A comparative study of temporal variation of two epiphytic bryophytes in a central Amazonian white-sand forest, Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT We evaluated the local population dynamic of two epiphytic species, Syrrhopodon helicophyllus and Thysananthus amazonicus, over six years from 2014-2020, both before and after the fire event which occurred in the white-sand forest (Campinarana) located in Central Amazon. We did not observed an overall differences on colony abundance on the host tree over time before the fire event in 2019. However, colony abundances shifts along the vertical gradient towards mesic microenvironment which allow to persist during the El Niño event of 2015-2016, and recovered in the following years. Moreover, we observed that colonies of both bryophyte speciesdrastically declined after the fire event in 2019, leading to a complete loss of the species in some of the host tree studied. The direct impacts of climate change with an increased fire and drought events in Central Amazon forests will result in the loss of epiphyte local biodiversity, especially in the unique isolated white-sand forests.