These are different types of research carried out by EpIG members, producing
new data for EpIG-DB and answering different questions at the local scale.
Ecology, ecophysiology, and asexual reproduction of Vriesea flava
(Bromeliaceae), a very rare epiphytic species
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Contact: Vinicius José Silva Barbosa Moreira (PhD student)
Universidade Federal de Alfenas, Instituto de Ciências Naturais, Brasil. 
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Tropical biomes, renowned for their species diversity, have suffered significant devastation over the centuries due to the conversion of forests into pastures and crops, disrupting ecosystem balance. Rare and endemic species are especially vulnerable to habitat loss and human activities, facing a higher extinction risk than widespread species. These impacts, including effects on pollination and seed dispersal, are often subtle.
Epiphytic plants, which can represent over 50% of plant species richness in some regions, are particularly diverse. Bromeliaceae, a Neotropical epiphytic family, is notable for its species diversity. These bromeliads rely on various pollinators such as birds, insects, and bats, and their distribution in humid tropical forests is closely tied to water availability and microhabitat moisture. High-intensity sunlight can harm bromeliads, especially in early stages. In Machado, a small population of the threatened epiphytic species Vriesea flava (Bromeliaceae) exists in a single forest fragment. Given its rarity and limited distribution, understanding its biological characteristics is crucial for conservation. This project aims to comprehensively study the ecology and ecophysiology of V. flava to support its population increase and reintroduction into nearby forests. We will examine V. flava’s presence, population dynamics, reproductive ecology, and responses to stress from light intensity and moisture variations |
Big size, big responsibility: Key traits in the epiphytic orchid-host
interaction network in a Peruvian montane cloud forest
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Epiphytic orchids are vital and threatened components of tropical rainforests, relying heavily on their host trees. These interactions can be described as networks in which specific hosts stand out and make possible the prevalence of the majority of epiphyte species occurring in an area, and this can be quantified by a parameter called "strength". Hosts allow the successful establishment of epiphytes, and this capacity is related to certain eco-morphological traits. This work aims to determine these traits in a network of interactions between epiphytic orchids and canopy and understory hosts in a montane cloud forest in Pasco at 2300 m asl. We recorded the diversity and abundance of orchids on various hosts, and their eco-morphological traits. Our findings indicate that larger trees with more moss provide better habitats for orchids due to more diverse microhabitats promoting the complexity of interactions with epiphytic species. This highlights the importance of specific host traits in supporting epiphytic orchid communities.
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Contact: Gabriela Garcia-Reynaga (PhD student)
Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad (CORBIDI), División de Ecología Vegetal, Perú 
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Influence of anthropogenic disturbance on the diversity of vascular epiphytes in remnant forests of the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Cusco - Peru
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The vulnerability and fragmentation of terrestrial ecosystems, such as the inter-Andean valleys, have heightened the risk of biodiversity extinction. The Sacred Valley of the Incas, with its complex geomorphology and micro-valleys, is experiencing significant biodiversity loss due to expanding agriculture and population growth. The remaining forests, once lush with vegetation, are now reduced to small patches. Vascular epiphytes, which depend on trees and are sensitive to microclimate changes, are particularly threatened.
This study aims to evaluate the impact of human disturbance on the diversity of vascular epiphytes in the remnant forests of the Sacred Valley in Cusco, Peru, a seasonally dry tropical forest at 3450 m. asl. We will assess the richness and abundance of vascular epiphytes in five remnant forests, surveying all trees in 35 20x20m plots. |
Anthropogenic disturbance variables will be categorized using ground truthing and a shapefile of land use cover. We will calculate the percentage of cover for different categories within radii of 100, 200, 300, and 400 meters from each plot's centre, using a multi-scale landscape approach. To determine the effects of human activity, forest structure, and mesoclimate on epiphyte diversity, we will use generalized linear mixed models with species abundance and richness as dependent variables. This research will help us understand how anthropogenic factors influence biodiversity and inform conservation strategies for these vulnerable ecosystems.
Commensalistic epiphyte-phorophyte networks in Brazilian Atlantic Forest
ecosystems
Contact: Talitha Mayumi Francisco.
Instituto Nacional da Mata Atlântica - INMA. Vascular epiphytes grow on other plants (host trees) without parasitizing them, using them as structural support. These relationships, both horizontally (among host tree species) and vertically (from the trunk base to crown), can be analyzed as ecological networks using metrics like nestedness, connectance, specialization, modularity, and robustness to describe the commensalistic interaction. Understanding these network properties helps us grasp the patterns of epiphyte-host tree interactions and the roles of each species. This is crucial for managing and conserving species, especially vulnerable groups like vascular epiphytes on inselbergs, which are highly threatened ecosystems. This study aims to investigate the horizontal and vertical interaction patterns between epiphytes and host trees in the Atlantic Forest, focusing on forests and inselbergs, and identify the factors shaping these interactions. |
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Tropical inselbergs as ecological refuges for vascular epiphytes
Contact: David R. Couto.
