BY PETER D. MOORE
Department of Biology
King’s College
London, U.K.
" Strangler figs begin their life as epiphytes, rooted in small hollows in their host’s trunk and branches, where organic matter accumulates. These pockets of elevated soil are actually richer in nutrients than are surronding soils, so even when the figs have established ground roots they still retain some upwardly growing roots to tap this rich resource.
F.E. Putz, N.M. Holbrook, “Strangler fig rooting habits and nutrient relations in the llanos of Venezuela,” American Journal of Botany, 76, 78 1-8, June 1989. (University of Florida, (Gainesville)
" Hermit crabs adopt the shells of mollusks as a protective cover and change these as they grow. But large males have been found to be unsuccessful in their copulatory activity, simply because the types of shell occupied by these overgrown animals interfere with their courtship and mating behavior.
B.A. Hazlett, L.C. Baron, ...
