Diversity of Epiphytic Bryophytes at Three Tea Plantations in West Java

Abstract

Study on the epiphytic bryophytes was conducted at three tea plantations located at different elevation in West Java: Gunung Mas (600 m) Bogor, Nirmala (1150 m) Sukabumi, Rancabali (1628 m) Bandung. Three plots were established within each tea plantation, three transects of 30 m were lined in each plot. Samples were collected from the trunk and primary branches of five tea trees in each line transect. The aims of this study were to record the epiphytic bryophytes species of the plantations and to compare diversity of the bryophytes community among the plantations. Ninety species of epiphytic bryophytes were recorded. Checklist of those species were provided in this paper. The bryophytes species richness of the plantations increased with increasing of the elevation. Twenty seven species were found at Gunung Mas, 40 species at Nirmala, and 74 species at Rancabali. The plantations were dominated by different species. The dominant species were Sematophyllum tristiculum (mosses) at Gunung Mas, Lejeunea anisophylla (liverworts) at Nirmala, and Acanthocoleus javanicus (liverworts) at Rancabali. The species composition of the bryophytes communities of Gunung Mas was more similar to that of Nirmala compared to that of Rancabali.