Biodiv Sci ›› 2021, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (4): 545-553.  DOI: 10.17520/biods.2020216

• Bioinventories • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Bryophyte diversity and its threat status in Xishuangbanna

Dongli Quan1,2, Bin Yang3,5,7, Wenzhang Ma4,*(), Liang Song1,7,*(), Ting Shen6   

  1. 1 CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan 666303, China
    2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    3 Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan 666303, China
    4 CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
    5 Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nay Pyi Taw, 05282 Myanmar
    6 Institute of Botany, University of Liege, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liege, Belgium
    6 Institute of Botany, University of Liege, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liege, Belgium
    7 Core Botanical Gardens, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Yunnan 666303, China
  • Received:2020-05-26 Accepted:2020-10-02 Online:2021-04-20 Published:2021-04-20
  • Contact: Wenzhang Ma,Liang Song
  • About author:First author contact:# Co-first authors

Abstract:

Aims: With more than 20,000 species recorded worldwide, bryophytes are no doubt the second largest higher plant group after angiosperms. We aim to understand the bryophyte diversity of Xishuangbanna, a key and hot spot region for biodiversity conservation in the world.

Methods: This study compile a checklist of bryophytes in Xishuangbanna based on literature collection and field investigation. Then, a preliminary analysis was made on the diversity and threat status of bryophytes in this region according to different red lists.

Results: The research results show that a total of 307 bryophyte specimens were collected in this field survey. Among them, 101 species belonging to 37 families, 70 genera including 5 newly recorded species (including infraspecific taxa) were finally identified. According to the complied bryophyte checklist, 661 species (including infraspecific taxa) belonging to 233 genera and 82 families were recorded in Xishuangbanna, accounting for 34.7% of the bryophytes in Yunnan Province and 20.5% in China. Among them, there are 200 liverworts belonging to 54 genera of 30 families, 12 hornworts belonging to 7 genera of 3 families, and 449 mosses belonging to 172 genera of 49 families, including 9 genera endemic to East Asia, one genus endemic to China, and 26 species endemic to China. The threatened statuses of bryophytes in Xishuangbanna were different in the red lists evaluated at different scales and different periods.

Conclusions: Bryophyte diversity in Xishuangbanna is likely to be underestimated; many more species may be discovered from further investigations in the future. This study provides a basis for further study on the flora, conservation and utilization of bryophytes in Xishuangbanna.

Key words: tropic, cryptogam, biodiversity, threat status, red list