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Epiphytes of Pirongia

19/12/2013

Welcome to the last epiphyte blog post for 2013. It has been a great year and we're going to finish it off with a photo post from the epiphyte treasure-trove that is the Pirongia Forest Park in western Waikato.

Pirongia te Aroaro o Kahu Restoration Society care for this special maunga and you can read more about it on their website.

Kapuka (Griselinia littoralis). Photo: C. Kirby.

Veined bristle fern (Polyphlebium venosum). Photo: C. Kirby.

Karuwhai (Rumohra adiantiformis). Photo: C. Kirby.

Kohurangi (Brachyglottis kirkii var. kirkii). Photo: C. Kirby.

View from the summit :) Photo: C. Kirby.

This is the last post for the year - look out for more in January 2014 along with a revamped website. Happy holidays!

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How might epiphytic ferns defend against herbivore attack?

12/12/2013

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This was something I had never considered until reading this article by Koptur and colleagues. These researchers studied the epiphytic fern Pleopeltis crassinervata in cloud forest of Veracruz, Mexico. This species is related to our ngārara wehi (Pyrrosia eleagnifoia) and was found to employ bodyguards to keep nasty herbivores away!

Pleopeltis crassinervata on host tree. Insert: foliage with scale bar = 1cm. Photos: J. Morales & Koptur et al. (2013).

Pleopeltis crassinervata is one of many plants that produces nectar in glands outside of flowers (click here for more info). Nectaries on the leaves of this fern produce nectar that attracts ants.

Nectar droplet on the upperside of a Pleopeltis crassinervata leaf. Scale bar = 1 mm. Photo: Koptur et al. (2013).

The ants then repay their host for this tasty meal with defence services against hungry caterpillars. Koptur et al. (2013) found that plants with healthy, functioning nectaries had fewer caterpillars browsing on their leaves and that the bodyguard ants were often responsible for attacking, removing or killing them.

One species of caterpillar that has to contend with the ants that protect Pleopeltis crassinervata: Leptophobia aripa. Photo: Koptur et al. (2013).

So that is how it is done in Mexico, now I wonder if any of New Zealand's epiphytes have similarly clever tactics?

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Epiphyte hunting in Taranaki

5/12/2013

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This week I've been lucky enough to help with some PhD field work in Taranaki. It had nothing to do with epiphytes but I still took the opportunity to go a-hunting! Here are some of my favourite shots:

An epiphyte-laden titoki in New Plymouth City. Photo: C. Kirby.

Abundant Drymoanthus adversus with many epiphytes in the background. Photo: C. Kirby.

Water stored in Collospermum hastatum. Photo: C. Kirby.

Brachyglottis kirkii var. kirkii emerging from the leaves of a Collospermum nest epiphyte on a fallen tree. Most of the epiphytes had died but this hardy shrub was still going. Photo: C. Kirby.

A thick mat of Ichthyostomum pygmaeum. Photo: C. Kirby.

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Catherine Kirby

I work with NZ's native vascular epiphytes at the University of Waikato. I completed an MSc on epiphyte ecology and the shrub epiphyte Griselinia lucida and have recently published the Field Guide to NZ's Epiphytes, Vines & Mistletoes.

For me, the highlights of epiphyte research are the many unknowns, the amazing way that these plants survive in the canopy, and of course tree climbing!

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Epiphytes of Pirongia

How might epiphytic ferns defend against herbivore attack?

Epiphyte hunting in Taranaki

Subscribe to NZ Epiphyte Blog:

Catherine Kirby

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