Instituto Nacional da Mata Atlântica - INMA Inselbergs (isolated mountains) are geographically isolated habitats with strong environmental filters, harbouring many endemic and threatened species. A little-know vegetative component of inselberg vegetation worldwide are vascular epiphytes. This project aims to identify the epiphytic flora associated with woody vegetation and forest islands in Brazilian Atlantic Forest inselbergs, originally surrounded by seasonal forest. Specifically, we want: (1) to characterise the taxonomic composition of the vascular epiphytic flora and its host trees, as well as to evaluate the presence of threatened, exotic, and rare species and their geographic distribution; (2) to examine the importance of microhabitats in structuring the epiphyte community; and (3) to determine the relative importance of host tree association, environmental conditions, and space in explaining the relative abundances and diversity of epiphytes. The output will provide baseline information about the role of inselbergs in the conservation of epiphytic flora, as well as expand the knowledge on the distribution patterns of epiphytic communities in the Atlantic Forest, contributing to the conservation of this biological group and tropical inselbergs. |
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Spatial and temporal dynamics of vascular epiphytes
from the Andes to the Amazon
Contact: Edith Rosario Clemente Arenas (PhD student).
Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Perú. Neotropical forests are highly diverse, with the Andes creating various habitats along elevation gradients. Epiphytes, which grow on trees for support, thrive in these forests by exploiting the vertical gradients of light, moisture, and nutrients. These forests, from the treeline through cloud forests to the Amazonian lowlands, host a wide variety of vascular epiphytes adapted to different conditions of temperature, humidity, and light at each elevation, adding to the ecosystem's complexity and richness.
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This project will study vascular epiphyte diversity in the Kósñipata Valley, Cusco, Peru. We will evaluate their spatial and temporal dynamics, examining how epiphyte species richness and abundance change over time (tree age) and space (elevation) across three elevational belts. We will also investigate the factors limiting epiphyte establishment, growth and maintenance along the forest-puna ecotone (treeline), providing insight into the mechanisms regulating epiphyte biodiversity and their potential responses to environmental changes.
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Climb high or die tryin’ - Testing epiphyte limits at the treeline
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Contact: Helena Bertelmann (Master student).
Phillips University of Marburg, Germany. Epiphytes—non-parasitic plants that grow on other plants—are vital to tropical biodiversity, yet their responses to environmental change remain unclear. This research examines the impact of substrate type and microclimatic conditions on epiphyte survival and growth at the treeline in the southern Peruvian Andes, a critical zone where forest meets puna grasslands. I first surveyed the distribution of natural epiphytes across trees, rocks, and soil to assess species richness and abundance by substrate. Then, I conducted a transplantation experiment, relocating individuals of five epiphyte species onto different substrates to evaluate survival and growth over time. In a second experiment, I isolated microclimatic effects by moving epiphyte-bearing branches from the cloud forest to the open puna, maintaining the same substrate. I track microenvironmental variables and assess plant responses over time. These experiments aim to clarify how physical and climatic factors limit epiphyte persistence at high elevations, providing insights into their vulnerability and adaptive capacity under climate change—an increasingly urgent concern in tropical montane ecosystems. |
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Influence of substrate use on the distribution of vascular epiphytes
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Contact: Jan Gerber (Master student).
Phillips University of Marburg, Germany. Research carried out in cooperation with the "Jardín Botánico de Medellín", Medellín, Colombia. (Reserve "El Centello"). Vascular epiphytes, plants that germinate and complete their lifecycle on other plants without establishing contact with the ground, are distributed in the tropical regions of our planet, with their highest diversity located in the Neotropics. The distribution of epiphytes is typically dictated by factors such as climate and precipitation, which is also reflected in their traits for water preservation and efficiency. Epiphytic species, despite their definition, are also able to inhabit other substrates, such as rocks (lithophytic) and soil (terrestrial). The fluctuation in substrate use is not known for many epiphytes. Here, I observe how substrate-specific epiphytes from the families Araceae, Orchidaceae, Gesneriaceae, Bromeliaceae, and Piperaceae differ in the understory of an Andean cloud forest. Further investigation into the root traits of epiphytic and terrestrial individuals of six species will reveal whether the difference in substrate use is translated into morphological adaptations. Additionally, the impact of substrate plasticity on the extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) will be examined to determine if plasticity in the use of different substrates influences the distribution of vascular epiphytes. |
Unravelling the impact of habitat loss and fragmentation
on orchids across spatial scales
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Land-use change is a major driver of plant species extirpation and community homogenization across the Neotropics. Habitat loss, fragmentation, and edge effects reshape natural landscapes, reducing suitable habitat area and exposing populations to altered environmental conditions. However, biodiversity responses to these processes are highly context-dependent, varying across spatial scales and ecological settings. Understanding how landscape structure influences species distributions is essential for improving conservation strategies.
