Biogeography of Plants in Western Amazonia

[john grehan]

Holger Kreft

>My distribution maps of these species lead me to the
>conclusion that the high and evenly distributed rainfall in this part of
>Amazonioa makes it possible for some epiphytic species to "slide" down
>from the Andes into these lowlands.

Another consideration may be that these species may have gone the other
direction. That some 'slide' up through tectonic uplift. It would be
interesting (to me at least) to know how the distribution maps led
necessarily to the conclusion of sliding down. In the New Guinea mountains
there are cases of same species and related species connections between
alpine or upland and the lowlands that appear to be correlated with
tectonic uplift.

John Grehan