Bryophyte vegetation in a wooded meadow: relationships with phanerogam diversity and responses to fertilisation

In the Laelatu wooded meadow in Estonia, famous for its phanerogam diversity, the bryophyte community has been investigated in order to compare its flora and diversity relationships with those of the vascular plant community. Ninety-six bryophyte species were found, 13 of them are hepatics; the majority of the bryophytes are epigeic species common to meadows and forests, including many calciphilous species. Vascular plants and bryophytes display opposite responses to fertilisation. For vascular plants, fertilisation increases the coverage and diminishes the number of species, while for bryophytes it diminishes coverage and increases the number of species. The relationship between the number of species in small plots and the total number of species in the area is similar for vascular plants and bryophytes. No significant changes in the bryophyte community in Laelatu wooded meadow has been detected during the last 30 years.