Authors: Liang Song WenYao Liu WenZhang Ma JinHua Qi
Publish Date: 2012/05/12
Volume: 170, Issue: 3, Pages: 847-856
Abstract
A field manipulation experiment was conducted in a subtropical montane cloud forest in southwestern China to determine the possible responses of epiphytic bryophytes to increasing nitrogen N deposition from community to physiology level and to find sensitive epiphytic bryophytes that may be used as indicators for assessing the degree of N pollution N addition had significantly negative effects on species richness and cover of the epiphytic bryophyte community Harmful effects of high N loads were recorded for chlorophyll growth and vitality of the species tested The decline of some epiphytic bryophytes may result from detrimental effects on degradation to photosynthetic pigments Bazzania himalayana Mitt Schiffn Bazzania ovistipula Steph Mizut and Homaliodendron flabellatum Sm Fleisch are candidates in atmospheric nitrogen monitoring Epiphytic bryophytes in the montane cloud forest are very sensitive to increasing N deposition and often difficult to recover once they have been destroyed providing early detection of enhanced N pollution for trees or even the whole forest ecosystem The inference that increasing N pollution may lead to loss of biodiversity is a concern to the developing economy in western China and should alert the government to the adverse impacts caused by increased industrial pollution during the process of China’s West DevelopmentThis study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China No U1133605 30870437 the QCAS Biotechnology Fund No GJHZ1130 and Knowledge Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Science No KSCX2YWZ1019 The Management Authority of Ailao Mts National Nature Reserve and the Ecological Station of Ailao Mts are thanked for granting permission and facilitating this research Ms Fu Yun et al are particularly thanked for their assistance with chemical analysis of bryophyte samples The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest and that the experiment complies with the current laws of China We wish to thank Mr JiaFu Wu for preparing Fig S1 We are also grateful to two anonymous reviewers as well as Dr Katherine Gross Dr Meelis Pärtel Dr YongJiang Zhang Mr James Shevock Dr ZhengHong Tan Dr Pelin Kayaalp and Mrs Rene Wilson for their constructive comments and corrections to the manuscript
Keywords: