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Large variations in composition and spatial distribution of epiphyte biomass on large trees in a tropical montane forest of northern Thailand

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Abstract

Large amounts of epiphytic matter (EM), which comprises living epiphytes and canopy humus, play important roles in tropical montane forests. However, little is known about the composition and spatial distribution of EM in tropical Asia because the tall and complex tree structures have hampered direct and precise measurements of EM. Using the three-dimensional mapping method, we examined the composition and distribution of EM on three large trees and estimated the EM mass in a tropical montane forest in northern Thailand. EM mass per unit cover area (mean dry weight ± SE) varied widely among their physiognomies from 80.0 ± 12.7 g m−2 in sparse bryophytes, to 5882 ± 1451 g m−2 in orchid mats composed mainly of vascular epiphytes and canopy humus. With the increase of tree size, the EM mass on individual trees increased from 73.4 to 480.9 kg, and the proportions of vascular epiphytes and canopy humus to the total EM mass increased, whereas that of bryophytes decreased. The proportions of bryophytes and canopy humus varied among positions within the tree crown, and the distribution pattern of EM within the tree crown was different between the trees. Although the number of sample trees was small, our study provides an evidence that large trees contribute to the accumulation of a large mass of EM attributed to developments of vascular epiphytes and canopy humus.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Tsutomu Irie and Akihiro Tode, professional arborists, for their technical instructions related to tree climbing and for assistance during our field surveys. We also thank Jackpan, Chukiet, and Somkuan for support in conducting our fieldwork. The National Research Council of Thailand gave us permission to conduct research in Doi Inthanon National Park. Staff members of Doi Inthanon National Park maintained good conditions for our field research. This study was supported by Grants-in-Aids (Nos. 20405008, 22405023, and 24255007) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan

    Akira Nakanishi & Mamoru Kanzaki

  2. Faculty of Agricultural Production, Maejo University, Chiang Mai, 50290, Thailand

    Witchaphart Sungpalee

  3. Faculty of Architecture and Environmental Design, Maejo University, Chiang Mai, 50290, Thailand

    Kriangsak Sri-ngernyuang

Authors
  1. Akira Nakanishi
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  2. Witchaphart Sungpalee
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  3. Kriangsak Sri-ngernyuang
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  4. Mamoru Kanzaki
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Correspondence to Akira Nakanishi.

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Communicated by Joy Nystrom Mast.

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Nakanishi, A., Sungpalee, W., Sri-ngernyuang, K. et al. Large variations in composition and spatial distribution of epiphyte biomass on large trees in a tropical montane forest of northern Thailand. Plant Ecol 217, 1157–1169 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-016-0640-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-016-0640-7

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