CHAPTER VI 



THE WEB OF LIFE 



Struggle among Plants Perched Plants or Epiphytes Parasitic 

 Plants Mistleto Dodder Root-Parasites Toothwort 

 Broom-rapes Saprophytes Parasitic Fungi Bacteria 

 Symbiosis. 



Struggle among Plants. In our study of climbing plants 

 we saw that plants as well as animals had difficulties to 

 contend with, and that there was, especially in crowded 

 places, a more or less intense struggle for existence. 



Of this the tropical forest of our frontispiece is a supreme 

 illustration. To rise out of the perpetual twilight of their 

 depths is a condition of success, and thus we have first tall 

 straight-stemmed trees, then twiners and climbers which 

 strangle and overshadow these, while strange high-perched 

 epiphytes and parasites grow and scatter their seed over the 

 whole tangled roof of verdure. Describing "the struggle 

 for life in the forest," Mr. James Rodway writes of a scene 

 in British Guiana : " We can almost fancy the magnificent 

 forest tree protesting strongly, as octopus-like, the Clusia 

 begins to compress and strangle it. ... The Clusia grows 

 stronger and stronger, until by and by, as the strangler 

 opens its magnificent waxy flowers to the sun, and glories 

 in its conquest, the poor unfortunate victim droops and 



95 



