Benítez Ángel, Nagua Richard, Medina Jefferson, Lapo Gregorio, Yangua-Solano Erika, Andrade-Hidalgo Rolando
Biodiversidad de Ecosistemas Tropicales-BIETROP, Herbario HUTPL, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, San Cayetano s/n, Loja 1101608, Ecuador.
Departamento de Ciencias Jurídicas, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja 1101608, Ecuador.
Plants (Basel). 2025 Jan 11;14(2):184. doi: 10.3390/plants14020184.
Epiphytic bryophytes are an important component in terms of the diversity and functioning of montane forests known as biodiversity hotspots. Bryophytes are highly dependent on their external environments because they are sensitive to environmental changes related to disturbance, fragmentation, air pollution, and climate change. The richness and composition of bryophytes in remnants of primary and secondary forests were analyzed, where the richness and cover were recorded on trunk bases of 120 trees. Changes in species richness and diversity were analyzed using generalized linear models (GLMs), and changes in species composition, using multivariate analysis. A total of 57 bryophyte species (36 liverworts and 21 mosses) were recorded in trunk bases. For the first time, 19 new liverworts for the province of El Oro are reported. The richness and diversity of bryophyte species decrease in disturbed forests when compared to primary forests, with a marked decrease in species less adapted to conditions of high light (shade epiphytes). In the same line, species composition is different in each type of forest, where bryophytes with high humidity requirements were abundant in primary forests. This study confirms that forest disturbance is a key factor in determining not only the number of species but also the composition of bryophyte species. The maximum tree diameter and primary forest remnants are important factors in the conservation of sensitive bryophyte species at the base of trees in one of the last remnants of mountain forests in El Oro Province, Ecuador.
附生苔藓植物是被称为生物多样性热点地区的山地森林多样性和功能的重要组成部分。苔藓植物高度依赖其外部环境，因为它们对与干扰、破碎化、空气污染和气候变化相关的环境变化很敏感。对原始森林和次生林残余地的苔藓植物丰富度和组成进行了分析，在120棵树的树干基部记录了丰富度和覆盖率。使用广义线性模型（GLMs）分析物种丰富度和多样性的变化，使用多变量分析分析物种组成的变化。在树干基部共记录了57种苔藓植物（36种地钱和21种苔藓）。首次报道了奥罗省19种新的地钱。与原始森林相比，受干扰森林中苔藓植物物种的丰富度和多样性降低，对高光条件适应较差的物种（阴生附生植物）显著减少。同样，每种类型森林中的物种组成也不同，原始森林中对湿度要求高的苔藓植物丰富。这项研究证实，森林干扰不仅是决定苔藓植物物种数量的关键因素，也是决定苔藓植物物种组成的关键因素。最大树木直径和原始森林残余地是厄瓜多尔奥罗省最后一片山地森林残余地中树木基部敏感苔藓植物物种保护的重要因素。
