
%0 Journal Article
%A Keppel, Gunnar 
%A Thomas, Nunia T. 
%T Composition and structure of the cloud forest on Mt Delaco, Gau, Fiji
%J The South Pacific Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences
%D 2009/12/15
%V 27
%N 1
%P 28-34
%K 
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/SP09005
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/SP09005 
%X The composition and structure of cloud forest on Mt. Delaco (715m), Gau, Fiji Islands, is investigated using a transect following a  ridge. Diameter (dbh), height, epiphyte cover and distance to the nearest neighbour were measured for each plant of 5 or more cm in  dbh. A total of 42 vascular species were identified. The canopy was 3-5m tall, with Alpinia boia reaching 7m in height. The tree fern  Dicksonia brackenridgei dominated the vegetation, accounting for 56% of the total basal area. Rapanea myricifolia, Hedycarya dorstenoides and Ascarina diffusa were other common species. Epiphytes were abundant and epiphyte cover for most trees was more than 50%. The most common epiphytes were Nephrolepis tuberosa and Nephrolepis saligna, Collospermum montanum, Peperomia spp., mosses and filmy ferns (Hymenophyllaceae) were other common species. A species of Freycinetia was the dominant climber. There was a moderately strong correlation between epiphyte richness and dbh of the host species (r = 0.59). The limited literature on cloud forest in the tropical insular Pacific suggests that while many taxa are shared, the species composition may vary considerably on different mountains. 
