Data from: Effects of microclimates on species richness of epiphytic and non-epiphytic bryophytes along a subtropical elevational gradient in China

Aim: Biodiversity patterns along elevational gradients have been
well documented for vascular plants and terrestrial vertebrates, but we
know relatively little about the elevational patterns of bryophytes and
their underlying mechanisms, especially the effect of forest microclimate
on epiphytic and non-epiphytic bryophytes. Here we study the influence of
microclimate variables on the richness of epiphytic and non-epiphytic
species for bryophytes as a whole, and for liverworts and mosses
separately, in forests along an elevational gradient ranging from 369 m to
1476 m in Mt. Tianmu, a subtropical region in eastern China. Location: Mt.
Tianmu in eastern China. Methods: We sampled bryophytes in each
of 16 vegetation plots, each in the size of 20 m by 20 m, along the
elevational gradient and distinguished between mosses and
liverworts and between epiphytic and non-epiphytic species. We measured
climate conditions at local sites. Species richness of bryophytes along
elevational gradient was related to six microclimate variables, using
correlation and regression analyses, and a variation partitioning
approach. Results: Overall, species richness of bryophytes showed
a slightly decreasing trend with increasing elevation, and epiphytic and
non-epiphytic bryophyte richness showed different elevational patterns.
Compared to non-epiphytic bryophytes, species richness of epiphytic
bryophytes was more influenced by air microclimate. We also found that
species richness of bryophytes was influenced by both microclimate extreme
variables and microclimate seasonality variables. In sum,
utilizing in-situ air and soil microclimatic monitoring data, our
study offering a more accurate reflection of the relationship between
bryophyte species richness and their habitats. Main Conclusions: Our
results highlight the importance of considering the ecological differences
between mosses and liverworts, and distinguishing between microhabitats of
sampled bryophyte assemblages when exploring the patterns and drivers of
bryophyte diversity along elevational gradients.