Is vascular plant species diversity a predictor of bryophyte species diversity in Mediterranean forests?

Abstract

This study aimed to (i) investigate the congruence among the species composition and diversity of bryophytes and vascular plants in forests; (ii) test if site prioritization for conservation aims by the maximization of the pooled number of vascular plant species is effective to maximize the pooled number of bryophyte species. The study was performed in six forests in Tuscany, Italy. Four-hundred and twenty vascular plant species (61 of which were woody) and 128 bryophyte species were recorded in 109 plots. Despite the good predictive value of the compositional patterns of both woody plants and total vascular with respect to the compositional pattern of bryophytes, the species richness of the latter was only marginally related to the species richness of the former two. Bryophyte rare species were not spatially related to rare plant species and neither coincided with the sites of highest plant species richness. The species accumulation curves of bryophytes behaved differently with respect to those of woody plants or total vascular plants. Reserve selection analysis based on the maximization of the pooled species richness of either woody plants or total vascular plants were not effective in maximizing the pooled species richness of bryophytes. This study indicates that species diversity of vascular plants is not likely to be a good indicator of the bryophyte species diversity in Mediterranean forests

Similarity-based large-scale distribution mapping of orchids

“…Several authors have concluded that rare species sites do not coincide with the biodiversity hotspots of other taxa (Benayas and de la Montaña 2003;Chiarucci et al 2007), rather that the spatial patterns of species richness are determined mainly by more common species (Pearman and Weber 2007). Although we found that common species have lower indicator values in predicting the presence/absence of other orchids than the relatively rare orchids O. insectifera, M. monophyllos, G. conopsea, and D. russowii, these species are not true rarities in the study area.…”

Are there habitats that contribute best to plant species diversity in coastal dunes?

“…where I jk is the incidence of species j in plot k, F j is total number of plots containing species j, N is the total number of plots and S k is the number of species in the plot k (Palmer et al 2002;Chiarucci et al 2007). This index ranges from zero (no infrequent species) to one (only infrequent species).…”

“…In addition, in contrast with subjective sampling designs, random sampling can be applied to infer plant species diversity using one of the numerous sample based methods for estimating total species richness. Rarefaction curves (Sanders 1968) are now a widely used and accepted method for estimating standardized species richness (Gotelli and Colwell 2001;Koellner et al 2004;Williams et al 2007;Chiarucci et al 2007). Comparable measurements of species richness along the coastal dune gradient, which evidence rare and endangered species, can help answering crucial questions for ecosystem management such as which community best contributes to total species diversity or which are the priority habitats to propose for conservation planning.…”

Musgos de bosques húmedos de montaña en la Sierra Madre Oriental: Nuevos registros regionales

“…La protección de un área por su riqueza de plantas vasculares y vertebrados no siempre garantiza la conservación de la diversidad de briofi tas (Hallingbäck y Hodgetts, 2000; Chiarucci et al, 2007). Por el momento, la presencia de las especies señaladas indica la importancia de los BHM de la región terrestre prioritaria Sierra Gorda-Río Moctezuma.…”