„Land of Confusion”
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Phone: +49 (0)441 798-3436
Fax: +49 (0)441 798-3331
Room: W4 0-048 - Adress
Universität Oldenburg
Institut für Biologie und Umweltwissenschaften
AG Funktionelle Ökologie der Pflanzen
26111 Oldenburg - How to find us
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„Land of Confusion”
Structurally dependent plants – „Land of Confusion”
Numerous plants use trees as structural support. Depending on the site of germination, growth and reproduction one can distinguish parasitic mistletoes, and the non-parasitic groups of climbing lianas and vines, nomadic vines, hemiepiphytes and epiphytes. The latter can be further subdivided into ‘true epiphytes’, or ‘holoepiphytes’, ‘facultative epiphytes’ and ‘accidental epiphytes’. Clearly, such a classification easily obscures the often gradual nature of differences and the presence of intermediates. Further confusion arises from the very inconsistent use of the terms in the literature. With detailed analyses of the literature on the one hand, and longer-term field studies we are trying to match the biology of these plants with appropriate terminology.
Selected publications
Hoeber V & Zotz G. 2022. Accidental epiphytes: Ecological insights and evolutionary implications. Ecological Monographs 92: e1527. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecm.1527
Bautista-Bello AP, Krömer T, Acebey AR, Weichgrebe L & Zotz G. 2021. Variación biológica en las aráceas trepadoras. Acta Botánica Mexicana 128: e1819. https://doi.org/10.21829/abm128.2021.1819
Zotz G, Almeda F, Arias S, Hammel B & Pansarin E. 2021. Do secondary hemiepiphytes exist? Journal of Tropical Ecology 37: 286-290. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467421000407
Zotz G, Almeda F, Bautista-Bello AP, Eskov AK, Giraldo-Cañas D, Hammel BE, Harrison RD, Köster N, Krömer T, Lowry II PP, Moran RC, Plunkett GM & Weichgrebe L. 2021. Hemiepiphytes revisited. Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics 51: 125620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2021.125620
Zotz G, Weigelt P, Kessler M, Kreft H & Taylor A. 2021. EpiList 1.0 - A global checklist of vascular epiphytes. Ecology 102: e03326. doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3326
Zotz G, Bautista AP, Kohlstruck J & Weichgrebe T. 2020. Life forms in aroids - natural variability vs. terminological confusion. Aroideana 43: 315-333.
Zotz G. 2016. Plants on Plants. The Biology of Vascular Epiphytes, Berlin Heidelberg New York, Springer.