Abstract
Abstract The present study is aimed to evaluate the richness, composition and spatial distribution of bryophytes occurring in Mosqueiro Island, in the Amazon forest. Forty-one 100-m² plots in 37 flooded and 4 non-flooded environments were selected for data collection, all substrate found were considered. The results were compared with surveys in other islands from the state of Pará and were analyzed according to frequency of populations, colonized substrates, light tolerance guilds, and distribution in Brazilian biomes. Ninety-seven species were recorded, distributed in 36 genera and 17 families, being 57 (58.7%) liverwort and 40 (41.2%) moss species. The rare species stood out with 53 species (54.08%). High similarity was observed between corticolous and epixylic communities, and between the terricolous community and the bryophytes found growing on charcoal, which is an artificial substrate. In relation to light tolerance guilds, generalist species prevailed (52 species, 53.6%). As for phytogeographic distribution, there was a predominance of taxa with occurrence in the Amazon and Atlantic rainforest (35 species, 37.11%). Ceratolejeunea ceratantha is reported for the first time for the state of Pará. The level of anthropization in the island was showed mainly by high richness and occurrence of generalist species underscores and well-adapted species to stressed conditions, evidencing changes in the bryophyte community structure.
Highlights
Tropical forests hold the greatest richness and diversity on planet Earth (Myers 1991), and around 40% of the remaining tropical rainforests in the world belong to the Amazon forest, playing a key role in maintaining biodiversity and climate (Laurance et al 2001; Phillips & Brienen 2017)
Extinction thresholds may increase with habitat loss, because adequate environments are necessary for the persistence of communities (Fahrig 2002)
The fundamental niche of the most common species found in this study contributes to draw a picture of the current state of conservation of the forest fragment of Mosqueiro Island, where there is intense anthropization resulting from logging and burning
Summary
Tropical forests hold the greatest richness and diversity on planet Earth (Myers 1991), and around 40% of the remaining tropical rainforests in the world belong to the Amazon forest, playing a key role in maintaining biodiversity and climate (Laurance et al 2001; Phillips & Brienen 2017). The fragmentation of these ecosystems has considerably grown with the increase of human occupation, which has created a necessity for more areas for exploitation of forest products and food cultivation (Ramankutty & Foley 1998; Arroyo-Rodríguez et al 2017). This has resulted in the loss or decrease of biodiversity, isolation of populations, and changes in the migration and dispersal patterns of species (Laurance et al 2002; Shackleton et al 2018). Extinction thresholds may increase with habitat loss, because adequate environments are necessary for the persistence of communities (Fahrig 2002)
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