Gerhard Zotz
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View article: Diatoms as Bark Epiphytes in the Tropical Lowlands of Panama
Diatoms as Bark Epiphytes in the Tropical Lowlands of Panama Open
Diatoms are of major importance in marine and freshwater systems, but their occurrence in terrestrial situations is generally thought to be exceptional. Following up on the accidental discovery of epiphytic diatoms on bark samples in an un…
View article: Water availability and evolutionary similarity shape the global distribution of ferns with chlorophyllous spores
Water availability and evolutionary similarity shape the global distribution of ferns with chlorophyllous spores Open
About 14% of all fern species have chlorophyllous spores, which lack dormancy, have thin walls, and have a shorter viability (only a few days in some species). These spores should have limited dispersal distances and be more susceptible to…
View article: Persistent Habitat Instability and Patchiness, Sexual Attraction, Founder Events, Drift and Selection: A Recipe for Rapid Diversification of Orchids
Persistent Habitat Instability and Patchiness, Sexual Attraction, Founder Events, Drift and Selection: A Recipe for Rapid Diversification of Orchids Open
Orchidaceae is one of the most species-rich families of flowering plants, with most current diversity having evolved within the last 5 My. Patterns associated with species richness and rapid diversification have been identified but have no…
View article: Impact of Land-Use Change on Vascular Epiphytes: A Review
Impact of Land-Use Change on Vascular Epiphytes: A Review Open
Human-caused habitat conversion, degradation, and climate change threaten global biodiversity, particularly in tropical forests where vascular epiphytes—non-parasitic plants growing on other plants—may be especially vulnerable. Epiphytes p…
View article: Climbing aroids in a Mexican lowland forest
Climbing aroids in a Mexican lowland forest Open
Climbing aroids, despite their abundance in tropical forests, remain underexplored. This study is focused on species richness, abundance, density, and distribution patterns of climbing aroid community in a lowland rainforest in Los Tuxtlas…
View article: Effects of land cover and protected areas on flying insect diversity
Effects of land cover and protected areas on flying insect diversity Open
Widespread insect losses are a critical global problem. Mitigating this problem requires identifying the principal drivers across different taxa and determining which insects are covered by protected areas. However, doing so is hindered by…
View article: A Gray-Green Band Around Barro Colorado Island: Population Structure of the Inundation-Tolerant Tree <i>Annona glabra</i>
A Gray-Green Band Around Barro Colorado Island: Population Structure of the Inundation-Tolerant Tree <i>Annona glabra</i> Open
Annona glabra L. is a conspicuous component of the shoreline vegetation of Barro Colorado Island (BCI). Given that this species is restricted to such inundated habitats, all extant individuals must have established during the past 110 year…
View article: Epiphyte Research on Barro Colorado Island
Epiphyte Research on Barro Colorado Island Open
This chapter gives a historical perspective on one century of epiphyte research on Barro Colorado Island (BCI). As a starting point and reference for future work, I also provide (1) an updated species list of structurally dependent plants,…
View article: <i>Clusia uvitana</i>: A Tree-Inhabiting Tree with CAM Photosynthesis
<i>Clusia uvitana</i>: A Tree-Inhabiting Tree with CAM Photosynthesis Open
Clusia uvitana Pittier, which is a rather common hemiepiphytic tree on Barro Colorado Island, has been the focal species of a considerable number of studies. The particular interest in this species mostly stems from its use of crassulacean…
View article: <i>Dimerandra emarginata</i>: The Rare Case of a Well-Studied Tropical Epiphyte Species
<i>Dimerandra emarginata</i>: The Rare Case of a Well-Studied Tropical Epiphyte Species Open
Dimerandra emarginata is perhaps the most common epiphytic orchid on Barro Colorado Island. This species has been the subject of almost 30 publications, covering diverse biological aspects from functional morphology to demography, which ma…
View article: <i>Aspasia principissa</i>: A Showy Orchid Common in the Barro Colorado Island Understory
<i>Aspasia principissa</i>: A Showy Orchid Common in the Barro Colorado Island Understory Open
Aspasia principissa is one of the vascular epiphytes that will catch the eye of a visitor to Barro Colorado Island because this quite common orchid grows in the lower portions of tree trunks and features showy flowers during the dry season…
View article: <i>Caularthron bilamellatum</i>: A Cleistogamous, Myrmecophytic Orchid
<i>Caularthron bilamellatum</i>: A Cleistogamous, Myrmecophytic Orchid Open
The epiphytic orchid, Caularthron bilamellatum, has two particularly interesting features: it is a facultative myrmecophyte, and it is cleistogamous (i.e., most of its flowers do not open). Here, we first review published findings of its i…
View article: <i>Werauhia sanguinolenta</i>: A Conspicuous Epiphytic Tank Bromeliad
<i>Werauhia sanguinolenta</i>: A Conspicuous Epiphytic Tank Bromeliad Open
Werauhia sanguinolenta is among the largest tank bromeliads in Central Panama. Although generally not very common in the Barro Colorado Island (BCI) forest, it is a highly conspicuous element of the epiphyte assemblages on the small-statur…
View article: The Physiology of Lichens and Bryophytes in the Tropical Lowlands
The Physiology of Lichens and Bryophytes in the Tropical Lowlands Open
