Ecological Preferences and Bioindicative Role of Bryophytes in Forest Ecosystems

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 1517

Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Geobotany and Plant Ecology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Lodz, Poland
Interests: bryophyte ecology, in particular substrate and phytocoenotic preference; bioindicative role of mosses and liverworts in plant communities—mainly in forest ecosystems; taxonomy and distribution of pleurocarpous mosses (e.g., Plagiothecium, Fontinalis genus); medical potential of mosses; mosses in the city; paleobotany; mosses in amber
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bryophytes, including mosses, liverworts, and hornworts, form a highly diverse group of plants, widely distributed across the globe. These organisms are commonly found in nearly all ecosystems—both non-forested and forested. In the latter, ecosystems tend to be characterized by high biodiversity due to the availability of various substrates (soil, wood, trees, rocks) and many of these are important for their microhabitats.

Although bryophytes are widely recognized as excellent bioindicators, reflecting aspects of air pollution, heavy metal accumulation, the plant communities in which they occur, and the substrates on which they grow, they are unfortunately increasingly overlooked in ecological and phytosociological studies.

This Special Issue provides an opportunity to discuss these important topics within a scientific context. It aims to highlight and emphasize the crucial bioindicative role of bryophytes in nature. Consequently, this Special Issue covers all aspects of mosses in forest communities, including their distributions, substrate preferences, microhabitats, and associations with plant communities. It will feature both local studies as well as broader regional or continental research. The scope also encompasses bioindicative functions of mosses and liverworts in various contexts—from microhabitats and substrates to plant communities.

Dr. Grzegorz J. Wolski
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • bryophytes
  • forest communities
  • bioindication
  • ecological preferences

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 7193 KB  
Article
Habitat Preferences and Ecological Relationships of Bark-Inhabiting Bryophytes in Central Polish Forests
by Grzegorz J. Wolski, Alicja Cienkowska and Vítězslav Plášek
Forests 2026, 17(1), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17010066 - 2 Jan 2026
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 864
Abstract
In Central Poland, bryophytes growing on trees have not previously been the subject of detailed analysis. Furthermore, the collected data have never been examined using mathematical methods. Several years of observation of the bryoflora in Central Poland, conducted across 465 hectares of forest [...] Read more.
In Central Poland, bryophytes growing on trees have not previously been the subject of detailed analysis. Furthermore, the collected data have never been examined using mathematical methods. Several years of observation of the bryoflora in Central Poland, conducted across 465 hectares of forest and involving 21 tree species, revealed that these trees are colonized by 67 bryophyte taxa, primarily mosses. In this part of Poland most of the trees were overgrown by common, multi-substrate forest species such as Hypnum cupressiforme, Brachythecium rutabulum, or Lophocolea heterophylla. On the other hand, species occurring more rarely, and typically limited to single tree species, included, e.g., Dicranum viride and representatives of the genus Orthotrichum sensu lato (e.g., O. affine, O. pumilum, O. speciosum). The conducted research indicated that not only deciduous trees (e.g., Quercus robur, Carpinus betulus, Betula pendula) were readily colonized by bryophytes—Abies alba, as well as other coniferous trees, also proved to be a highly favorable substrate for these organisms. Moreover, analysis of the bryophytes of individual trees revealed that the trees formed three distinct groups, and the grouping is influenced not only by the species composition of the growing bryophytes. Nonetheless, deciduous and coniferous taxa within each group were colonized by similar mosses and liverworts species. Additionally, different zones of the tree trunk were found to be inhabited by distinct bryophyte assemblages. Thus, the study highlights the specificity of mosses and liverworts flora growing on trees in Central Poland. Full article
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