The role of shaded cocoa plantations in the maintenance of epiphytic orchids and their interactions with phorophytes

Aims Habitat loss and fragmentation are the main threats to biodiversity in tropical forests. Agroecosystems such as shaded cocoa plantations (SCP) provide refuge for tropical forest biota. However, it is poorly known whether the interspecific ecological interactions are also maintained in these transformed habitats. We evaluated the diversity, reproductive status and photosynthetic metabolism (CAM or C₃) of the epiphytic orchid community, and their interactions with host trees (phorophytes) in SCP compared to tropical rainforest (TRF).