Moss diversity in the tropical rainforests of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil

ABSTRACT – (Moss diversity in the tropical rainforests of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil). Moss diversity at various sites in the Tropical Atlantic Rainforest of southeastern Brazil is high, with 338 taxa distributed among 49 families and 129 genera. Comparisons of species richness in the Tropical Atlantic Rainforest in southeastern Brazil suggest that the moss flora is not uniform, and that lowland, montane, submontane, and upper montane Atlantic rainforests have very different moss floras. Montane Atlantic Rainforest has the largest number of exclusive species and the highest species richness, Sub-Montane Atlantic Rainforest has intermediate species richness, while the Lowland Atlantic Rainforest has fewer species. The high diversity of the Montane Atlantic Rainforest could be explained by the diversity of climatic, edaphic, and physiographic changes of the vegetation. Sematophyllaceae accounted for 19 % of the taxa in lowland forest, Meteoriaceae for 10 % of the taxa in montane forests, and Dicranaceae for 18 % of the taxa in upper montane forests. Taxa with broad Neotropical distributions (40 % of the total taxa) are important elements in all the forests, while taxa restricted to Brazil comprise the second most important element in upper montane and montane forests. Key words- moss diversity, rainforests, southeastern Brazil RESUMO – (Diversidade de musgos nas florestas tropicais do Rio de Janeiro, Sudeste do Brasil). A diversidade de musgos na Floresta Tropical Atlântica do Sudeste do Brasil é considerada alta, com 338 táxons, distribuídos em 123 gêneros e 49 famílias. Comparações em relação à riqueza de espécies na Floresta Atlântica do Sudeste do Brasil sugerem que a flora de musgos nã