Central European forest floor bryophytes: Richness, species composition, coexistence and diagnostic significance across environmental gradients of forest habitats
Bryophytes are good indicators of habitat conditions and show associations with different types of forests. In this study we assessed the diversity and distribution of forest floor bryophytes across a wide gradient of Central European forests using vegetation records from the Polish Vegetation Datab...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X22004253 |
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| author | Ewa Stefańska-Krzaczek Grzegorz Swacha Jan Żarnowiec Małgorzata W. Raduła Zygmunt Kącki Monika Staniaszek-Kik |
| author_facet | Ewa Stefańska-Krzaczek Grzegorz Swacha Jan Żarnowiec Małgorzata W. Raduła Zygmunt Kącki Monika Staniaszek-Kik |
| author_sort | Ewa Stefańska-Krzaczek |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bryophytes are good indicators of habitat conditions and show associations with different types of forests. In this study we assessed the diversity and distribution of forest floor bryophytes across a wide gradient of Central European forests using vegetation records from the Polish Vegetation Database (PVD). We identified forest types using the Habitat Classification of the European Nature Information System (EUNIS) – the main comprehensive pan-European hierarchical classification of habitats. Based on 9258 plots containing bryophyte species and representing 20 forest types, we assessed the species number and cover, species composition of the bryophyte layer, species tendency for coexistence, and bryophyte diagnostic value for forest types. We explained the observed trends by environmental variables and bryophyte species traits to understand how bryophytes function in forest habitats.Bryophyte species number and cover were high in forest types on moist sites, both with deciduous and coniferous tree stands. The richness and abundance of bryophyte species, as well as the species composition of the bryophyte layer depended mainly on substrate moisture, fertility and pH, as well as on the percentage cover of coniferous and deciduous tree species in the stand. Species traits which responded to environmental factors were, first of all, requirements for substrate moisture, fertility and pH. Bryophytes of closed forests and short-lived shuttle species preferred deciduous stands, while bryophytes occurring in forests as well as on open land and perennial species were associated with coniferous stands.Bryophyte species showed a clear preference for forest types, but their fidelity was usually not high. Based on the fidelity of species, we also identified 10 groups of coexisting species which were also indicators of forest types and were dependent on environmental variables.Forest floor bryophytes respond to environmental gradients by species number, cover and composition, and they play a diagnostic role in forest types. Our research shows the importance of databases in learning about bryophyte ecology. However, the use of vegetation data has some limitations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T08:39:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-84c71050cc0d430ab75f1c6a1175037b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T08:39:52Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj.art-84c71050cc0d430ab75f1c6a1175037b2022-12-22T00:30:49ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2022-06-01139108954Central European forest floor bryophytes: Richness, species composition, coexistence and diagnostic significance across environmental gradients of forest habitatsEwa Stefańska-Krzaczek0Grzegorz Swacha1Jan Żarnowiec2Małgorzata W. Raduła3Zygmunt Kącki4Monika Staniaszek-Kik5Botanical Garden, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland; Corresponding author at: Botanical Garden, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 23, PL-50-328 Wrocław, Poland.Botanical Garden, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, PolandInstitute of Environmental Protection and Engineering, University of Bielsko-Biała, Bielsko-Biała, PolandDepartment of Ecology, Biogeochemistry and Environmental Protection, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, PolandBotanical Garden, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, PolandDepartment of Geobotany and Plant Ecology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Łódź, PolandBryophytes are good indicators of habitat conditions and show associations with different types of forests. In this study we assessed the diversity and distribution of forest floor bryophytes across a wide gradient of Central European forests using vegetation records from the Polish Vegetation Database (PVD). We identified forest types using the Habitat Classification of the European Nature Information System (EUNIS) – the main comprehensive pan-European hierarchical classification of habitats. Based on 9258 plots containing bryophyte species and representing 20 forest types, we assessed the species number and cover, species composition of the bryophyte layer, species tendency for coexistence, and bryophyte diagnostic value for forest types. We explained the observed trends by environmental variables and bryophyte species traits to understand how bryophytes function in forest habitats.Bryophyte species number and cover were high in forest types on moist sites, both with deciduous and coniferous tree stands. The richness and abundance of bryophyte species, as well as the species composition of the bryophyte layer depended mainly on substrate moisture, fertility and pH, as well as on the percentage cover of coniferous and deciduous tree species in the stand. Species traits which responded to environmental factors were, first of all, requirements for substrate moisture, fertility and pH. Bryophytes of closed forests and short-lived shuttle species preferred deciduous stands, while bryophytes occurring in forests as well as on open land and perennial species were associated with coniferous stands.Bryophyte species showed a clear preference for forest types, but their fidelity was usually not high. Based on the fidelity of species, we also identified 10 groups of coexisting species which were also indicators of forest types and were dependent on environmental variables.Forest floor bryophytes respond to environmental gradients by species number, cover and composition, and they play a diagnostic role in forest types. Our research shows the importance of databases in learning about bryophyte ecology. However, the use of vegetation data has some limitations.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X22004253MossesLiverwortsVegetation plotsthe European Nature Information System (EUNIS)Forest habitatsBryophyte traits |
| spellingShingle | Ewa Stefańska-Krzaczek Grzegorz Swacha Jan Żarnowiec Małgorzata W. Raduła Zygmunt Kącki Monika Staniaszek-Kik Central European forest floor bryophytes: Richness, species composition, coexistence and diagnostic significance across environmental gradients of forest habitats Ecological Indicators Mosses Liverworts Vegetation plots the European Nature Information System (EUNIS) Forest habitats Bryophyte traits |
| title | Central European forest floor bryophytes: Richness, species composition, coexistence and diagnostic significance across environmental gradients of forest habitats |
| title_full | Central European forest floor bryophytes: Richness, species composition, coexistence and diagnostic significance across environmental gradients of forest habitats |
| title_fullStr | Central European forest floor bryophytes: Richness, species composition, coexistence and diagnostic significance across environmental gradients of forest habitats |
| title_full_unstemmed | Central European forest floor bryophytes: Richness, species composition, coexistence and diagnostic significance across environmental gradients of forest habitats |
| title_short | Central European forest floor bryophytes: Richness, species composition, coexistence and diagnostic significance across environmental gradients of forest habitats |
| title_sort | central european forest floor bryophytes richness species composition coexistence and diagnostic significance across environmental gradients of forest habitats |
| topic | Mosses Liverworts Vegetation plots the European Nature Information System (EUNIS) Forest habitats Bryophyte traits |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X22004253 |
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