Biodiversity and Ecological Depositing Types of Aquatic Bryophytes at Karst Waterfalls in Southwest Guangxi

Key words: 
• aquatic bryophytes /
• biodiversity /
• ecological depositing types /
• southwest Guangxi /

Abstract: 245 specimens and samples of aquatic bryophytes were collected from 14 karst waterfalls in southwest Guangxi, P.R.China in November, 2005. The characteristics of bryological biodiversity as follows: (1) It consists of 36 bryophyte taxa in 19 genera and 11 families. Among them, 30 moss taxa in 15 genera and 8 families were founded while 6 liverwort taxa in 4 genera and 3 families were recorded. (2)The life\|forms are Tall turfs (38.89%), Short turfs (19.44%), Mats (13.89%) and Wefts (27.78%). (3)The phytogeographical elements include Cosmopolitans ( 13.57%), North Temperate elements ( 36.11%), Tropical Asia elements( 16.67%), East Asia elements (19.44%) and Endemic to China(13.89% ) . (4)The reproductive systems consist of three types: Dioecious taxa is 83.33%, Synoecious is 13.89% while autoecious 2.78 %. According to the feature of environmental factors and key bryophyte species, 4 ecological types (stream waterfall deposition, river waterfall deposition, dam deposition and cave deposition) and 12 subtypes of biokarst depositions associated with bryophytes can be distinguished. 