Dai Zun, Yang Yu-Ting, Wang Yi-Ran, Yao Xue, Zhuang Li-Jie, Zhu Mao-Jie, Zhang Jian, Wang Jian
Bryology Laboratory School of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Zhoushan Island Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University Shanghai China.
School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University Guangzhou China.
Ecol Evol. 2025 May 12;15(5):e71442. doi: 10.1002/ece3.71442. eCollection 2025 May.
Understanding the extent to which species can adjust their ranges in response to climate change and track areas of suitable climatic conditions is vital for conservation efforts. Nonetheless, the observed changes in species distribution may also result from inadequate field data. This is particularly relevant for epiphyllous liverworts, which exhibit a poikilohydric lifestyle that makes them more vulnerable to climatic fluctuations than many other higher plants. Furthermore, their small plant size increases the chances of under-detection in epiphyllous liverworts compared to other plant groups. To enhance our understanding of how species distribution is influenced by climate change, establishing long-term monitoring plots is essential. In this study, we utilize the BEST platform (Biodiversity along Elevational Gradients: Shifts and Transitions) to furnish empirical evidence regarding the habitat shifts of epiphyllous liverworts along the elevational gradient of Mt. Tianmu. To identify the specific microclimatic conditions vital for the growth and development of epiphyllous liverworts, we conducted a transplant experiment. Our systematic observations from the permanent monitoring plots (2018-2022) led to the discovery of a new population of epiphyllous liverworts located at an elevation of 1130 m. By analyzing in situ microclimatic data on air temperature and moisture, collected consistently over 5 years (2017-2022), we characterized the mean, minimum, and variability of the microclimatic conditions essential for epiphyllous liverwort growth. Additionally, results from elevation transplantation experiments underscore the importance of incorporating dispersal constraints when modeling the species distribution of epiphyllous liverworts for precise predictive outcomes. Our results highlight the importance of long-term monitoring permanent plots in predicting the effects of global changes on species habitat shifts, and underscore the necessity for comprehensive investigations of the distribution of epiphyllous liverworts at the northern boundary of subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests in China.
了解物种能够在多大程度上响应气候变化调整其分布范围并追踪适宜气候条件区域，对于保护工作至关重要。然而，观察到的物种分布变化也可能源于实地数据不足。这对于叶附生苔类植物尤为重要，它们呈现出变水植物的生活方式，这使得它们比许多其他高等植物更容易受到气候波动的影响。此外，与其他植物类群相比，它们较小的植株尺寸增加了叶附生苔类植物未被发现的几率。为了增进我们对气候变化如何影响物种分布的理解，建立长期监测样地至关重要。在本研究中，我们利用 BEST 平台（沿海拔梯度的生物多样性：变化与过渡）来提供关于叶附生苔类植物沿天目山海拔梯度栖息地变化的实证证据。为了确定对叶附生苔类植物生长和发育至关重要的特定小气候条件，我们进行了一项移植实验。我们从长期监测样地（2018 - 2022 年）进行的系统观察发现了一个位于海拔 1130 米处的叶附生苔类植物新种群。通过分析连续 5 年（2017 - 2022 年）收集的原地气温和湿度小气候数据，我们描绘了对叶附生苔类植物生长至关重要的小气候条件的均值、最小值和变异性。此外，海拔移植实验的结果强调了在为叶附生苔类植物的物种分布建模以获得精确预测结果时纳入扩散限制的重要性。我们的结果凸显了长期监测永久样地在预测全球变化对物种栖息地变化影响方面的重要性，并强调了对中国亚热带常绿阔叶林北界叶附生苔类植物分布进行全面调查的必要性。
