Distribution and Floristics of Bryophytes in Soil Crusts in Semi-Arid and Arid Eastern Australia

Abstract

A total of 56 bryophyte taxa associated with biological soil crusts was collected from 282 sites in semi-arid and arid eastern Australia. The 41 moss taxa and 15 liverwort taxa found were dominated by the families Pottiaceae and Ricciaceae respectively. Bryophytes were present at 224 of the 282 sites, and their distribution varied widely according to different landscapes. The mean number of taxa per site ranged from 8.9 on plains with red earths to 2.1 on active floodplains. The most common bryophytes found in the survey area were Bryum pachytheca, Didymodon torquatus, Gigaspermum repens, Goniomitrium enerve, Desmatodon convolutus, Stonea oleaginosa, Crossidium davidai, Riccia limbata and Riccia lamellosa. In this paper, the distribution of bryophytes in relation to landscape types, and some strategies for surviving in arid environments and their roles in biodiversity and rangeland condition assessment are discussed. Their distribution is compared with other published and unpublished studies from similar areas of Australia.