This project will assess the impact of habitat loss and fragmentation on orchid populations across the Neotropics using a multiscale modelling framework. We will quantify forest cover, patch number and edge density across multiple spatial extents to identify the scale at which landscape drivers will most strongly affect orchid occurrences. By integrating species records with elevational gradients and transformed landscapes, we will evaluate how structural landscape changes will shape orchid distributions. Focusing on Orchidaceae — one of the most diverse and charismatic plant families in the region — this study will provide a spatially explicit framework to support conservation planning. Given their relevance under IUCN assessments and CITES regulations, orchids will serve as a model to inform land-sharing, land-sparing and restoration initiatives under ongoing habitat transformation. |
Contact: Edicson Parra Sanchez.
Cambridge University. |
General structural patterns and simulated dynamics of epiphyte–host
networks in the Neotropics
Contact: Hai-Xia Hu (PhD student).
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden. |
Ecological networks provide a powerful framework to understand community assembly and stability. Interactions between epiphytes and their host trees form commensalistic networks, in which epiphytes use hosts solely for structural support. While previous local studies suggest that epiphyte–host networks are highly nested and weakly modular, a general structural pattern at large spatial scales remains untested. Establishing whether commensalistic networks differ systematically from mutualistic and antagonistic networks will improve our understanding of biotic interaction theory.
This project will investigate the general structure and dynamics of epiphyte–host networks across the Neotropics using continental-scale data from EpIG-DB. We will construct interaction networks by integrating epiphyte assemblages and host trees and will compare their structural properties — including connectance, nestedness and modularity — with those of mutualistic and antagonistic networks. Species roles will be assessed using centrality and modularity metrics to characterise network organisation. The project will provide the first large-scale assessment of structural patterns and stability thresholds in epiphyte–host networks across the Neotropics. |
Data shortfalls on vascular epiphytes in the Neotropics
Contact: Maria Judith Carmona-Higuita (PhD student).
Faculty of Biology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany. |
Leading researchers
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Biased biodiversity data availability will continue to limit our understanding of ecology, evolution and conservation in tropical ecosystems. Vascular epiphytes represent nearly 10% of the world’s vascular flora and up to 39% in the Neotropics, yet around 20% of species in this region are threatened with extinction. Despite their ecological importance, vascular epiphytes remain among the least studied plant groups, with significant taxonomic and geographic knowledge gaps.
This project will assess the extent and spatial distribution of biodiversity data shortfalls for the five most species-rich epiphyte families — Araceae, Bromeliaceae, Orchidaceae, Piperaceae and Polypodiaceae — using more than 500,000 occurrence records. We will evaluate taxonomic and geographic sampling biases at a 30-arc-minute resolution across biogeographic provinces by applying species accumulation curves and survey completeness analyses.
We expect to identify substantial disparities in data coverage, including under-sampled regions and families with pronounced knowledge gaps. By mapping hotspots of taxonomic and geographic shortfalls across the Neotropics, this study will provide a spatially explicit assessment of scientific uncertainty. The results will inform priorities for herbarium data curation, targeted field surveys and strengthened collaboration with local institutions, ultimately improving biodiversity assessments and conservation planning for vascular epiphytes.
This project will assess the extent and spatial distribution of biodiversity data shortfalls for the five most species-rich epiphyte families — Araceae, Bromeliaceae, Orchidaceae, Piperaceae and Polypodiaceae — using more than 500,000 occurrence records. We will evaluate taxonomic and geographic sampling biases at a 30-arc-minute resolution across biogeographic provinces by applying species accumulation curves and survey completeness analyses.
We expect to identify substantial disparities in data coverage, including under-sampled regions and families with pronounced knowledge gaps. By mapping hotspots of taxonomic and geographic shortfalls across the Neotropics, this study will provide a spatially explicit assessment of scientific uncertainty. The results will inform priorities for herbarium data curation, targeted field surveys and strengthened collaboration with local institutions, ultimately improving biodiversity assessments and conservation planning for vascular epiphytes.
EpIG is funded by:
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Design and content by Glenda Mendieta-Leiva, Derio Antonio Jiménez López, Maria Judith Carmona Higuita and contributors (previously: Rosa María Villanueva Espinoza & Helena Einzmann).