Corticolous liverworts and mosses in a gallery forest in Central Brazil: effects of environmental variables and space on species richness and composition

Dislich, Ricardo; Pinheiro, Eliana Marília Lima; Guimarães, Melina

doi:10.1127/nova_hedwigia/2018/0480

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Studies describe that Lejeuneaceae (common liverwort family of the Amazon region comprising the genus Symbiezidium) are more diverse and abundant in the canopy area, while mosses are mainly concentrated at the tree base and trunk in a plateau ecosystem (Campos et al, 2019;Oliveira, 2010Oliveira, , 2018. The species identified by us (Table S1) have also been reported as being frequent at other tropical rain forest sites (Campos et al, 2015;Dislich et al, 2018;Gradstein and Salazar Allen, 1992;Mota de Oliveira et al, 2009;Pinheiro da Costa, 1999). They show different water-holding capacities, which are influenced by their life-form (Lakatos et al, 2006;Romero et al, 2006;Williams and Flanagan, 1996;Proctor, 1990).…”

Section: Microclimatic Conditions Within Epiphytic Habitatmentioning

confidence: 54%

Microclimatic conditions and water content fluctuations experienced by epiphytic bryophytes in an Amazonian rain forest

et al. 2020

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Abstract. In the Amazonian rain forest, major parts of trees and shrubs are covered by epiphytic cryptogams of great taxonomic variety, but their relevance in biosphere–atmosphere exchange, climate processes, and nutrient cycling is largely unknown. As cryptogams are poikilohydric organisms, they are physiologically active only under moist conditions. Thus, information on their water content (WC) as well as temperature and light conditions experienced by them are essential to analyze their impact on local, regional, and even global biogeochemical processes. In this study, we present data on the microclimatic conditions, including water content, temperature, and light conditions experienced by epiphytic bryophytes along a vertical gradient, and combine these with above-canopy climate data collected at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) in the Amazonian rain forest between October 2014 and December 2016. While the monthly average of above-canopy light intensities revealed only minor fluctuations over the course of the year, the light intensities experienced by the bryophytes varied depending on the location within the canopy, probably caused by individual shading by vegetation. In the understory (1.5 m), monthly average light intensities were similar throughout the year, and individual values were extremely low, remaining below 3 µmol m−2 s−1 photosynthetic photon flux density more than 84 % of the time. Temperatures showed only minor variations throughout the year, with higher values and larger height-dependent differences during the dry season. The indirectly assessed water content of bryophytes varied depending on precipitation, air humidity, dew condensation, and bryophyte type. Whereas bryophytes in the canopy were affected by diel fluctuations of the relative humidity and condensation, those close to the forest floor mainly responded to rainfall patterns. In general, bryophytes growing close to the forest floor were limited by light availability, while those growing in the canopy had to withstand larger variations in microclimatic conditions, especially during the dry season. For further research in this field, these data may be combined with CO2 gas exchange measurements to investigate the role of bryophytes in various biosphere–atmosphere exchange processes, and could be a tool to understand the functioning of the epiphytic community in greater detail.

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Section: Microclimatic Conditions Within Epiphytic Habitatmentioning

confidence: 54%

Microclimatic conditions and water content fluctuations experienced by epiphytic bryophytes in an Amazonian rain forest

et al. 2020

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“…Contrary to our initial expectations, we observed that tree–moss associations were not phylogenetically constrained, indicating that these associations are mainly determined by ecological rather than by evolutionary factors. Ecological factors potentially related to moss distribution in trees are moss dispersal (Löbel et al., 2009; Osorio‐Zuñiga et al., 2014), vegetation cover (Pouliot et al., 2011) and bark roughness (Dislich et al., 2018). All these are non‐mutually exclusive determinants of mosses distribution on trees, and complementary studies are required to assess the specific contribution of each for the moss–tree network structure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cryptic interactions revisited from ecological networks: Mosses as a key link between trees and hummingbirds

