Does A Velamen Radicum Effectively Protect Epiphyte Roots against Excessive Infrared Radiation?

Velamen radicum, a dead tissue at maturity, characterizes the roots of many epiphytes. Apart from a role in water and nutrient uptake, protection against excessive radiation in the upper forest canopy has also been suggested, but this function has never been critically assessed. To test this notion, we studied the roots of 18 species of Orchidaceae and Araceae. We defined thermal insulation traits of velamina by monitoring the temperature on the velamen surface and just below the velamen while exposing it to infrared radiation. We investigated velamen’s functionality-correlating morphological and thermal insulation traits. In addition, we investigated the viability of the living root tissue after heat exposure. The maximal surface temperatures ranged from 37–51 °C, while the temperature difference between the upper and lower velamen surface (i.e., ∆T(max)) ranged from 0.6–3.2 °C. We found a relationship of velamen thickness with ∆T(max). Tissue viability was strongly affected by temperatures >42 °C, and no significant recovery after heat exposure was found. Thus, there is only limited support for an insulating function of velamen, but the data suggest considerable species-specific differences in heat tolerance. The latter could be a crucial determinant of the vertical distribution of epiphytes.