesis of the growing body of information from research on epiphytes and their relations with other tropical biota provides a comprehensive overview of basic functions, life history, evolution, and the place of epiphytes in complex tropical communities. Epiphytes comprise more than one-third of the tropical vascular flora in some tropical forests. Growing within tropical forest canopies, epiphytes are subject to severe environmental constraints, and their diverse adaptations make them a rich resource for studies of water balance, nutrition, reproduction and evolution.
Table of Contents
Preface; Abbreviations; Glossary; 1. Epiphytism: a preliminary overview; 2. Photosynthesis; 3. Water balance; 4. Mineral nutrition; 5. Reproduction and life history; 6. Mistletoes; 7. Ecology; 8. Epiphyte occurence; References; Author index; Subject index; Taxonomic index.