Abstract
ABSTRACT This study was carried out with bryophyte populations in order to study the presence of populations and how they change over altitudinal gradients. Mosses were chosen as a model to do this study because they have a high sensitivity to climatic conditions and wide distribution. The western region of the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, Boyacá, Colombia has a wide range of climate and ecosystems due to its complex topography. Plots were sampled every 200 m from the peak of Mount Mahoma at 4,200 m a.s.l. south to the Chicamocha River canyon at 1,200 m a.s.l. Diversity and cover are analyzed in each plot from soil, rock and bark substrates. We found 80 species distributed in 29 families, with Pottiaceae and Brachytheciaceae the most diverse families. Ours results show a tendency of the diversity and the coverage to increase with altitude, and we observed five altitudinal belts with three populations defined by mosses species. The Páramo and Superpáramo belts are the richest ones.
Highlights
The knowledge of richness, abundance and distribution of species and how they are assembled along the altitudinal gradients help to promote the long-term conservation of natural species (Korner 2007)
This site has an enormous variety of ecosystems and climates due to its relief that ranges from 1,000 to 5,500 m a.s.l., the highest point is the top of Mount Mohammed at west side of the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy
The western region of the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy has a wide variety of ecosystems and climatic conditions that influence the composition of moss populations
Summary
The knowledge of richness, abundance and distribution of species and how they are assembled along the altitudinal gradients help to promote the long-term conservation of natural species (Korner 2007). Mosses are very important plants within the Andean ecosystems because they fulfill vital functions such as water regulation, generation of organic matter, nitrogen fixation and soil protection (Churchill & Linares 1995, Glime 2001, Slack 1988) They are high diversified in tropical environments (Gradstein et al 2001, Churchill & Linares 1995) and widely known to be bioindicators (Proctor & Tuba 2002) by their sensitivity to heavy metals (Taylor 1919, Glime 1994), soil acidity (Clymo 1987), air quality (Simijaca et al 2014), water quality (Martínez-Abaigar et al 1993), and UV-B radiation (Searles et al 2002). Due their simple anatomy they can be extremely affected by environmental changes (Spitale 2016, Proctor 1990) thereby aiding in the evaluation and classification of altitudinal belts of environmental quality (Kessler 2000)
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