The Neotropical region is undergoing high levels of urban expansion and harbors the greatest diversity of vascular epiphytes globally. In cities, it could be expected that the density of woody vegetation positively predicts epiphyte communities by providing substrate, resources for pollinators, and buffering microclimatic conditions. However, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding how urbanization intensity affects the diversity of vascular epiphytes. In this study, we assessed the relationship between a woody cover gradient and bromeliad species richness and community composition across a streetscape of the Neotropical city of Xalapa (Mexico). We recorded bromeliads in nine street segments and one peri-urban green space. These sites represent a gradient of woody cover ranging from 10.5% to ∼87% in a 100 m buffer, and 100% in the peri-urban green space. We recorded 824 individuals of 14 species (all from the Tillandsioideae subfamily). The most abundant species was Tillandsia recurvata and the most frequent ones were T. juncea and T. schiedeana. Results show that bromeliad species richness was positively related to the woody cover, as expected. Interestingly, community composition did not associate with the percentage of woody cover. These results suggest that additional factors such as microclimatic conditions and seed availability and/or dispersal may be key modulators on the establishment of bromeliad species. Nevertheless, wooded streets do show potential for harboring diverse bromeliad communities.

新热带地区正在经历高水平的城市扩张，拥有全球最多样化的维管束生植物。在城市中，可以预期木本植被的密度通过提供基质、传粉媒介资源和缓冲小气候条件来积极预测附生植物群落。然而，关于城市化强度如何影响维管束生植物多样性的知识还很缺乏。在这项研究中，我们评估了新热带城市哈拉帕（墨西哥）街景中木质覆盖梯度与凤梨科物种丰富度和群落组成之间的关系。我们记录了 9 个街道和 1 个城郊绿地的凤梨科植物。这些地点代表了 100 米缓冲区中从 10.5% 到 ~87% 的木质覆盖梯度，100%在城郊绿地。我们记录了 14 个物种的 824 个个体（全部来自铁兰亚科）。最丰富的物种是Tillandsia recurvata和最常见的是T. juncea和T. schiedeana。结果表明，正如预期的那样，凤梨科植物的物种丰富度与木质覆盖呈正相关。有趣的是，群落组成与木质覆盖率无关。这些结果表明，小气候条件和种子可用性和/或传播等其他因素可能是凤梨科植物建立的关键调节因素。尽管如此，树木繁茂的街道确实显示出拥有多样化凤梨科植物群落的潜力。