Biomass and nutrient accumulation in ten year old bryophyte communities inside a flood plain in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico

Ten year old bryophyte communities growing on wooden stakes along a microtopographic gradient in a flood plain forest at 750 m elevation accumulated between 210 and 1400 kg/ha of ash-free biomass and an average of 14.5, 0,8, 5.3, 2.7, 2.7, 18.5, and 22.0 kg/ha of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, and Al, respectively. This biomass and nutrient accumulation was in the same order of magnitude as the accumulation of biomass and nutrients in fine litter. Both biomass and nutrient accumulation were greater in communities on stream bank slopes or slopes of tree mounds (...)