1. Introduction 2. The Physical Environment 3. Plants and Vegetation 4. Insects and Spiders 5. Amphibians and Reptiles 6. Birds 7. Mammals 8. Plant-Animal Interactions 9. Ecosystem Ecology and Forest Dynamics 10. Conservation in the Monteverde Zone: Contributions of Conservation Organizations 11. Agriculture in Monteverde: Moving Toward Sustainability 12. Conservation Biology

Monteverde: ecology and conservation of a tropical cloud forest.

An analysis of corticolous bryophyte diversity on whole trees in primary rain forest and 4-15-y-old fallows at 500-650 m in the Alto Beni, Bolivia, showed a significantly decreased diversity of bryophyte families and moss species in the fallows. However, liverwort diversity was scarcely lower in the fallows, except in the very young (4 y old) ones. Fallows had a significantly higher percentage of smooth mat species (72%), which may reflect the warmer, drier microclimate in the fallows. About half of the bryophyte species of the rain forest had re-established in the 10-15-y-old fallows. The majority of these are ecological generalists and sun epiphytes; a small minority are shade epiphytes. Re-establishment of ecological specialists is slower than that of generalists. Species richness in the primary forest is highest in the canopy; in the fallows it is highest in the understorey due to striking shifts of species and specialized growth types (rough mats, fans, tails) towards lower heights on the trees in the fallows. These shifts correspond well with measured changes in air temperature and air humidity in the fallows as compared with the forest.

https://www.uv.mx/personal/tkromer/files/2011/05/Acebey-et-al.-2003_J-Trop-Ecol.pdf

Species richness and habitat diversification of bryophytes in submontane rain forest and fallows of Bolivia

A protocol for rapid and representative sampling of vascular and non-vascular epiphytes (ex­ cluding epiphylls) is presented for one hectare of tropical rain forest, including montane forest. We estimate that the inventory and morpho species recognition (excluding species identification) can be carried out in approximately 2 weeks by a team of six persons, three specialists (one each for vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens) and three field assistants.

/pdf/a-protocol-for-rapid-and-representative-sampling-of-vascular-290vx8nlxw.pdf

A protocol for rapid and representative sampling of vascular and non-vascular epiphyte diversity of tropical rain forests

CHAPTER 8 – Lichens and Bryophytes in Forest Canopies

The dependent flora was surveyed on 20 trees at a 1.5-ha site in montane rain forest at 2600 m altitude in western Venezuela. Vascular species were recorded over the whole site and totalled 120 epiphytes, 21 climbers, 3 hemiepiphytes, 5 nomadic vines and 6 mistletoes. Non-vascular species were recorded within 95 sample plots and totalled 22 mosses, 66 liverworts and 46 macrolichens. The angiosperm species were restricted in geographical range to the Neotropics; 22.1% were endemic to Venezuela. Pteridophyte and bryophyte species were largely restricted to the Neotropics but few were endemic. Macrolichen species were mostly pantropical or cosmopolitan; only 9.6% were restricted to the Neotropics and none was endemic. Canonical Correspondence Analysis found the environmental variables most closely correlated with variation in community composition to be height above ground and a horizontal gradient reflecting differences in forest structure. The epiphytic vegetation was classified using Two-way Indicator Species Analysis into a Syrrhopodon gaudichaudii-Elaphoglossum hoffmannii group of lower trunks, an Omphalanthus filiformis-Maxillaria miniata group of intermediate levels and an Usnea-Parmotrema group of upper crowns. Diversity increased with height above ground; non-vascular diversity was greatest in upper crowns whereas vascular diversity was greatest at intermediate levels. Similarity levels were low among sample plots of the same community, whereas between-tree and between-stand similarities were relatively high.

The epiphyte communities of a montane rain forest in the Andes of Venezuela: patterns in the distribution of the flora

An inventory of the understory and canopy of 4 ha oflower montane cloud forest at Monteverde, Costa Rica, yielded 190 bryophyte species: 133 hepatics, 56 mosses and 1 homwort. Thick branches of the lower canopy were by far the richest habitat in terms of number of species (99), trunks from 1m upwards had 65 species, lianas, shrubs, saplings, or living leaves in the understory had about 36-46 species each, and 16 species were found on rotten logs. The figures are illustrative of the great diversification of microhabitats of bryophytes in a tropical montane cloud forest. About 36% ofthe species, including more than half ofthe corticolous ones, occurred exclusively in the canopy. It appeared thatthe percentage ofbryophyte species restricted to the canopy may be the same in lowland and montane rain forests, in spite of the great differences in species abundance and composition in the two kinds of forest.

Diversity and habitat differentiation of mosses and liverworts in the cloud forest of. Monteverde, Costa Rica

RESUMO O autor apresenta as familias, os generos e, dentro destes quando possivel, as especies de briofitas conhecidos ate o momento, frequentemente encontradas na floresta tropical umida, num raio de 150 km ao redor de Manaus, Estado do Amazonas, Brasil. Chaves artificiais para a separacao das classes e, em casos particulares, de genero e especies sao tambem apresentadas. Cada familia e descrita resumidamente sob o ponto do vista morfologico, de habitat preferoncial e de distribuicao geografica geral. Os termos tecnicos utillizados nas descricoes encontram-se definidos na maioria dos dicionarios de Botânica ou nos textos sobre morfologia de briofitos, facilitadas com a inclusao no trabalho de 536 figuras.

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Guia preliminar para as Briófitas freqüentes em Manaus e adjacências

Fifty-seven species of mosses and fifty-four species of liverworts are reported from the Parque Nacional Volcan Poas, Costa Rica. Of these 5.3% are known solely from Costa Rica, 8% are of cosmopolitan distribution, 67.2% show floristic affinities with the continental floras of South America, 1.8% with those of North America while 17.7% have ranges that include continental or island stations in the Old World.

Briófitos del Parque Nacional Volcán Poás, Costa Rica

Calymperes levyanum Besch., C. platyloma Mitt., C. bartramii Reese, and C. mitrafugax Florschutz are reported new to Brazil; Syrrhopodon incompletus var. luridus (Par. & Broth.) Florschutz, S. circinatus (Brid.) Mitt., and S. brevisetus Florschutz are reported new to Brazil, and S. berteroanus (Brid.) C. Mull, is reported new to Venezuela. The occurrence and distribution of several other Calymperaceae in Brazil are also discussed. Syrrhopodon rivularis Herzog is a new synonym of Calymperes nicaraguense Ren. & Card.

/pdf/noteworthy-calymperaceae-from-brazil-and-venezuela-1to4lgms7a.pdf

Noteworthy Calymperaceae from Brazil and Venezuela

Daltonia fenestrellata Griffin was collected by A. M. Cleef in the Andes of Colombia in 1973. It is characterized by the cuspidate, incurved or recurved leaf tips, the elongated juxtacostal cells and the apically scabrous seta. It seems most closely allied toD. gomezii Crosby of Costa Rica.

/pdf/studies-on-colombian-cryptogams-ix-daltonia-fenestrellata-3r6cn5eexz.pdf

Dana Griffin

Papers

Diversity and habitat differentiation of mosses and liverworts in the cloud forest of. Monteverde, Costa Rica

Guia preliminar para as Briófitas freqüentes em Manaus e adjacências

Briófitos del Parque Nacional Volcán Poás, Costa Rica

Noteworthy Calymperaceae from Brazil and Venezuela

Studies on Colombian cryptogams. IX. Daltonia fenestrellata (Musci: Daltoniaceae), a new species from Colombia