Editing Epiphyte (section)

=== Plant nutrient relations ===
Epiphytes are not connected to the soil, and consequently must get nutrients from other sources, such as fog, dew, rain and mist,<ref name="Zotz-2001">{{Cite journal|last1=Zotz|first1=Gerhard|last2=Hietz|first2=Peter|s2cid=22635086|date=November 2001|title=The physiological ecology of vascular epiphytes: current knowledge, open questions|journal=Journal of Experimental Botany|volume=52|issue=364|pages=2067–2078|doi=10.1093/jexbot/52.364.2067|pmid=11604445|doi-access=free}}</ref> or from nutrients being released from the ground rooted plants by decomposition or leaching, and dinitrogen fixation.<ref name="Zotz-2001" /> Epiphytic plants attached to their hosts high in the [[Canopy (forest)|canopy]] have an advantage over herbs restricted to the ground where there is less light and herbivores may be more active. Epiphytic plants are also important to certain animals that may live in their water reservoirs, such as some types of [[frog]]s and [[arthropod]]s.

Epiphytes can have a significant effect on the microenvironment of their host, and of ecosystems where they are abundant, as they hold water in the canopy and decrease water input to the soil.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Stanton | first1 = D.E. | last2 = Chávez | first2 = J.H. | last3 = Villegas | first3 = L. | last4 = Villasante | first4 = F. | last5 = Armesto | first5 = J. | last6 = Hedin | first6 = L.O. | last7 = Horn | first7 = H. | year = 2014| title = Epiphytes Improve Host Plant Water Use by Microenvironment Modification | journal = [[Functional Ecology (journal)|Functional Ecology]] | volume =  28| issue = 5| pages =  1274–1283| doi = 10.1111/1365-2435.12249 | doi-access = free | bibcode = 2014FuEco..28.1274S }}</ref> Some non-vascular epiphytes such as lichens and mosses are well known for their ability to take up water rapidly.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Johansson|first=Dick|date=1974|title=ECOLOGY OF VASCULAR EPIPHYTES IN WEST AFRICAN RAIN FOREST|url=http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:565496/FULLTEXT01.pdf|journal=Acta Phytogeographica Suecica|volume=59}}</ref> Epiphytes create a significantly cooler and more moist environment in the host plant canopy, potentially greatly reducing water loss by the host through transpiration.