Dissertation Research: Distribution and Abundance of Vascular Epiphytes in Tropical Wet Forests: a Multiscale Analysis

0072924 Chazdon本论文的研究是一个多尺度分析的维管附生植物群落在热带潮湿的森林东北部的哥斯达黎加。本研究将在三个尺度上研究维管附生植物的分布和丰度与其环境的关系：（1）在单个树冠内，侧重于树冠小气候变化的影响，（2）在树种之间，侧重于小气候和树种特征的影响，（3）在海拔梯度之间，侧重于树种特征和大气候变化的影响。这项研究将在拉塞尔瓦生物站的低地热带雨林和布劳利奥卡里略国家公园沿着相邻森林海拔梯度进行。在La Selva，这项工作将研究微环境因素和宿主树特性对总维管真菌多样性，物种组成和丰富的内部和之间的三个常见的树冠树种的影响。沿着海拔梯度从30至3000米，这项研究将探讨宏观环境因素，可能与两个主要的附生植物群：凤梨科和蕨类植物的物种组成。这项研究将大大有助于我们的知识维管附生植物群落，附生植物多样性与宿主树木，和生态分布的附生植物冠层微环境和树木的特点。

0072924ChazdonThis dissertation research is a multiscale analysis of vascular epiphyte communities in tropical wet forests of northeastern Costa Rica. This study will examine distribution and abundance of vascular epiphytes in relation to their environment at three scales: (1) within individual tree crowns, focusing on the effects of variation in canopy microclimate, (2) among tree species, focusing on the effects of microclimate and tree species characteristics, and (3) among an elevation gradient, focusing on the effects of tree species characteristics and macroclimatic variation. The study will occur in lowland tropical rainforest at La Selva Biological Station and along the adjacent forested elevation gradient in Braulio Carrillo National Park. At La Selva, this work will examine the effects of microenvironmental factors and host tree characteristics on total vascular epiphyte diversity, species composition, and abundance within and among three common canopy tree species. Along the elevation gradient from 30 to 3000 meters, this study will examine macroenvironmental factors that may be linked to species composition in two major epiphyte groups: Bromleiaceae and Pteridophytes. This research will contribute substantially to our knowledge of vascular epiphyte communities, epiphyte diversity in relation to host trees, and ecological distributions of epiphytes with respect to canopy microenvironment and tree characteristics.