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The Evolution of Epiphytism

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Vascular Plants as Epiphytes

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 76))

Abstract

The evolution of epiphytism in the broadest sense and its emergence in specific taxa have received considerable attention, beginning with Schimper’s (1888) classic and insightful Die epiphytische Vegetation A merikas. Agreement remains elusive, however (e.g., Pittendrigh 1948; Benzing et al. 1985; Lüttge 1985), ancestral habitats were supposedly dark and moist or exposed and dry, depending on whether life on the forest floor or under desert-like conditions predated habitation of tree crowns. In the first case, occupancy occurred progressively up through the canopy; in the second, drier, better-illuminated sites are thought to have been necessary to accommodate transition from soil to aerial anchorage. Actually, both pathways were almost certainly followed by different lineages on separate occasions. These routes and the structures and mechanisms responsible for them are the subject of the following treatment. Also considered is the systematic occurrence of epiphytes and the ways the more prominent groups utilize tree crown habitats.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio, 44074, USA

    D. H. Benzing

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  1. D. H. Benzing
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Botanik, TH Darmstadt, Schnittspahnstraße 3–5, 6100, Darmstadt, Germany

    Ulrich Lüttge

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© 1989 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Benzing, D.H. (1989). The Evolution of Epiphytism. In: Lüttge, U. (eds) Vascular Plants as Epiphytes. Ecological Studies, vol 76. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74465-5_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74465-5_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-74467-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-74465-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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