No abstract

Richness and occupancy patterns of epiphyll bryophytes in a fragmented landscape of tropical rain forests in northeastern Brazil (Murici Ecological Station) were investigated to assess the influence of regional and local disappearance of habitat on epiphyllous metapopulation indicators. Bryophytes were collected from ten forest fragments, from the fragment's border to 100 m inside the forest. The number of colonized phorophytes and the cover on leaves were scored. Decreasing trends in regional and local abundance linked to habitat loss were observed, which may be related to the sexual and asexual expression. Although fertility was not related to constancy in the fragments, frequently fertile species colonized more sites within fragments than infertile species. Landscape metrics and indicators of habitat quality explained better the variation in epiphyll richness and occupancy than distance from the forest's edge. This suggests that the abrupt habitat quality modification resulting from edge creation is secondary in the area studied, while irreversible landscape modifications still play an important role. The results add to empirical support that metapopulations are prone to negative and long-term effects in fragmented landscapes. Thus, the selection of priority areas for conservation must take into account the remaining amount of habitat as well as the connectivity between the landscape's patches.Abstract in Portuguese is available at

Este trabalho apresenta os resultados do levantamento das hepáticas de um fragmento de Mata Atlântica, no Município de Santa Teresinha, Bahia. Foram registradas 70 espécies pertencentes a 41 gêneros e 14 famílias: Aneuraceae (2), Bryopteridaceae (2), Calypogeiaceae (1), Cephaloziaceae (2), Geocalycaceae (2), Herbertaceae (1), Jubulaceae (4), Lejeuneaceae (37), Lepidoziaceae (4), Metzgeriaceae (2), Pallaviciniaceae (2), Plagiochilaceae (8), Radulaceae (2), Trichocoleaceae (1). A família Lejeuneaceae é representada por 53% das espécies. A comunidade corticícola apresentou a maior riqueza específica (67%), seguida pelas epífila (33%) e epíxila (14%). Cinco tipos de formas de crescimento foram reconhecidas: trama (69%), talosa (9%), tapete (19%), pendente (3%) e tufo (1%). Os táxons registrados para a Serra da Jibóia correspondem àqueles mais característicos de florestas tropicais baixo montana e submontana.

The vertical distribution of the richness, abundance, and composition of epiphytic bryophytes was studied in a matrix of fragmented habitats in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest of the Murici Ecological Station (9°11 0 05 00 -9°16 0 48 00 S, 35°45 0 20 00 -35°55 0 12 00 W), northeastern Brazil. The aim was to compare the horizontal (between sites) and vertical (between phorophyte heights) turnover to test a hypothesis based on niche width vulnerability. There was a highly significant decreasing of richness accompanying the loss of habitat, and the most conserved fragment housed a total richness more than 10 times higher than the less conserved fragment. Epiphytes failed to colonize lower trunks (2.1-10 m) and higher zones in most of the non-conserved fragments; they were restricted to the base (0-2 m) and displayed a clear altered floristic composition. The species with restricted ecological amplitudes such as sun and shade tolerant taxa were more negatively affected by habitat loss than generalists. Although the mean richness of generalists decreased in non conserved fragments, the proportional contribution of this guild increased, proving that these taxa are the ones which persist in disturbed sites. The forest fragments capable of harboring rich epiphyte flora in the area studied are over 300 ha in size, which is far from being a common size among Brazilian Atlantic rainforest fragments. Hence, our results highlight the need of conserving the few large remnants in this ecosystem.

Epiphytes are hyper‐diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non‐vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts. Our work presents the first epiphyte data set with information on abundance and occurrence of epiphyte phorophyte species. All data compiled here come from three main sources provided by the authors: published sources (comprising peer‐reviewed articles, books, and theses), unpublished data, and herbarium data. We compiled a data set composed of 2,095 species, from 89,270 holo/hemiepiphyte records, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, recorded from 1824 to early 2018. Most of the records were from qualitative data (occurrence only, 88%), well distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest. For quantitative records, the most common sampling method was individual trees (71%), followed by plot sampling (19%), and transect sampling (10%). Angiosperms (81%) were the most frequently registered group, and Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the families with the greatest number of records (27,272 and 21,945, respectively). Ferns and Lycophytes presented fewer records than Angiosperms, and Polypodiaceae were the most recorded family, and more concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern regions. Data on non‐vascular plants and lichens were scarce, with a few disjunct records concentrated in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Forest. For all non‐vascular plant records, Lejeuneaceae, a family of liverworts, was the most recorded family. We hope that our effort to organize scattered epiphyte data help advance the knowledge of epiphyte ecology, as well as our understanding of macroecological and biogeographical patterns in the Atlantic Forest. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication and teaching events.