Vascular epiphytes and climbing plants diversity in an agroforestal landscape in southern Chile: a comparison among native forest fragments

Vascular epiphytes and climbing plants diversity in an agroforestal landscape in southern Chile: a comparison among native forest fragments. We compared the diversity of vines and vascular epiphytes among an evergreen forest fragment (Laureliopsis philippiana y Eucryphia cordifolia) and four fragments of secondary forest dominated for Nothofagus obliqua in an agro-forestry matrix landscape localized in the coastal range of Osorno, in Chile. Based on a sampling transects with ground-based observations, we obtained the species richness, floristic composition, frequency of occurrence (fo) and forest structure. The results showed that: (1) the richness was higher in the evergreen forest (19 species) and decreased in the fragments of N. obliqua (16 to 10 species), (2) the Hymenophyllaceae family (epiphytes) was the most diverse group (10 species), and presented more fo in the evergreen fragment, (3) vines increased their fo in the fragments of N. obliqua, (4) four and five species were found only in evergreen forest and N. obliqua, respectively, (5) floristic similarity ranged between 38% and 75%, (6) the state of forest development varied among forest communities. We conclude that changes in species diversity occur as a result of changes in forest structure