Natural and human-impacted diversity of bryophytes along an elevational gradient on an oceanic island (La Palma, Canarias).

ABSTRACT: Bryophytes have been proposed as ideal indicators of ecosystem change, because they are important components of forest integrity, and considerable research indicates that some groups are sensitive to the changes associated with specific human disturbances. Bryophyte richness and abundance have been found to vary predictably along elevational gradients, but the role of human impacts on these distribution patterns remains unclear. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of human disturbance on the elevational patterns of bryophyte diversity, along an elevational gradient. Along the gradient we collected three datasets in the following sites: preserved (P), forest track roadsides (R) and disturbed by agriculture/silviculture practices (D). Two survey plots of 100 m2 were established at

SUBMITTER: Hernandez-Hernandez R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6447163 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature