Rj. Fensham et H. Streimann, BROAD LANDSCAPE RELATIONS OF THE MOSS FLORA FROM INLAND DRY RAIN-FOREST IN NORTH QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA, The Bryologist, 100(1), 1997, pp. 56-64
The moss flora of dry rainforest in north Queensland was surveyed in c
onjunction with a vascular plant survey. Moss species richness was str
ongly correlated with patch area, mean annual rainfall, and vascular p
lant species richness. Moss species richness rises where volcanic crat
ers within the study area increase moisture status. Geological substra
te had a stronger relationship with associations within the moss flora
as defined by the TWINSPAN classificatory procedure and with individu
al moss species than either landform category or classificatory groups
of vascular plants, The association of four species with large closed
canopy patches may reflect a humid microclimate and suggests that all
else being equal large patches will preserve more species than many s
mall areas of rainforest. However, a high proportion of rare species w
ere associated with the soil surface and there was no obvious way of p
redicting their locality.