VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION OF BROMELIADS IN A MONTANE FOREST IN THE EASTERN CORDILLERA OF THE COLOMBIAN ANDES

摘要

During a study of the vertical distribution of bromeliads and their biomass in a montane forest near Bogota, Colombia, the authors found, at a 0.1 ha site, 4395 bromeliads with a biomass of 0.9 tons. Species making up the community were Guzmania gloriosa, Racinaea tetrantha, Tillandsia biflora, T. complcmata, T. fendleri, and T. turneri. Differences in the morphometric variables used to determine age classes (i.e., dry weight, coverage, height, leaf length, and tank basal perimeter) were significantin all species except for number of leaves. Of the total, 62.3% of the bromeliad individuals belonged to immature age class 1, followed by adults (classes 3 and 4) with 24.3%. Adult biomass accounted for 74.6% of the total. The bromeliad community, populations, and age classes had an aggregated vertical distribution pattern in terms of biomass and number of individuals, mainly in the middle and high strata of the forest. Tillandsia turneri had the highest accumulated biomass (47%) and was the most abundant species (62.3%). Mean biomass per individual was highest in T. fendleri (87.4 g). Bromeliad individuals show a tendency to be near the main phorophyte axis. A strong correlation was found between abundance and biomass of bromeliads and the phorophyteheight, crown coverage, and circumference breast height.