The Hidden World of Epiphytes: Life in the Forest Canopy

This lecture is the second of 6 in our 2021 Winter Lecture Series. It will be given by Kevin Burns, Professor of Biological Sciences at Victoria University of Wellington.

If you walk through a forest and don’t look up, you’re missing a whole ‘hidden’ world of plant life. Kevin will take you on a journey through this hidden world and illustrate the ingenuous ways that plants have evolved to make a living in the treetops. Their stories challenge commonly held notions of how plants grow, how they recruit into adulthood, how plant diversity is distributed throughout forested ecosystems, and even whether arboreal plants form cooperative societies to survive in the treetops.

Kevin Burns is a field biologist who is interested in a wide range of topics involving the ecology and evolution of plants and animals. His research includes both plants and animals, looking at the interactions between them to generate new insights into evolutionary ecology.

Where: Robin’s Nest building at Nga Manu, 74 Nga Manu Reserve Rd, Waikanae.

Entry: By paper koha on the door. Please register for this event on our website as if you are not on our list we may not have room for you as seating is limited.

Please arrive at 3:30 pm for tea & biscuits and to take your seat.

The Lecture will start promptly at 4 pm and finishes at 5 pm.