Influence of pine-oak mixture on local bryophyte diversity.

Summary The diversity of bryophyte communities in mixed stands of sessile oak (Quercus petraea) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) was compared to pure stands of these species, for trunk epiphytes and humo-terric bryophytes around the trunk. At the tree scale, pines harbor lower diversity than oaks. Mixing has a positive effect on bryophyte community richness on/under pine, while it has no significant effect on oak. At the stand scale, pure pine stands are less species rich, and there is no difference in richness between mixture and pure oak stands. However, the composition of the species assemblages is influenced by the interaction between mixture and species, so diversity at the scale of the massif is enhanced if all three stand types remain represented.