Dataset Information

Bryophyte stable isotope composition, diversity and biomass define tropical montane cloud forest extent.

ABSTRACT: Liverworts and mosses are a major component of the epiphyte flora of tropical montane forest ecosystems. Canopy access was used to analyse the distribution and vertical stratification of bryophyte epiphytes within tree crowns at nine forest sites across a 3400 m elevational gradient in Peru, from the Amazonian basin to the high Andes. The stable isotope compositions of bryophyte organic material (13C/12C and 18O/16O) are associated with surface water diffusive limitations and, along with C/N content, provide a generic index for the extent of cloud immersion. From lowland to cloud forest ?13C increased from -33‰ to -27‰, while ?18O increased from 16.3‰ to 18.0‰. Epiphytic bryophyte and associated canopy soil biomass in the cloud immersion zone was estimated at up to 45 t dry mass ha-1, and overall water holding capacity was equivalent to a 20 mm precipitation event. The study emphasizes the importance of diverse bryophyte communities in sequestering carbon in threatened habitats, with stable isotope analysis allowing future elevational shifts in the cloud base associated with changes in climate to be tracked.

SUBMITTER: Horwath AB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6364587 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Bryophyte stable isotope composition, diversity and biomass define tropical montane cloud forest extent.

Horwath Aline B AB Royles Jessica J Tito Richard R Gudiño José A JA Salazar Allen Noris N Farfan-Rios William W Rapp Joshua M JM Silman Miles R MR Malhi Yadvinder Y Swamy Varun V Latorre Farfan Jean Paul JP Griffiths Howard H

Proceedings. Biological sciences 20190101 1895

Liverworts and mosses are a major component of the epiphyte flora of tropical montane forest ecosystems. Canopy access was used to analyse the distribution and vertical stratification of bryophyte epiphytes within tree crowns at nine forest sites across a 3400 m elevational gradient in Peru, from the Amazonian basin to the high Andes. The stable isotope compositions of bryophyte organic material (13C/12C and 18O/16O) are associated with surface water d ...[more]

PMID: 30963945

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Project description:Edge effects represent an inevitable and important consequence of habitat loss and fragmentation. These effects include changes in microclimate, solar radiation, or temperature. Such abiotic effects can, in turn, impact biotic factors. They can have a substantial impact on species, communities, and ecosystems. Here we examine clinal variations in stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values for trees along an edge-interior gradient in the dry deciduous forest at Ankarafantsika National Park. We predicted that soil respiration and differences in solar irradiance would result in stratified ?¹³C values where leaves collected close to the forest floor would have lower ?¹³C values than those growing higher up in the canopy. We also anticipated that plants growing at the savannah-forest boundary would have higher ?¹³C and ?¹?N values than plants growing in the forest interior. As expected, we detected a small but significant canopy effect. Leaves growing below 2 m from the forest floor exhibit ?¹³C values that are, on average, 1.1‰ lower than those growing above this threshold. We did not, however, find any relationship between foliar ?¹³C and distance from the edge. Unpredictably, we detected a striking positive relationship between foliar ?¹?N values and increasing distance into the forest interior. Variability in physiology among species, anthropogenic influence, organic input, and rooting depth cannot adequately explain this trend. Instead, this unexpected relationship most likely reflects decreasing nutrient or water availability, or a shift in N-sources with increasing distance from the savannah. Unlike most forest communities, the trees at Ampijoroa are growing in nutrient-limited sands. In addition to being nutrient poor, these well-drained soils likely decrease the amount of soil water available to forest vegetation. Continued research on plant responses to edge effects will improve our understanding of the conservation biology of forest ecosystems in Madagascar.

Dataset Information

Bryophyte stable isotope composition, diversity and biomass define tropical montane cloud forest extent.

Publications

Bryophyte stable isotope composition, diversity and biomass define tropical montane cloud forest extent.

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