Transplantion of epiphytes between two Semideciduous Seasonal Forests for enrichment of restored forest

Abstract

The Atlantic Forest has been disturbed and fragmented for hundreds of years, what leads to the need to perform programs of ecological restoration. One way to enrich restored areas rarely practiced, although of great importance, is the introduction of non-arboreal life forms, as epiphytes. Epiphytes are plants that grow on other plants (phorophytes) throughout their lifes. They play very important ecological role due to performing nutrient cycling and providing microenvironments, fruit and nectar to other forms of life. Features of phorophytes, of climate and of microclimate influence the local diversity of epiphytes. The aim of this work is to assess if six species of Bromeliaceae, Orchidaceae and Cactaceae obtained from one area of Seasonal Semideciduous Forest to be depleted will be able to survive and grow when transplanted to six different species of phorophytes in a Seasonal Semideciduous Forest that has been restored for 11 years . Thus, the collected epiphytes will be transplanted to 30 individuals of six different species of host trees: two of them evergreen and four of them deciduous and semideciduous, and with different bark roughness. Observations shall be taken in the end of each season during one year. Data analysis will enable us to rank epiphytic species according to their survival and growth in different types of phorophytes; to rank phorophytes according to the number of individuals and species of epiphytes that survived and grew on them; to determine if there was preference of groups of epiphyte for groups of phorophytes; and to suggest practices for transplantation of epiphytes from native forests about to be legally depleted to forests in process of restoration.