Epiphyte Communities of the Swan Valley, Montana

Epiphyte communities in low-elevation conifer forests of the Swan Valley of western Montana appear to respond to complex gradients of canopy structure and density, null age, and moisture. Epiphytes read the environment differently than do vascular plants. Specifically, null age and moisture gradients that are reflected in the vascular vegetation are differently expressed by epiphytes. Epiphytes tend to equate young stands with dry stands and old...