A systematic search for attributes that make a fig species invasive, weedy or vulnerable to extinction. An account to chronicle the journey of research and the writing of a scientific paper.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Habit of Figs

Growth form of ficus species:
Mechanically independent plants
a) trees
b) treelets
c) shrubs
Most forest-forms occur in this genus, except herbaceous (a herb is a non-woody, small plant) ones.

Mechanically dependent plants
a) climbers
b) hemi-epiphytes
"The seeds germinate on branch, trunk, or aerial root, in a crevice or hole, often brought there by ants. Because of the need of light for germination, seedlings are in general found at about 20-25m above the forest-floor." (2; p23)
- Are stranglers a subset of hemi-epiphytes? Those hemis that managed to kill their hosts?
c)hemi-epilithic (found on rock surface or man-made walls)

Epiphyte (air plant) - A plant that has no roots in the soil and lives above the ground surface, supported by another plant or object. It obtains its nutrients from the air, rain water, and from organic debris on its support.

Liana (liane) - A long-stemmed woody climbing plant that grows from ground level to the canopy of trees.
-Are lianas climbers?

I am trying to make sense of the growth-forms of the Ficus genus. Because it was so confusing reading "African fig trees and fig wasps" by C.C. Berg and J.T. Wiebes. This is especially so for the mechanically dependent plants (those that lean or climb on other plants). You hear things like climber, epiphytic, hemi-epiphytic, hemi-epilithic, secondarily terrestrial, lianescent, epilithic scrambler, terrestrial etc., so what are the definitions for these various growth forms? Are there overlaps?

How should I categorise them in my dataset?

Do those categories I have come up with sufficiently cover all life forms in the genus?

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