Vascular epiphytes in Taiwan and their potential response to climate change Hsu, CC

180 Pages·2017·7.29 MB·English

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Vascular epiphytes in Taiwan and their potential response to climate change
Hsu, R.C.C.
Publication date
2013
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Final published version
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Citation for published version (APA):
Hsu, R. C. C. (2013). Vascular epiphytes in Taiwan and their potential response to climate
change. [Thesis, externally prepared, Universiteit van Amsterdam].
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Download date:18 Mar 2023
Vascular epiphytes in Taiwan and their
potential response to climate change
Rebecca C.-C. Hsu
2013
UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM
Cover: The epiphytic fern 
Polypodiumformosanumgrowing 
on a blue glass ball (representing 
the Earth) to express that species' 
response to climate change is 
anentangledquestion.
Back cover: A common scenery of 
montanecloud forests in the 
afternoon on Taiwan.
Vascular epiphytes in Taiwan and their
potential response to climate change
Hsu, R. C.‐C. 2013. Vascular epiphytes in Taiwan and their potential response to
climate change.

PhD thesis, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Cover layout: Rebecca C.‐C. Hsu
Cover illustration: Rebecca C.‐C. Hsu
ISBN: 978‐94‐91407‐12‐3
Vascular epiphytes in Taiwan and their
potential response to climate change

ACADEMISCH PROEFSCHRIFT

ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor
aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam
op gezag van de Rector Magnificus
prof. dr. D.C. van den Boom
ten overstaan van een door het college voor promoties ingestelde commissie,
in het openbaar te verdedigen in de Agnietenkapel
op dinsdag 10 september 2013, te 10.00 uur

door
Rebecca Chia‐Chun Hsu
geboren te HsinChu, Taiwan
Promotiecommissie

Promotores: Prof. dr. G.R. de Snoo
Prof. dr. J.H.D. Wolf
Copromotores: Dr. J.G.B. Oostermeijer
Dr. W.L.M. Tamis

Overige leden: Dr. J.F. Duivenvoorden
Prof. dr. H. Hooghiemstra
Prof. dr. S.B.J. Menken
Dr. N. Raes
Prof. dr. P.H. van Tienderen

Faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Informatica
CONTENTS

1 General Introduction 6

2 Diversity and phytogeography of vascular epiphytes in a tropical‐subtropical
transition island, Taiwan
(Flora 204(8), 2009, pp. 612‐627) 16

3 Regional and altitudinal patterns in vascular epiphyte richness on an East Asian
island 30

4 Canopy CO concentrations and crassulacean acid metabolism in Hoya carnosa
2
in a subtropical rain forest in Taiwan: consideration of CO availability and the
2
evolution of CAM in epiphytes
(Photosynthetica 44(1), 2006, pp. 130‐135) 48

5 Comparative photosynthetic capacity of abaxial and adaxial leaf sides as related
to exposure in an epiphytic fern in a subtropical rainforest in northeastern
Taiwan
(American Fern Journal 99(3), 2009, pp. 145-154) 60

6 Adaptation of a widespread epiphytic fern to simulated climate‐change
conditions 70

7 Simulating climate change impacts on forests and associated vascular epiphytes
in a subtropical island of East Asia
(Diversity and Distributions 18(4), 2012, pp. 334-347) 86

8 Conclusions 108
REFERENCES 115
APPENDIX 1 139
APPENDIX 2 149
SUMMARY 159
總結 163
SAMENVATTING 169
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 175
Chapter 1
General Introduction
The medium (category‐2) typhoon Morakot
(2009) brought 2777 mm rainfall in 72 h, causing 
catastrophic damage. Numerous uprooted trees 
and associated epiphytes were brought by floods 
to the coast.
CHAPTER 1
General Introduction
The distribution of vascular epiphytes
Epiphytic plants are a characteristic component of the tropical wet forest (Benzing, 1990). In
this thesis, epiphytes are defined, following Barkman (1958), as organisms that grow on plants
without extracting water or nutrients from hosts’ living tissues. Unlike parasitic plants,
epiphytic plants are autotrophic depending only on their hosts for anchorage whilst obtaining
essential resources by intercepting dry and wet depositions (e.g. dust, litter, rainfall and fog). It
is not rare to find so‐called accidental epiphytes growing on other plants; however, those are
mostly unable to reproduce in the canopy (Moffett, 2000).
The focus in this thesis is on vascular epiphytic plants, whereas many other organisms
such as bryophytes and lichens can also be found growing as epiphytes in the forest canopy.
Based on their life history, vascular epiphytes can be classified into true epiphytes
(holo‐epiphytes) and hemi‐epiphytes (Schimper, 1888). The former complete their entire life
cycle without contacting the forest floor, whilst individuals of the latter spend part of their life
cycle as terrestrial plants. The epiphytic life‐form is a successful adaptation of plants to the
forest canopy, comprising ca. 29,000 species, or approximately 10% of all vascular plants, in 83
different families and 876 genera (Gentry and Dodson, 1987a). Epiphytes are unevenly
distributed over taxonomic groups and geographic locations. The epiphyte flora is
concentrated in monocotyledons, especially orchids, bromeliads and aroids, and in ferns and
fern‐allies (Benzing, 1990). With few exceptions, epiphytic vascular plants are mainly found in
the tropical region (< 23.5° latitude). In contrast to the Neotropics, paleotropical areas lack
several species‐rich epiphytic families (e.g. Bromeliaceae, Cactaceae and Marcgraviaceae) and
have received less attention from botanists. Especially from Asia, epiphyte inventories are still
rare (Wolf and Flamenco‐S, 2003).
Whereas epiphyte richness generally decreases with latitude, numerous studies have
reported a different pattern in richness along the altitudinal gradient on mountains. Apparently
epiphytes (and many other organisms) achieve greatest diversity at mid‐elevations although the
altitudinal position of the diversity maximum may vary among geographical areas (Wolf and
Flamenco‐S, 2003; McCain, 2004; Kromer et al., 2005; Cardelus et al., 2006; Laurance et al.,
2011). Some studies (e.g. Cardelus et al., 2006) suggest that the observed hump‐shape in species
richness can best be explained by a null distribution (i.e. the mid‐domain effect, MDE). The
MDE arises from geographic constraints on species ranges within a bounded domain (e.g.
7