Fontúrbel

Osorio²,

Riffo‐Donoso

et al. 2020

Functional Ecology

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1. Ecological interactions are the glue of biodiversity, structuring communities and determining their functionality. However, our knowledge about ecological interactions is usually biased against cryptic interactions (i.e. overlooked interactions involving inconspicuous species). Mosses are a neglected component in community ecology despite being diverse and abundant in boreal and temperate forests. Therefore, the cryptic relationships of trees as hosts for epiphytic mosses, and vertebrates using mosses as nesting material, may have important consequences for community structuring. 2. We built species-and individual-based ecological networks to characterise treemoss associations in 120 tree individuals representing 13 species, which hosted 19 moss species. We also used those ecological networks to simulate the effects of non-random extinctions due to selective logging, to assess the presence of moss species in hummingbird nests (30 nests), whether these mosses were a subset of those found on the trees if moss diversity varies with tree height and whether these moss-tree relationships are phylogenetically constrained. 3. We found a nested pattern in the tree-moss network. Taller trees were the most connected, with tree height positively related to number of moss species, network degree and centrality. Extinction simulations showed changes in network topology, with the strongest effect from the removal of the most connected tree species. However, tree and moss networks were not influenced by phylogenetic relatedness. The hummingbird Sephanoides sephaniodes selectively collected mosses; the moss species used as nesting material by hummingbirds were a subset of available species. These complex relationships among trees, birds and mosses underpin the importance of neglected components in the community. 4. We found that tree-moss associations were non-random, showing a positive relationship between tree height and moss diversity. Those associations are the reflection of preferences beyond relative abundances in the forest, and the removal of certain tree species (due to selective logging) may have cascade effects in the community. Furthermore, the lack of phylogenetic correspondence suggests that tree-moss associations are governed by ecological factors (host tree preferences). Moss-hummingbird associations are non-random, as hummingbirds (that pollinate | 227 Functional Ecology FONTÚRBEL ET aL.

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“…Whereas at the stem bases close to the ground Sematophyllum subsimplex and Leucobryum martianum were dominating, Octoblepharum cocuiense and the liverwort Symbiezidium barbiflorum were the main species occurring at higher levels along tree stems at the ATTO site, obviously in close adaption to the specific locations. These species have also been reported as being frequent at other tropical rain forest sites (Campos et al, 2015;Dislich et al, 2018;Gradstein and Allen, 1992;Mota de Oliveira et al, 2009;Pinheiro da Costa, 1999). 5…”

Section: Potential Physiological Activity Of Bryophytesmentioning

confidence: 73%

Microclimatic and ecophysiological conditions experienced by epiphytic bryophytes in an Amazonian rain forest

Löbs

Walter

Barbosa

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Abstract. In the Amazonian rain forest, major parts of trees and shrubs are covered by epiphytic cryptogams of great taxonomic variety, but their relevance in biosphere-atmosphere exchange, climate processes, and nutrient cycling are largely unknown. As cryptogams are poikilohydric organisms, they are physiologically active only under moist conditions. Thus, information on their water content, as well as temperature and light conditions experienced by them are essential to analyzing their impact on local, regional, and even global biogeochemical processes. In this study, we present data on the microclimatic and ecophysiological conditions of epiphytic bryo-phytes along a vertical gradient and combine these with mesoclimate data collected at the Amazon Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) in the Amazonian rain forest between October 2014 and December 2016. While the monthly average mesoclimatic ambient light intensities above the canopy revealed only minor variations, the light intensities incident on the bryophytes showed different patterns at different heights, probably depending on individual shading by vegetation. At 1.5&thinsp;m height, monthly average light intensities were similar throughout the year and individual values were extremely low, exceeding 5&thinsp;µmol&thinsp;m&minus;2&thinsp;s&minus;1 pho-tosynthetic photon flux density only during 8&thinsp;% of the time. Temperatures showed only minor variations throughout the year with higher values and larger height-dependent differences during the dry season. Water contents of bryophytes varied depending on precipitation and air humidity. Whereas bryophytes at higher levels were affected by frequent wetting and drying events, those close to the forest floor remained wet over longer time spans during the wet seasons. Based on estimates of the potential duration of net pho-tosynthesis and dark respiration, our data suggest that water contents are decisive for overall physiological activity, and light intensities determine whether net photosynthesis or dark respiration occurs, whereas temperature variations are only of minor relevance in this environment. In general, bryophytes growing close to the forest floor are limited by light availability, while those growing in the canopy must withstand larger variations in microclimatic conditions, especially in the dry season. Measurements of CO2 gas ex-change are essential to elucidate their physiological activity patterns in greater detail.

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Corticolous liverworts and mosses in a gallery forest in Central Brazil: effects of environmental variables and space on species richness and composition

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Microclimatic conditions and water content fluctuations experienced by epiphytic bryophytes in an Amazonian rain forest

Microclimatic conditions and water content fluctuations experienced by epiphytic bryophytes in an Amazonian rain forest

Cryptic interactions revisited from ecological networks: Mosses as a key link between trees and hummingbirds

Microclimatic and ecophysiological conditions experienced by epiphytic bryophytes in an Amazonian rain forest

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