Patterns of Dispersal and Establishment of Bryophytes Colonizing Natural and Experimental Treefall Mounds in Northern Hardwood Forests

Abstract

Abstract Treefall gaps are a ubiquitous feature of forested ecosystems and provide regeneration opportunities for many forest mosses which are dependent on microsites created by disturbance. Bryophyte communities on treefall mounds present an excellent opportunity to explore the extent to which community composition is influenced by dispersal patterns and establishment success. The goals of this paper are to 1) determine the bryophyte community structure of treefall mounds in the Adirondack forests and 2) to evaluate the extent to which community structure of treefall mounds is a consequence of dispersal limitation and establishment success and 3) to assess the role of microsite in successful establishment by sown spores and vegetative fragments. Bryophyte communities were described from field census of treefall mounds differing in age class. Most mounds support only 1–2 species, of the possible 13 species that colonize treefall mounds in the study area, the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. Moss sp...