An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phorophytes. Epiphytes take part in nutrient cycles and add to both the diversity and biomass of the ecosystem in which they occur, like any other organism. They are an important source of food for many species. Typically, the older parts of a plant will have more epiphytes growing on them. Epiphytes differ from parasites in that they grow on other plants for physical support and do not necessarily affect the host negatively. An organism that grows on another organism that is not a plant may be called an epibiont. Epiphytes are usually found in the temperate zone or in the tropics. Epiphyte species make good houseplants due to their minimal water and soil requirements. Epiphytes provide a rich and diverse habitat for other organisms including animals, fungi, bacteria, and myxomycetes.
Yasuni National Park is in Ecuador with an area of 9,823 km2 between the Napo and Curaray Rivers in Napo, Pastaza, and Orellana Provinces in Amazonian Ecuador. The national park lies within the Napo moist forests ecoregion and is primarily rain forest. The park is about 250 km from Quito and was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1989. It is within the claimed ancestral territory of the Huaorani indigenous people. Yasuni is also home to two uncontacted indigenous tribes, the Tagaeri and the Taromenane. Many indigenous people use the riverways within the park as a main mode of travel. Several waterways in the area are tributaries that lead into the Amazon River, including blackwater rivers high in tannins boasting vastly different floral composition than the main riverways. The spine-covered palm, Bactrisriparia, and aquatic plant Montrichardia linifera typically line the edges of these slow moving rivers, often referred to as Igapós.
Aechmea bromeliifolia is a bromeliad native to southern Mexico, Central America, Trinidad, and South America as far south as northern Argentina.
Aechmea chantinii is a bromeliad native to the Amazon Rainforest vegetation in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Commonly known as Amazonian zebra plant, it is often used as an ornamental plant.
Aechmea nudicaulis is a bromeliad species in the genus Aechmea, which is often used as an ornamental plant. This species is native to Central America, the West Indies, central and southern Mexico, and northern and central South America.
Aechmea tillandsioides is a bromeliad widespread across southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. It is widely cultivated in other regions as an ornamental plant. This plant is cited in Flora Brasiliensis by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius.
Pristimantis orphnolaimus is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae. It is endemic to eastern Ecuador. It is sometimes known as the Lago Agrio robber frog, after its type locality, Lago Agrio. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Mulford Bateman Foster was a botanist known by many as the "Father of the Bromeliad" as he was instrumental in the discovery and introduction of many new species of Bromeliad to the United States. He also devoted his life to hybridizing and contributed widely to the knowledge of the plant species. He was a man of many talents including naturalist, explorer, writer, photographer, artist, horticulturist and a well-respected landscape architect in Florida. Numerous bromeliad plants found today are named after various Foster family members and the genus Fosterella is named in honor of his work.
Aechmea angustifolia is a plant species in the genus Aechmea. This species is native to Central America and northern South America.
Aechmea magdalenae is a flowering plant in the Bromeliaceae family. It is also known as ixtle. This species is native to Central America, southern Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador. The specific epithet magdalenae comes from the place it was discovered, the Rio Magdalenae Valley in Colombia. The long green leaves feature fierce spines and may reach about 2.5 meters tall. In nature, it is found in moist and swampy woods. The flowers are red and give way to edible fruits.
Aechmea mexicana is a plant species in the genus Aechmea. This species is native to central and southern Mexico, Central America, Colombia and Ecuador.
Aechmea corymbosa is a plant species in the genus Aechmea. This species is native to Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Ecuador.
Aechmea cucullata is a plant species in the genus Aechmea. This species is native to Colombia and Ecuador.
Aechmea dactylina is a plant species in the genus Aechmea. This species is native to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador.
Aechmea hoppii is a plant species in the genus Aechmea. This species is native to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
Aechmea nidularioides is a plant species in the genus Aechmea. This species is native to Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Aechmea penduliflora is a species of flowering plant in the Bromeliaceae family. It is native to Central America and northern South America.
Aechmea pyramidalis is a plant species in the genus Aechmea. This species is native to Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.
Aechmea retusa is a plant species in the genus Aechmea. This species is native to Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.
Aechmea tessmannii is a plant species in the genus Aechmea. This species is native to Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia.
