Epiphytic Species Composition Research Articles

Diverging Elevational Patterns of Tree vs. Epiphyte Species Density, Beta Diversity, and Biomass in a Tropical Dry Forest.

There is evidence to suggest that vascular epiphytes experience low competition for resources (light, water, and nutrients) compared to terrestrial plants. We tested the hypothesis that low resource competition may lead to higher nestedness among vascular epiphyte assemblages compared to trees. We studied the species composition and biomass of epiphytes and trees along an elevation gradient in a tropical dry forest in SW Ecuador. Both life-forms were inventoried on 25 plots of 400 m2 across five elevation levels (550-1250 m). Tree species density and total species richness increased with elevation, whereas basal area and biomass did not show significant trends. Epiphyte species density and richness both increased strongly with elevation, in parallel to biomass. Plot-level compositional changes were similarly strong for both life-forms. We attribute elevational increases in the species richness of trees and epiphytes to increasing humidity, i.e., more mesic growth conditions. We attribute the more pronounced elevational increase in epiphyte biomass, species density, and richness-the latter coupled with a higher degree of nestedness-to the greater moisture dependency of epiphytes and relatively low direct competition for resources. Our study provides a first comparison of elevational trends in epiphyte and tree diversity and biomass for a tropical dry forest.

Light availability and phorophyte identity drive epiphyte species richness and composition in mountain temperate forests

Bryophytes and lichens are the most species-rich groups of epiphytes in temperate forests. They colonise different tree species that create a wide variety of microhabitats, and conditions in these microhabitats are modulated by different factors. We assessed drivers that create and maintain epiphyte species richness and diversity of bryophytes and lichens along tree species composition gradients. We hypothesised that tree species composition influences the diversity of lichens and bryophytes. The study was conducted on 31 plots along the Kudowski Potok River (SW Poland). Each plot was a 500 m2 circle (r = 12.62 m), along the banks of the stream. These sites are among the best-preserved remnants of a mountain landscape with a high diversity of forest types, representing a transition from the planted Picea abies secondary communities to broadleaved forests (potential natural vegetation). We analysed the tree species composition gradient using PCA, and we measured diffuse light availability. We assessed differences in epiphyte species richness among tree species using generalized linear mixed-effects models and species composition gradients of epiphytes using redundancy analysis. We found that tree species composition and light availability affected the composition of both bryophyte and lichen species. Moreover, lichen and bryophyte species richness were positively correlated. Broadleaved trees such as Acer pseudoplatanus and Fraxinus excelsior clearly increase the number of epiphytic bryophytes and lichen species in spruce stands. Deciduous trees left in management forests serve as a reservoir for epiphytic bryophytes and lichens. Our results indicate the importance of refuges composed of diverse deciduous trees that increase the biodiversity in commercial forests.

Distribution and diversity of the sympatric macroalgae of the pelagic Sargassum horneri in the Yellow and East China seas

The massive pelagic Sargassum horneri (Turner) C. Agardh, 1820 has increasingly occurred in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. Significant intrusion of floating S. horneri into the southwestern Yellow Sea, the major bloom region of the green tides, has aroused speculations on the blooming mechanism and confounded concurrent prevention practices of green tides. The floating S. horneri were surveyed and sampled throughout its distributional range to study the diversity and abundance of sympatric macroalgae, including the epiphytes and non-epiphytes. The study showed that both types of macroalgae commonly coexisted with the pelagic S. horneri and showed distinct distribution patterns. The non-epiphytic green macroalgae, primarily Ulva prolifera, were free floating with S. horneri. They were initiated from the nearshore water of Jiangsu in late April followed by a rapid accumulation and expansion as the green tide developed. The non-epiphytic green algae were mostly restricted in the western coast of southern YS with biomass decreasing evidently toward offshore. Four species in Phaeophyta were commonly detected epiphytic on the pelagic S. horneri in the survey region and Proselachista taeniiformis was dominant. Unlike the co-occurring green algae, the species composition and abundance of epiphytes have no significant variation in the distributional range of the pelagic S. horneri. High frequency (80%) and abundance (0.25 ± 0.17 gEpi/gSar) of epiphytes indicated significant biological interactions with their hosts and ecological functions of this pelagic system, which deserves further investigation.

