Is There Life After Death? The Role of Standing Dead Phorophytes in Supporting Tropical Epiphyte Diversity

Global increases in tree mortality from climate change and land‐use are altering forest structures, impacting canopy‐dwelling plants like vascular epiphytes, which depend on host trees (phorophytes). When a phorophyte dies standing, it becomes a snag, the local substrate conditions change and microclimatic exposure may increase, particularly in more canopy‐exposed individuals. The ecological role of snags in supporting epiphyte diversity remains poorly understood. We examined how snags contribute to epiphyte diversity in a dwarf cloud forest in southeastern Brazil. We surveyed 887 phorophytes (778 alive, 109 dead) across 24 plots, recording 127 epiphyte species. Snags, comprising 12% of phorophytes, supported 57% of the total epiphyte richness. Community composition on snags was a nested subset of that on living trees, with no species exclusive to dead phorophytes. Sample‐based rarefaction confirmed that, overall, snags supported significantly lower species richness ( q = 0) and dominant species diversity ( q = 2). Structurally, snags also differed significantly, being shorter, having smaller diameters (DBH), and rougher bark than living trees. While NMDS showed community structure correlated with elevation, height, and bark, this pattern was phorophyte‐species‐dependent. Contrary to the general trend, analysis of the dominant phorophyte Eremanthus erythropappus (“ candeia ”) revealed no significant differences in epiphyte richness ( q = 0) or dominant diversity ( q = 2) between living and dead individuals. Our results suggest snags function as secondary refuges, but their capacity to buffer epiphyte loss could be mediated by host species traits.