Effects of climate change on Lepanthes rupestris

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Date
2009-11Author
Olaya A., Paola A.
Meléndez-Ackerman, Elvia J.
Tremblay, Raymond L.
Pérez, María Eglée
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The last decades have experienced dramatic changes in the overall climate (UNFCCC 2002, EEA 2006, Chambers 2006). In the Caribbean, the annual average temperature has increased about 0.5°C with an expected trend for drier periods based on the convection zones (Neelin et to., 2006) and the study of rain patterns over the last 15 years (Heartsill-Scalley et to., 2007) .Such climate variation may affect the phenology of epiphytic plants in tropical environments (Parmesan & Yohe 2003). If so, these epiphytic plants may be useful tools to study the response of plant populations to atmospheric and/or climatic changes . This study focused on the demographic responses of Lepanthes rupestris a highly studied epiphytic and litophytic orchid (Fig 1 and 2) endemic to montane forests of Puerto Rico which exhibits metapopulation structures.