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Does the width of isolated ravine forests influence moss and liverwort diversity and composition?—A study of temperate forests in South Africa

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Abstract

The evidence of microclimatic edge effects through forest/open area ecotones is firm. How this affects the species composition near edges is less well understood and documented. In south-western South Africa shrub-dominated regularly burnt vegetation (i.e. fynbos) is the most common vegetation with indigenous temperate forests naturally occurring mostly in ravines on mountain slopes. The size and width of these forest patches varies considerably. In order to understand how the width of forest patches affects species composition of mosses and liverworts we investigated 20 forest patches of different width. In each forest patch we compiled a total species list, and collected data on selected environmental variables, for a plot of 10×20 m. No significant relationship was found between patch width and the number of either moss or liverwort species. However, the species composition of mosses (but not liverworts) changed along the gradient of patch width. The variation in number of species was large (8–29 mosses and 11–33 liverworts) among the plots and we propose that factors other than distance to the forest edge may be more important in structuring the bryophyte community of these ravine forests. One such factor that is likely to be important is the climatic difference among the plots. There is variation in features, such as precipitation, summer temperature, cloudiness, and the amount of fog, for which we do not have data but that could overrule the microclimatic differences due to edge effects.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Prof. Robert Magill, Prof. Tamás Pócs, and Prof. Ryszard Ochyra for help with identification of several specimens. We thank Tracy Nowel and Samuel Hylander for assistance in the field. Thanks to Prof. William Bond for interesting discussions and valuable input to the study. Permission to work in the protected areas was given by the Western Cape Nature Conservation Board. Climatic data were generously provided by the South African Weather Bureau. The study was financed by grants from The Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT), The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA), Swedish Research Council (former NFR) and Wahlenbergsmedel at Umeå University (to K.H.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Stockholm University, SE, 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    Kristoffer Hylander

  2. Bolus Herbarium, Department of Botany, University of Cape Town, Private Bag Rondebosch 7700, Cape Town, South Africa

    Terry A. J. Hedderson

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  1. Kristoffer Hylander
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  2. Terry A. J. Hedderson
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Correspondence to Kristoffer Hylander.

Appendix

Appendix

Table A1 List of encountered mosses and liverworts in 20 forest plots of 200 m2 on Table Mountain and in Jonkershoek, Southafrika. Number of records (maximum 20) and main substrate association (abbreviations explained at bottom of the table)
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Hylander, K., Hedderson, T.A.J. Does the width of isolated ravine forests influence moss and liverwort diversity and composition?—A study of temperate forests in South Africa. Biodivers Conserv 16, 1441–1458 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-006-9006-0

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