A baseline assessment of the epiphytic community associated with pelagic sargassum in the Tropical Atlantic

Pelagic sargassum, historically endemic to the North Atlantic where it accumulated in the Sargasso Sea, has now expanded to other accumulation regions namely in the North Equatorial Recirculation Region (NERR) of the Tropical Atlantic. To date, efforts to understand the biological community associated with pelagic sargassum have largely focussed on the motile organisms with very little attention given to the epiphytic flora and fauna, particularly for sargassum from the NERR. This study: (1) assesses the species composition and abundance (percentage cover) of epiphytes associated with the three prevalent forms (Sargassum fluitans III, S. natans I, S. natans VIII) of pelagic sargassum arriving in Barbados over summer and winter months and; (2) uses a backtracking algorithm to determine if differences in the composition of epiphyte species are linked to putative sub-origins within the NERR. Overall, epiphyte diversity was relatively low, comprising just six species of fauna, and an unidentified filamentous alga. However, there were significant differences in the epiphytic community associated with the three prevalent morphotypes. Based on percent cover, the bryozoan, Membranipora tuberculata, was the dominant species observed on S. fluitans III and S. natans I; while S. natans VIII was predominantly occupied by the hydroid, Aglaophenia latecarinata. This research provides the first quantification of the epiphytic community associated with pelagic sargassum in the Eastern Caribbean as it transitions from open Tropical Atlantic Ocean into the Caribbean Sea and will provide a useful baseline for monitoring potential change over time. The results corroborate with previous studies from elsewhere that suggest distinct differences in the epiphytic communities hosted by different sargassum morphotypes. We found no evidence that differences in epiphytic community composition were linked to sub-origin within the NERR, indicating that sargassum morphology is likely a stronger determinant of epiphyte composition than any environmental differences encountered between sub-origins and their associated transport pathways.

Correlates of Odonata species composition in Amazonian streams depend on dissimilarity coefficient and oviposition strategy

Abstract Environmental and spatial heterogeneity affects the distribution of aquatic insects, determining or influencing the variation in local species composition. Dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) have different strategies for oviposition site selection that depend on environmental conditions. However, Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) can reduce the availability of suitable sites for Odonata oviposition through environmental homogenization. We investigated the relationship between environmental and spatial heterogeneity and variation in species composition of Odonata with different oviposition strategies (endophytic, epiphytic and exophytic) in Amazonian streams in a gradient of LULC. We used the Jaccard and Bray‐Curtis coefficients and the Manhattan distance to estimate a continuum of variation in species composition. Variation in the composition of endophytic and epiphytic species was explained by spatial heterogeneity. Using abundance data and the Manhattan distance, we found a relationship between variation in species composition and environmental heterogeneity. Endophytic species composition was related to perch heterogeneity, while exophytic species composition was related to perch and canopy cover heterogeneity. Exophytic and endophytic species could be used in biomonitoring as they respond to specific environmental predictors and because exophytic species do not have spatial patterns across the landscape. Different dissimilarity coefficients provide complementary information about the responses of multispecies communities to land use, as some will represent strong effects (presence‐absence indexes) while others will represent more subtle effects (abundance‐based indexes). Land use can increase the environmental heterogeneity of some predictors (perches and canopy cover). Physical changes in streams such as hydromorphological alterations can modify specific habitats, affecting oviposition strategies and supporting tolerant species.