In moist tropical lowlands, lichens and bryophytes reach only surprisingly low abundances, whereas in tropical montane forests, they are often so conspicuous that these forests are called “mossy forests.” The physiological basis behind thi…
View article: GLOBAL BIOGEOGRAPHY AND EVOLUTIONARY DRIVERS OF FERNS WITH CHLOROPHYLLOUS SPORES
GLOBAL BIOGEOGRAPHY AND EVOLUTIONARY DRIVERS OF FERNS WITH CHLOROPHYLLOUS SPORES Open
About 14% of all fern species have chlorophyllous spores. Unlike their counterparts, chlorophyllous spores lack dormancy and have a shorter viability (i.e. only a few days in some species). Such spores should limit long-distance dispersal …
View article: Endemism Centres of the Five Richest Vascular Epiphyte Families in the Neotropics
Endemism Centres of the Five Richest Vascular Epiphyte Families in the Neotropics Open
Aim Endemic species, characterised by limited geographic ranges, face a high risk of extinction. The neotropical region harbours diverse ecosystems and a substantial number of endemic species, thus identifying areas of high endemism is cru…
View article: Upscaling biodiversity monitoring: Metabarcoding estimates 31,846 insect species from Malaise traps across Germany
Upscaling biodiversity monitoring: Metabarcoding estimates 31,846 insect species from Malaise traps across Germany Open
Mitigating ongoing losses of insects and their key functions (e.g. pollination) requires tracking large‐scale and long‐term community changes. However, doing so has been hindered by the high diversity of insect species that requires prohib…
View article: Life on the Wire—Plant Growth on Power Lines in the Americas
Life on the Wire—Plant Growth on Power Lines in the Americas Open
There are a number of rather anecdotal reports of plant growth on power cables in the Americas, but until now there has been no systematic attempt to gauge the geographical extension of this phenomenon nor a documentation of the diversity …
View article: Morphological diversity of the velamen radicum in the genus <i>Anthurium</i> (Araceae)
Morphological diversity of the velamen radicum in the genus <i>Anthurium</i> (Araceae) Open
Epiphytes develop anatomical features to improve efficiency of the uptake of water and nutrients, such as absorptive foliar scales or a velamen radicum. Despite substantial studies on the occurrence, morphology, development and phylogeny o…
View article: Lianas from lives to afterlives
Lianas from lives to afterlives Open
Tropical forests constitute the world's largest biomass carbon pool and are important global reservoirs of biodiversity, yet they are being increasingly degraded by anthropogenic activities. Evidence from American tropical forests suggests…
View article: Effects of lianas on forest biogeochemistry during their lives and afterlives
Effects of lianas on forest biogeochemistry during their lives and afterlives Open
Climate change and other anthropogenic disturbances are increasing liana abundance and biomass in many tropical and subtropical forests. While the effects of living lianas on species diversity, ecosystem carbon, and nutrient dynamics are r…
View article: Exploring alpine seedling dynamics: microsite preferences and physiological performance in the French treeline ecotone
Exploring alpine seedling dynamics: microsite preferences and physiological performance in the French treeline ecotone Open
Seedling establishment is a major bottleneck in plant community dynamics and is particularly critical for tree advance in the treeline ecotone. However, the characteristics and availability of safe sites for tree regeneration in alpine eco…
View article: Climbing aroids in a Panamanian lowland forest: We should reconsider our categories
Climbing aroids in a Panamanian lowland forest: We should reconsider our categories Open
Background In contrast to woody climbers, information on community composition or vertical extension within the forest is scarce for herbaceous climbers, even in well‐studied field sites like Barro Colorado Island. Moreover, questions rega…
View article: Detritus-filled crotches - an overlooked tree-related microhabitat in Central Europe
Detritus-filled crotches - an overlooked tree-related microhabitat in Central Europe Open
In the field of biodiversity research, tree-related microhabitats in the temperate zone have received substantial interest in the last decade, but one particular microhabitat type, crown microsoils in tree crotches, has largely escaped the…
View article: The Velamen Radicum Is Common in the Genus Anthurium, Both in the Epiphytic and Terrestrial Species
The Velamen Radicum Is Common in the Genus Anthurium, Both in the Epiphytic and Terrestrial Species Open
The velamen radicum, a rhizodermis that consists of dead cells at maturity, is often described as typical for epiphytic aroids. Such claims are surprising on two grounds: (1) there are hardly any data on this trait for aroids and (2) the l…
View article: A new approach to an old problem: how to categorize the habit of ferns and lycophytes
A new approach to an old problem: how to categorize the habit of ferns and lycophytes Open
Background and Aims Substrate preferences are often treated as species traits and are used to distinguish different habits, i.e. an epiphytic, lithophytic or terrestrial habit. Such a categorization, however, ignores substantial intraspeci…
View article: Phylogenetic diversity and the structure of host-epiphyte interactions across the Neotropics
Phylogenetic diversity and the structure of host-epiphyte interactions across the Neotropics Open
Understanding the mechanisms driving community assembly has been a major focus of ecological research for nearly a century, yet little is known about these mechanisms in commensal communities, particularly with respect to their historical/…