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Epiphytes in the Columbia River Gorge

This image is taken near Multnomah Falls in the western end of the Columbia River Gorge. The climate here is a Temperate Rainforest, which only occurs in a few ...
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This image is taken near Multnomah Falls in the western end of the Columbia River Gorge. The climate here is a Temperate Rainforest, which only occurs in a few regions around the world.

The temperate rain forests of North America have an annual precipitation of over 55 inches, with much of it in the form of fog. The mean annual temperature is between 39 and 54 °F, and the forest will have a closed canopy of trees that excludes at least 70% of the sky.

This type of ecosystem is perfect for epiphytes which cover all of the trees. An epiphyte is a plant that grows harmlessly on trees and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain. Epiphytes differ from parasites in that epiphytes grow on other plants for physical support and do not negatively affect the host. Epiphytes that are usually found in the temperate zone are many mosses, liverworts, lichens, and algae.
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