Canopy is a structurally complex and ecologically distinct ecosystem with its own processes, species and niches. Among the life forms that join together to form the canopy, epiphytes are one of the most important. This paper aimed to summarize important information about this sinusia and establish floristic patterns for the Brazilian rain forest. The majority of the epiphytes were monocots (63.5% of the species), followed by monilophytes (16.4%), eudicots (14.1%), magnoliids (4.5%) and Lycophytes (1.6%). The most species-rich families were Orchidaceae (45.8%), Bromeliaceae (12.9%), Polypodiaceae (5.5%), Araceae (5.0%) and Piperaceae (4.7%). The bioma supports possibly 3,300 epiphyte species, 69% of them registered for ecotonal zones, 60.6% for tropical rain forest, 42.4% for restingas and mangroves, 25.5% for seasonal forests and 22.5% for subtropical rain forest. Sections on history of the epiphyte studies, taxonomic composition, ecological importance, geographyc distribution, evolution and spatial distribution with up-to-date revision are also presented.
Canopy; ecology; evolution; floristic diversity; geographic distribution
