Bryophyte Community Composition and Diversity as Bioindicators of Elevational Zonation in Tropical Rainforests in Hainan Island, China.

ABSTRACT: Although mountain vertical vegetation belts are key in revealing the response to climate change and the maintenance mechanism of biodiversity, traditional field surveys and remote sensing methods face significant limitations in the structurally complex tropical humid mountainous regions of Hainan Island. As bryophytes are good microclimate indicators and characteristic components of the structure of the tropical rainforest, they may be useful tools for the construction of a general scheme of the altitudinal zonation of tropical rainforests. We surveyed bryophyte communities across eight elevations and three vegetation types at LiMu Mountain, southern China. Bryophyte species alpha diversity increased significantly as elevation increased, while beta diversity showed the contrasting pattern.

SUBMITTER: Su X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12566818 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature