Terrestrial litter trappers in the Golfo Dulce region: diversity, architecture and ecology of a poorly known group of plant specialists

Collection of forest litter and exploitation of the rotting material is a well known life strategy of epiphytic ferns and tank bromeliads. Recently, this strategy has also been discovered in terrestrial vascular plants, the so-called terrestrial litter trappers (TLTs). In the Golfo Dulce rainforests, TLTs are found in surprisingly high numbers, both in terms of species and (in places) abundance, and obviously play a significant ecological role. In the present paper, a species list with a preliminary classification of the architectural models is given and the various morphological adaptations to litter capture are described. The litter is guided either to the centre of the crown or to the base of the stem where it accumulates and decomposes. In some species, adventitious roots grow into the decaying litter to take up nutrients; in others, the plants profit from the nutrient-rich stem flow, thus gaining advantage over normal, ground-rooting plants. Litter trapping obviously represents a short cut of the litter fall cycle and therefore an adaption to nutrient-poor rainforest soils