Recolonization of epiphytic bryophytes after decades of air pollution in forest ecosystems in the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains) shows the importance of deciduous trees for the diversity of this species group

In recent decades, great efforts have been made in Central Europe to convert homogeneous conifer stands into mixed stands. One major goal of this measure is to promote the biodiversity of forest ecosystems. Research on forest biodiversity is mostly limited to the spatial scale of the stand (alpha diversity), and only few studies focus on the landscape level (gamma diversity). In our study, we investigate the recolonization of epiphytic bryophytes after decades of air pollution on different host tree species. The study area is the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains, eastern Germany), a low mountain range in which very high SO2 inputs from industrial emissions caused severe damage to the vegetation up to the end of the 20th century. We selected twelve plots each of the tree species Picea abies, Fagus sylvatica, Acer pseudoplatanus and Sorbus aucuparia and recorded the occurrence of all epiphytic bryophytes on trunk and branches at a height between approx. 0.5 and 2.0 m. We recorded a total of 84 species, finding a significantly higher species richness and number of species of conservation concern as well as a larger regional epiphytic species pool (RESP) on F. sylvatica, A. pseudoplatanus and S. aucuparia compared to P. abies. In contrast, there were only minor differences in epiphytic species diversity and composition between the studied deciduous tree species. The dominance of colonists in the current species composition shows that these epiphyte communities are still in the early stages of succession, supported by the observation that species with small range sizes are still very rare. Compared to other studies, the species pool of the examined tree species is relatively large. This is an indication of the much improved environmental conditions for epiphytes in the Erzgebirge. We also recorded Ulota drummondii in the stands, providing its first record in Germany since 1886. In general, we conclude that changing tree species composition from monospecific coniferous to broadleaved stands will lead to an increase in the epiphytic bryophyte diversity of forest ecosystems.

Soil texture and functional traits of trees structure communities of epiphytic mosses in a tropical dry forest

The question which guided our study was: How environmental variables and trees affect the parameters of diversity, composition and abundance of epiphytic moss species at a local scale? Our hypothesis is that these moss communities are shaped by tree functional traits, which in turn are determined according to soil texture. Therefore, we collected moss from 25 permanent plots distributed along six transects (three in each texture of soil) in a Seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) in Northeastern Brazil. We assessed the distribution and abundance of epiphytic moss and tree species separately by performing an ordination analysis for each plot and tested if the spatial pattern of mosses was correlated with that of trees by performing a Procrustes analysis. Structural, functional and physico-chemical variables of trees were measured and subjected to uni- and multivariate analyses as potential abiotic filters. We then described the relationship between the response (richness and abundance) and predictor variables (structural, functional and physico-chemical variables) of the trees. As a result, we found that deciduous tree species were more frequent in sandy soils with less water retention. Leaf shedding by deciduous species reduces the total evapotranspiration surface during the dry season compared to evergreens. In contrast, evergreen trees were more frequent in clay soils, which have a higher water retention capacity. These differences in tree functional groups between soil types promoted different moss epiphytic communities in environments with different soil textures. Despite generalist and sun moss species dominating the study area, we found two groups with different environmental requirements based on the abundance of life forms: tuft and weft in drier areas; and mat and dendroid in wetter areas. Epiphytic moss community composition reflects the environmental conditions for each of the formed groups through the pattern of the trees’ functional traits predicted by different soil textures.

Vascular epiphytic component of “Brejo de altitude” in northeastern Brazil: floristic composition and phytosociological structure

The Brazilian Northeastern Brejos is an important area of biodiversity in the Atlantic Forest. However, little is known about the species composition of epiphytes in this type of vegetation. The present study aims to characterize the floristic and phytosociological structure of vascular epiphytic components in an area of the Brazilian Northeastern Brejo. All epiphytes occurring in the area were collected and compared with other studies through NMDS analysis. For the epiphyte phytosociological structure, sixty 10 × 10 m sampling plots were installed. The floristic survey of epiphytes recorded 23 species, distributed in 19 genera and ten families. In plots, 65 host individuals were sampled, and the occurrence of 197 vascular epiphytes, distributed in 12 species, 12 genera and five families was recorded. The floristic composition differs from other areas of the Atlantic Forest, including the northeast, making the Brejo a very peculiar area and with the utmost need of a plan for the conservation of these species.

