| MadSci Network: Botany |
Epiphytes are usually defined by botanists as plants that live on other plants without being parasitic or otherwise harming the host plant. Examples of epiphytes include many ferns, mosses, orchids and bromeliads. Large numbers of epiphytes on a tree can intercept mineral nutrients before the host plant can. That can deprive the host of an adequate supply. Benzing (1980) considered this represented "nutritional piracy" by epiphytes. Some parasitic plants, such as mistletoes and dodders, also often live on their host plant but "steal" organic and inorganic nutrients from the host plant. The second website has a good discussion of epiphytes and how the definition is subject to interpretation. Zooplankton are tiny, often microscopic, aquatic organisms (animals and protists) that feed on other organisms. Phytoplankton are tiny, often microscopic, aquatic organisms (algae and bacteria) that are photosynthetic. "Phyto" means plant so phytoplankton is sort of an obsolete term because algae and bacteria are no longer in the plant kingdom. References Epiphyte definitions What is an Epiphyte? Re: What is the relationship between bromeliads, orchids, and epiphytes? Zooplankton definition Phytoplankton Benzing, D. 1980. The Biology of the Bromeliads. Eureka, CA: Mad River Press.
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