Bromeliad Habitats of South Florida
 

South Florida has a subtropical climate, with prononced wet and dry
seasons. A mixture of temperate and tropical plants and animals are
found in a variety of communities. South Florida lies at, or just
slightly above sea level, and changes in altitude of only a few feet
can result in dramatic changes in plant communities.

The everglades region is primarily a saw-grass marsh with slight
elevations in its limestone rock foundation. These "hammocks" have
communities of tropical hardwoods, which support many of Florida's
native bromeliads.
Bromeliads can also be found in sloughs (deeper and wetter areas)
containing cypress swamps, in dwarf cypress domes among the praire
ecosystem, or in the drier, upland pine flatwoods. Large areas of
these unique areas are protected in southern Florida, but development
and man made hydrological changes have threatened many of these areas
not under public control.

Epiphytic bromeliads have highly restricted habitat preferences based
on their ability to absorb mineral nutrients from specific
environments. Some species are only found where canopy and humidity
conditions are just right. Bromeliads generally prefer moist habitats
that are well lit, although they vary by species, and most are found
near rivers, lakes and ponds.
Bromeliads will rarely colonize all potential host plants within a
habitat. Florida's species of Tillandsia are often found on oak and
cypress trees, whose rough bark provides a suitable substrate for
seedling attachment, as well as on hackberry trees. Hackberry and live
oak trees have many spreading horizontal branches that provide a large
area for epiphytic growth. Tillandsias prefer host trees that branch
considerably, have a thick, rough bark with enough crevices to hold
seeds, and do not produce chemicals (allelopathic substances)
unfavorable for seedling growth. For example, seedlings are not able
to develop on many tropical trees such as camphor because of the
chemicals produced by the trees.
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