Vascular Epiphyte Assemblages on Isolated Trees along an Elevational Gradient in Southwest Panama

Ongoing destruction of tropical forests makes isolated pasture trees potentially important for the persistence of original forest dwellers such as many vascular epiphytes. We studied epiphyte assemblages on 100 isolated trees at ten pasture sites in southwest Panama along an elevational gradient ranging from 140 to 1240 m a.s.l. We analysed epiphyte species composition (richness, similarity) and registered climate and host trait variables of potential influence on their occurrence. We found a total of 5876 epiphyte individuals belonging to 148 species. Epiphyte abundance, species richness and diversity all varied about 4-fold among the 10 sites, with a high similarity of epiphyte assemblages among sites. Two sites at 870 and 1050 m a.s.l. did not fit into the overall elevational trend of increased abundance, species richness and diversity. However, all three measures were significantly correlated with humidity as the independent variable. This highlights that a gradient in humidity, and not elevation as such, is responsible for the typical elevational changes in epiphyte assemblages, so that special local conditions may lead to deviations from expected patterns. Our documentation of current elevational diversity patterns also provides a baseline for the study of long-term changes in epiphyte assemblages in anthropogenically modified landscapes.

Avaliação da composição, riqueza e diversidade epifítica em forófitos específicos: nativas x mangueiras

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar e comparar a composição, riqueza e diversidade epifítica entre forofíticos específicos no Parque Nacional Serra de Itabaiana, SE. Através de dois distintos grupos forófitos (Mangifera indica L. e espécies arbóreas nativas), todas os indivíduos das espécies epifíticas foram contabilizadas e com esses dados foram realizadas as análises estatísticas. No total foram amostrados 491 indivíduos sendo 163 nas mangueiras e 328 nas nativas, A diversidade medida pelo índice de Shannon-Wiener (H’) para o forófitos da espécie Mangifera indica foi de H’ = 1,7 e nas nativas foi de H’ = 2, 27, o valor de equabilidade também foi maior nas nativas (J’ = 0,83) quando comparado com as mangueiras (J’ = 0,71). O teste de permutação ANOSIM demostrou diferenças significativas na composição de espécies epifíticas entre os dois grupos forofíticos, tanto por Jaccard (p ? 0,01), como por Bray-Curtis (p ? 0,01). Tais resultados sugerem que a presença de forófitos não nativos afeta a composição, riqueza e a diversidade de espécies epifíticas.

Epiphytic macroalgae and hosts of the marine shelf of Cuba: Current status, composition and diversity

The taxonomic composition and diversity of host and epiphytic macroalgal species are important elements in the structure and diversity of marine ecosystems. In this paper, the current state of knowledge and diversity of epiphytic macroalgae and their hosts in Cuba are determined. A systematic review of the scientific literature published from 1900 to 2018 was carried out. The current status of knowledge, main trends, composition, species richness and diversity in the different habitats and areas of the shelf were determined according to the records. We identified 37 publications dealing with the composition and diversity of epiphytism in macroalgae. The studies are grouped into two periods: the first one begins in 1955 addressing only the taxonomy; and the second one begins after 1989 focused on ecology. The flora of Cuban epiphytic macroalgae and hosts is 131 and 130 species, respectively. Habitats with greater structural complexity possess a greater richness of epiphytes, taxonomic structure and alpha diversity. The distribution patterns of epiphytic richness are influenced by both the sampling bias and the limited approach to epiphytism in phycological studies. The average taxonomic distinction (Δ+) expected for the habitats and zones of the Cuban shelf is 82, with 95% confidence limits between 77.21 and 100. Differences in species richness are the component that contributes most significantly to increasing the beta diversity of the epiphytic macroalgae due to the high environmental heterogeneity.

Epiphytic lichens of the dark coniferous forest within the outbreak of Ips sexdentatus Boern. in the Maly Abakan site of the Khakassky Nature Reserve

The article demonstrates the results of studies epiphytic lichens species composition from the territory of the Khakassky State Nature Reserve, conducted in the alpine cedar taiga at the location of the Ips sexdentatus outbreak. There were two types of sample plots: damaged plots, characterized by shriveled cedars infected by bark beetle and flawless plots containing forest stand of primarily vigorous trees. All sample plots were found to comprise 46 species of lichens belonging to 24 genera and 13 families. It was observed that plots infected by bark beetle were inhabited by lichens with poor vital activities manifested by their damaged thalli. However, there were no evident changes in the epiphytic lichen communities on floristic and coenotic levels.

