DOI: 10.5061/dryad.p2ngf1w1p
title: Forest microclimate as a driver of epiphytic bryophyte diversity along a subtropical elevational gradient

description: Aim: Considering the importance of microclimate in maintaining
 the diversity of epiphytic bryophytes, we
 investigated epiphytic bryophytes along an elevational gradient
 in the subtropical forest of eastern China to unravel the
 diversity patterns of epiphytic liverworts and mosses along the
 elevational gradients, and the roles of forest microclimates, topographic
 variables and host plant composition attributes in shaping these
 elevational diversity patterns.  Location: Tianmushan National
 Nature Reserve, Zhejiang, China. Taxon: Epiphytic bryophytes.
 Methods: Species diversity patterns of liverworts and
 mosses were compared based on inventory of 16 plots along an elevational
 gradient from 367 m to 1470 m. In-situ microclimatic data of air
 temperature and moisture were collected under constant monitoring
 for over three years. Spatial linear model and structural equation models
 were used to assess the relative roles of the environmental variables in
 shaping the patterns of species diversity along elevation. Results: We
 found that epiphytic liverwort and moss richness showed different
 elevational patterns; overall richness patterns of epiphytic
 bryophytes were largely driven by mosses. Epiphytic mosses exhibited a
 decline followed by a hump-shaped pattern of species richness with
 increasing elevation, while epiphytic liverworts showed a
 mid-elevation plateau with a richness maximum between 800
 and 1300 m. Forest microclimate, topography and
 host plant composition attributes influence epiphytic moss and liverwort
 patterns differently and interact in a complex way. Overall, species
 richness of epiphytic liverworts was most strongly
 affected by microclimate (mean annual air temperature of growing
 season) and of epiphytic mosses richness by
 topography (Slope). Further, epiphytic liverwort species
 richness was more influenced by temperature than moisture. 
 Main conclusions: This study highlights the importance
 of collecting climatic factors at a fine scale (microhabitats)
 for understanding the patterns and drivers of bryophyte
 diversity. Further, our findings demonstrate the differences
 between liverworts and mosses in terms of their response to different
 environments in the forest ecosystem.
description: # Forest microclimate as a driver of epiphytic bryophyte diversity along a
 subtropical elevational gradient
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.p2ngf1w1p](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.p2ngf1w1p) The data include the alpha diversity of bryophytes and forest microclimate in Tianmushan National Nature Reserve.  ## Description of the data and file structure Bryophyte field surveys were conducted between April and November 2018, focusing on the collection of epiphytic mosses and liverworts. We assessed the alpha diversity of epiphytic bryophytes in Mt. Tianmu by calculating species richness, the exponential of the Shannon index, and the inverse of the Simpson index, respectively. We used stand basal area (BA) and plant species richness (PSR) to capture the attributes of host plant composition. Our analysis incorporates two topographic variables: slope and aspect. Slope was measured using a clinometer and aspect using a compass at the central point of each research plot. We focused on air temperature seasonality (TS), mean annual air temperature of growing season (MAT), air moisture seasonality (MS) and mean air moisture of growing season (MAM) to characterize the microclimate environment. gx: longitude (°); gy: latitude (°); Elevation (m); BA: Stand basal area; Slope; Aspect; PSR: Plant species richness; Temp_Season: Seasonality of air temperature; Temp_Annual: Mean annual air temperature of warmest quarter/growing season (6-8 month, ℃); Mois_Season: Seasonality of air moisture; Mois_Annual: Mean annual moisture of warmest quarter/growing season (6-8 month , %); Brichness: Richness of bryophytes; BShannon: expShannon of bryophytes; BSimpson : invSimpson of bryophytes; Lrichness: Richness of liverworts; LShannon: expShannon of liverworts; LSimpson: invSimpson of liverworts; Mrichness: Richness of mosses; MShannon: expShannon of mosses; MSimpson: invSimpson of mosses.