Assistant professor Universite de Moncton Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
The importance or forest-floor bryophytes in ecosystem functioning, resilience and plant-soil feedbacks is well established in boreal forests. There, they affect water, carbon, nitrogen, and nutrient cycling, as well as vascular plants. Whether this holds true at the boreal-temperate ecotone remains unclear. Diverse canopies in the BTE create contrasting understory conditions and an opportunity to understand how canopy composition and local climate interact with bryophytes and their functions. Throughout boreal and temperate forests predicted changes in canopy dominance driven by land use or climate change are likely to have profound impacts on bryophyte diversity and their contributions to ecosystem functions.
