Distribution quantified by microtopography in an assemblage of saxicolous mosses

Abstract

Microtopography was quantified and related to plant microdistribution in an assemblage of bryophytes on granitic rocks in the inland chaparral of San Diego County, California, U.S.A. The dominant species, Grimmia laevigata, grew mostly on north-, east-, and west-facing surfaces with slope less than 60°. Other bryophytes tended to grow on steep, concave, north- and west-facing surfaces. Occurrence of these latter species was strongly associated with shade, as estimated from microtopography. The relationship of microdistribution to microclimate and ultimately to plant physiology can probably be successfully defined in systems such as this.