Bryophytes of urban industrial streetscapes in Victoria, Australia

The bryophyte floristics of industrial/commercial streetscapes of urban Victoria and the importance of various substrata to species richness were explored. Species richness was low compared to healthy natural environments. Thirty mosses from 14 families, and six liverworts, each from different families, were identified. Most species occurred at fewer than 30% of sites, showing the patchy nature of their distribution. Only three species occurred at more than half the sites. Markedly higher species richness occurred on soil than on any other substratum. Epiphytes were extremely few. The low bryodiversity of streetscapes, the patchy nature of the bryophytes and the high number of colonists suggest that the streetscapes have not fulfilled their potential in providing connectivity between urban and non-urban areas. Colonists characteristically occur early in the successional sequence of disturbed areas but, as streetscapes are continually disturbed, colonists effectively are climax species for this habitat. Better management of streetscapes to provide more complex habitat is needed to enable colonisation of these areas by bryophyte species that are more representative of our ever-shrinking natural habitats.