Stranglers…Cheaters or Just Smarter?
Submitted by: Juan Carlos Cruz Díaz, Feline Program Coordinator Strangler trees, mostly Fig trees, have evolved in a interesting way to take advantage of other trees for growing, especially in places where the thickness and canopy of the forest make scarce one of the most important elements in a plant’s life: light. The Osa Peninsula, one of the most biologically intense places in the world has more than 700 species of trees and 3000 species of plants which, in terms of competition and survival, is a lot for a plant. [caption...