Effects of natural forest dynamics on vascular plant, bryophyte, and lichen diversity in primevalFagus sylvaticaforests and comparison with production forests

AbstractStand structure, mean tree age, deadwood amount and microclimate all change markedly in the course of natural forest dynamics. The last remaining primeval forests of the temperate forest biome are valuable study objects to investigate the effects of forest dynamics and management on forest structure and function as well as phytodiversity, which is not sufficiently understood.Three pairs ofFagus sylvaticaprimeval and production forests in eastern Slovakia were selected for studying the effects of natural forest development stages on vascular plant, bryophyte, and lichen species richness and composition. We further compared the diversity patterns in the initial, optimal and terminal stages of forest development with those of nearby production forests.The plot‐level species richness of epiphytic bryophytes and lichens increased from the initial to the terminal stage, but only lichens exhibited a significantly higher cumulative species richness (γ diversity) in the later (optimal and terminal) stages. No increase in species richness from the initial to the terminal stage was found for deadwood‐inhabiting epiphytes and the ground‐layer vascular plants. Canonical correspondence analyses identified characteristic bryophyte and lichen species for the different development stages, while the bulk of vascular ground layer species occurred across all stages with no stage preference.Stem diameter was an even more important driver of epiphyte diversity and species composition than the development stage. All stages of the primeval forests (including the initial) were more species‐rich in epiphytes and, when investigating larger plot numbers, also in vascular plants than the production forests.Synthesis. In primeval forests of European beech, plant species richness did not differ significantly between the consecutive forest development stages, while species composition did. This is attributable to the small‐scale mosaic structure of the forest, rapid gap closure by beech, and the continuity of deadwood across the stages, which reduces spatio‐temporal differences in microhabitat availability in the forest. Bryophytes and lichens are species‐richer, and vascular plants at least similarly rich, in the primeval as compared to the production forests, if the study area is sufficiently large.

Species richness, composition, and spatial distribution of vascular epiphytes in Amazonian black-water floodplain forests

This study examines the occurrence of vascular epiphytic species in Central Amazonian black-water floodplain forests (igapo) and considers whether their horizontal and vertical distribution is influenced by the flood pulse, as is the case with tree species (phorophytes). Research was conducted in sixteen forest plots the Jau National Park. In these, epiphytes on all phorophytes with DBH ≥ 10 cm were identified. We measured flood height using the watermark left by the last high-water period, then estimated the height relative to the ground of every epiphytic individual. We recorded 653 individuals in 37 species, distributed on 109 phorophytes. Igapo floodplain forests have much lower richness and abundance of vascular epiphyte species than do other Amazonian forests. This may reflect the limitation of available sites for colonization (only 24.9% of studied trees were occupied by epiphytes). Holoepiphytes predominated, and the combined presence of a flood-pulse, linked to the nutrient-poor soil poor seems to limit the occurrence of nomadic vines. Horizontal distribution of epiphytes followed the distribution of phorophytes, which in turn followed the flood-level gradient. Also flooding interacted strongly with vertical zonation to determine species richness. As already well-reported for trees, and unlike reports of epiphytes in other floodplains, flooding strongly influenced richness and distribution of vascular epiphytes in the studied igapo forests.

Composition, diversity and structure of vascular epiphytes in two contrasting Central Amazonian floodplain ecosystems

ABSTRACT Research focusing on assemblages of vascular epiphytes in the Amazon are scarce. This is especially true for Amazonian floodplain forests, for which only two previous studies have been published. We compared composition, richness and structure of epiphyte assemblages in white-water and black-water floodplains (varzea and igapo) in Central Amazonia in order to close knowledge gaps concerning the distribution and richness of epiphytes. We established sixteen 25x25 m plots in each forest type, and counted and identified all species of vascular epiphytes occurring on trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥10 cm. We observed a clear distinction in epiphytic species composition (r2=0.83, p=0.001) and diversity (t=3.24, P=0.003) between the two environments, with 61.5 % of species being restricted to varzea, 22.9 % restricted to igapo and only 15.6 % common to both ecosystems. The floodplains were also structurally different for the most abundant species and those with the highest Epiphytic Importance Value (IVe). The diversity of trees did not influence the epiphyte diversity in either ecosystem. The forests were found to differ in the composition, diversity and structure of their epiphytic assemblages, which must be taken into account when designing conservation action plans for these ecosystems and for their vascular epiphytes.

