FRAGMENTATION OF THE CLOUD FOREST AND ITS EFFECT ON THE ORCHID COMMUNITY (ORCHIDACEAE)

Abstract

Forest fragmentation is considered the main cause of biodiversity loss and environmental changes. The cloud forest contains close to 50% of all the species of orchids found in México; however, this type of vegetation has been subject to intense disturbance, which has impacted its diversity, populations and pollination interactions. Despite this, there have not been enough studies to allow understanding how this process affects the communities of orchids. This article describes some of the effects of fragmentation on the diversity of epiphytes and orchids, their mutualistic pollination interaction, trying to incorporate the studies carried out in the cloud forests of México.