A World on a Branch I get to work investigating the leafy world around me. I look for epiphytes, or plants that grow on other plants. Many kinds of epiphytes can grow on a single tree branch. I find mosses, lichens, ferns, and orchids. Bromeliads grow here, too. Bromeliads are plants with stiff leaves shaped like a pineapple top. Even woody shrubs grow on the branches of cloud forest trees. Trees give epiphytes a place where they
can reach sunlight. Epiphytes make their own food and take in nutrients from the air. T eir leaves and roots absorb moisture from rainwater and the moist air. T e roots and stems of the epiphytes
grow together to form a mat on a branch. Epiphytes break down when they die. T is forms a type of soil called humus. T e humus is spongy and can hold a lot of water and nutrients. I discovered that tiny roots grow from
the mat-covered tree branches into the epiphyte mat. So the mats help the trees. T e tree rootlets take in water and nutrients that help the tree grow.
Miniature Forests T e epiphytes and humus around them form a tiny treetop ecosystem. It’s like a miniature forest with soil, plants, animals, and even their predators. Many creatures creep and crawl in
between the leaves and humus. I find earthworms, snails, slugs, millipedes, beetles, and lots of ants. Other animals prowl around, looking for food. I see centipedes and spiders as well as birds, lizards, and tree-dwelling mammals.
20 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER
Teeming with Life Many kinds of birds hunt for food among the epiphytes. T e hummingbirds are some of my favorites. T ey hover over bromeliads, sipping nectar. Other birds eat fruit or pick insects off the epiphytes’ leaves. Oſt en I see shiny pools of water in
“tank epiphytes.” T e thick leaves of some bromeliads overlap tightly. T ey form pools that hold rain and dew. Small insects live in the pools. Some kinds of tree frogs lay their eggs in them. T e tadpoles stay in the pools until they become adults. T at way, the tadpoles are safe from predators.
This colorful stinkbug is one of many insects that live in the cloud forest canopy.
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