Epiphytic Microalgal Species Composition and Dynamics on Host Green Seaweeds (Ulvaphyceae) on the Northern Coast of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Epiphytic microalgae on seaweeds are sessile microscopic plants grown with attached or associated to seaweeds hosts and seaweeds are multicellular and macroscopic macro-algae, which are abundant in intertidal zones of coastal environments. Study on epiphytic microalgae is rare at Jeddah coast of the Red Sea. Thus, an investigation on epiphytic microalgae species composition and dynamics on seaweeds of Ulvaphyceae was carried out at northern coast of Jeddah, the Red Sea. The Red Sea is narrow oceanic basin which is lying between the African and the Asian continental shelves. During the study, 3 species of seaweeds were recorded in Ulvaphyceae which were Chaetomorpha linum, Enteromorpha intestinalis and Ulva lactuca. A total of 70 epiphytic microalgae were identified, including 63 belong to Bacillariophyceae, 5 belong to Cyanophyceae and 2 belong to Dinophyceae. Among the identified epiphytic microalgae of the host seaweeds of Ulvaphyceae, the percent contribution of epiphytic Bacillariophyceae, Cyanophyceae and Dinophyceae were 91.53, 6.55 and 2.61%, respectively. The cell abundance of epiphytes on host seaweeds of Ulvaphyceae varied from 8.00 to 93.00 cells/ cells/100 g of Ulvaphyceae seaweeds. The highest cell abundance was in spring and the lowest was in summer. On host seaweeds of Ulvaphyceae, the epiphytes of Licmophora abbreviata, Gyrosigma fasciola, Leptocylindrus danicus, Navicula distans, Navicula transitans, Pleurosigma angulatum and Pleurosigma normanii, Thalassionema frauenfeldii and Nitzschia hungarica were above 10% among epiphytic microalgae though Amphora spp., and Cocconeis spp., were found throughout the year. This finding could be the important source for future explanation of marine epiphytes and their host seaweed eco-biogeographical phenomena in the Red Sea.

The impact of pollutants from a major northern highway on an adjacent hardwood forest.

Emissions of pollutants from highways can exert multiple stresses on adjacent ecosystems. In this study air concentrations of NO2 and throughfall deposition of inorganic N (NO3- and NH4+), SO42-, Cl-, base cations and several metals were measured in all four seasons along a 1.5km hardwood forest gradient extending away from a major highway (Highway 401) in southern Ontario, Canada. Soil and lichen chemistry and herbaceous plant and epiphytic lichen species composition were measured within the hardwood forest to evaluate impacts of these pollutants. Air concentrations of NO2 and deposition of inorganic N, Cl-, base cations and Cu and Zn in throughfall were significantly elevated within 100m of the road compared with the more distant sites. Concentrations of several pollutants including N (and δ15N), Na+, Al and Fe in epiphytic lichen tissue decreased with distance from the highway, and epiphytic lichen richness was lower at sites within 100m of the road. Despite high throughfall inputs of >15kgNha-1y-1 and 100kgNa+ha-1y-1 within 33m of the highway, for example, there was no significant difference in soil chemistry amongst sites. Plant community composition at sites within 80m of the highway differed from sites located further from the road, but it is unclear whether differences were due to highway emissions or were a result of natural forest edge effects.

A Pine Is a Pine and a Spruce Is a Spruce--The Effect of Tree Species and Stand Age on Epiphytic Lichen Communities.

