Morphoanatomical functional traits of terrestrial acrocarpous mosses in campos de altitude

The high-altitude fields (in Portuguese, campos de altitude) of the Itatiaia National Park (INP) hold the greatest moss endemism and number of threatened species known to Brazil. We examined the morphoanatomical functional traits of acrocarpous mosses along a post-fire disturbance gradient in the campos de altitude of the INP, verified the existence of functional groups, and evaluated the functional compositions of their assemblies. To that end, we elaborated a matrix of the morphoanatomical characters of the mosses, compiled a total of 24 functional traits related to drought and/or light tolerance from the literature, and subsequently applied multivariate techniques to analyze the data. The mosses displayed functional traits that allowed them to survive under the environmental conditions imposed in campos de altitude. Their main traits were related to leaf curvature, coloration, and costa width. The functional compositions of those communities were different along the different successional stages, with changes in species compositions and functional groups being associated with phylogenetic patterns.

Keywords:
Atlantic Forest; bryophytes; high-altitude grasslands; functional traits; post-fire succession