Epiphytic bryophyte diversity and its influencing factors

Epiphytic bryophytes are a type of bryophytes that grow on the bark of trees. They are important components in the forest ecosystem and play vital roles in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Epiphytic bryophytes are sensitive to the environmental changes for their simple structure and often used as bioindicators for air pollution, climate change, and forest disturbance. Meanwhile, epiphytic bryophytes diversity is under threat in the face of global change. Therefore, it is important to study the distribution and responses of epiphytic bryophytes to different environmental factors for their protection and utilization under the background of global change. In this paper, we reviewed studies on the biodiversity and spatial distribution of epiphytic bryophytes, and then discussed the relationship between their diversity and influencing factors from three aspects: host characteristics, forest community characteristics and global change. We hope that the comprehensive discussion from the individual-community-global scales can provide useful information for epiphytic bryophytes protection and utilization.