Impact of Phanerogam and Soil Characteristics on Bryophyte Assemblages with Respect to Restoration Practices (Case Study: IJzermonding, Belgium)

The effect of soil and phanerogam characteristics on bryophytes composition, richness, abundance and functional groups were investigated in order to understand the factors responsible for bryophytes distribution patterns. Three different sand dunes were selected: untouched, artificial sod-covered and planted by Ammophila. Along 10 transects perpendicular to the shore, a total of 142 permanent relevés, located in three sand dunes, were sampled. In each plot, total cover of vascular herbaceous and bryophytes, and the percentage of litter were estimated. The average of vascular herbaceous height was measured. In each plot, EC, pH, CaCo3, texture and organic matter content of the upper 5 cm layer were also measured. Analyses usingDCA and GLM showed that bryophytes abundance was decreased by EC and phanerogam abundance, while pH increased the species richness of bryophytes. EC increased the relativeabundance of sexual species while decreased the relative abundance of asexual bryophytes species. The relative abundance of colonists increased in planted Ammophila sand dune while the relative abundance of perennial stayers was the highest in untouched sand dune. The successional stage should also be important in distribution pattern of bryophytes.