With an increasing demand for forest-based products, there is a growing interest in introducing fast-growing non-native tree species in forest management. Such introductions often have unknown consequences for native forest biodiversity. In this study, we examine epiphytic lichen species richness and species composition on the trunks of non-native Pinus contorta and compare these to the native Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies in managed boreal forests in northern Sweden across a chronosequence of age classes. Overall, we recorded a total of 66,209 lichen occurrences belonging to 57 species in the 96 studied forest stands. We found no difference in species richness of lichens between stands of P. contorta and P. sylvestris, but stands of P. abies had higher total species richness. However, species richness of lichens in stands of P. abies decreased with increasing stand age, while no such age effect was detected for P. contorta and P. sylvestris. Lichen species composition progressively diverged with increasing stand age, and in 30-year-old stands all three tree species showed species-specific assemblages. Epiphytic lichen assemblages in stands of 30-year-old P. contorta were influenced by greater basal area, canopy closure, and average diameter at breast height, P. abies stands by higher branch density and canopy closure, and stands of P. sylvestris by greater bark crevice depth. Differences in lichen species richness and composition were mainly explained by canopy closure and habitat availability, and the greater canopy closure in mature P. abies stands promoted the colonization and growth of calicioid lichen species. Our results indicate that the non-native P. contorta have similar species richness as the native P. sylvestris. The main difference in lichen species richness and composition is between P. abies and Pinus spp. in managed forests of boreal Sweden.

Vascular epiphyte assemblages in a Brazilian Atlantic Forest fragment: investigating the effect of host tree features

This study investigates the relative importance of dispersal- and niche-related mechanisms structuring the assemblages of vascular epiphytes in a 10-ha secondary Atlantic Forest patch in Sao Paulo city, Brazil. We tested for the effect of characteristics of host trees (species, height, trunk diameter, presence of lianas, and distance to a near stream) and of space on epiphyte abundance, species richness, and species composition of vascular epiphytes. Inside a 0.2-ha plot, all 86 trees with diameter at breast height >13 cm (27 species) were recorded, as well as all epiphytes larger than 15 cm in length on those trees (380 individuals, 22 species). Twenty-eight trees (32.6 %) did not carry epiphytes. On individual trees, tree species showed a significant effect on epiphyte abundance, richness, and species composition. The bark-shedding Piptadenia gonoacantha carried less epiphytes than other tree species. Distance to the stream showed effects on abundance and species composition, with lower abundance farther from the stream. Tree height had a positive effect on abundance, richness, and species composition, but trunk diameter had none, supporting the importance of vertical stratification in controlling epiphyte richness. Variation partitioning analyses showed little or no effect of “pure space” on abundance, richness, and species composition (explaining 6.7, 4.5, and 0.7 % of variation, respectively), as compared to environmental effects (26, 30, and 14.5 %), generally supporting a higher importance of niche-based processes in structuring epiphytic assemblages on host trees in the plot.

Perbandingan Komposisi Tumbuhan Lumut Epifit Pada Hutan Alam, Kebun Kopi dan Kebun Teh di Sepanjang Gradien Ketinggian Gunung Ungaran, Jawa Tengah

Study on the impact of differences in altitude and land use changes was conducted in natural forest, coffee and tea plantations in along altitudinal gradient of Ungaran mountain from 750 to 2040 m a.s.l. The objective of this study were to compare composition of epiphytic bryophytes species in third sites. Epiphytic bryophytes sampling were done in plots 20 x 30 cm were applied on height of tree betwen 0-2 m. A total of 103 species of epiphytics bryophytes were identified, involve 58 species of mosses (Bryophyta Division) and 45 species of liverworts (Marchantiophyta Division). The composition of bryophytes in natural forest is more diverse than in coffee and tea plantations. Lejeunaceae have the highest number of species. There are seven life forms of epiphytic bryophytes in the present study i.e. Turf, Cushion, Mats, Wefts, Dendroid, Pendant and Fans. The most common is Mats and Turf form, while Pendant and Dendroid form only found in natural forest. Key words: Bryophytes, epiphytes, altitude, land use changes, life form