TY  - JOUR
A1  - Frahm, Jan-Peter
A1  - Ohlemüller, Ralf
T1  - Ecology of bryophytes along altitudinal and latitudinal gradients in New Zealand
T2  - Tropical bryology
N2  - Six altitudinal transects through temperate rain forests were studied at different latitudes in the South and North Island of New Zealand with respect to species numbers of bryophytes, cover and phytomass of epiphytic bryophytes, composition of life forms and ratio liverworts : mosses. Phytodiversity of bryophytes is almost constant from the lowlands to the high montane belt but decreases in the subalpine belt. Similarly, phytomass and cover increase with elevation but decrease in the subalpine belt. The percentage of liverworts increases accordingly and can reach maxima of 80-90%. The most significant life forms are tails and wefts characteristic for hyperhygric conditions, pendents for cloud belts and cushions for subalpine belts. The altitudinal gradient is much stronger then the latitudinal gradient, that means the differences between the elevations within a transect are more important than the differences between the transects. They are attributed to the humidity. The temperate rain forests of New Zealand have similar bryological characteristics as the tropical rain forests in equatorial latitudes in 2000 – 3000 m altitude but differ in the drier subalpine belt and higher phytomass.
Y1  - 2001
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/30456
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-304560
SN  - 0935-5626
N1  - The layout of the electronic version of this contribution differs from the layout of the original version published in the printed volume.
IS  - 20
SP  - 117
EP  - 137
PB  - D. Quandt, Univ. Bonn, Nees Inst. für Biodiversität d. Pflanzen
CY  - Bonn
ER  -