Existing epiphytes in the forest of the tripical garden at the Luis Vargas Torres Technical University

Abstract

The present work aims to know about the recovery of epiphytic species that develop in: Tabebuia rosea (pink guaycan    ), Tabebuia crhysanta  (yellow Guayacán), Samanea saman  (saman), Platimiscium pinnatum  (Mahogany), Hura crepitans  (purgative seed), Spathodea campanulata (African tulip),  Cassia fistula  (fistula) cane), Genipa americana  (jagua) and fruit  species, Mangifera indica  (mango),  Artocarpus altilis (breadfruit), the same ones that were planted in 1990, are currently more than 18 meters high, it was proposed to identify which of the species  Selected house the largest number of species and epiphytic individuals, to comply with this, each tree was divided into four layers, the first stratum was located, from the base of the tree to where it is observed that its roots give way to the trunk of the species. the second stratum starts from the termination of the roots until the beginning of the first branch of each tree, the third stratum is located from where the first branch ends, to the second branch, the fourth stratum is located from the second branch to where the crown culminates, this stratification was based on the methodology proposed by Johansson (1974), which was modified, which facilitated the location and counting of epiphytes. Of each selected species, a tree was located, after the investigation, 1,285 epiphytes were found, located in 13 genera grouped into 5 families: Bromeliaceae, Cactaceae, Araceae, Orchidaceae and Polypodiaceae, applying alpha diversity, it was determined that in the Tropical Garden it is a moderately diverse area that day after day the species are increasing. Of these, the most abundant and best distributed species is the Guzmania monostachia, and the area where the largest number of species is found is the intermediate, that is, from the first to the second branch.