XVI International Botanical Congess

Patterns of moss diversity with regard to the areas of the Caribbean, Central & South America are correlated with climatic parameters. Cool-moist temperate conditions provide for optimal species richness. South temperate and tropical montane forest exhibit high species diversity, open alpine (e.g. páramo/puna) or tundra (e.g. Tierra del Fuego) rank second. Decreasing diversity occurs from lowland wet (e.g. Amazonia) to dry or semi-dry (e.g. Grand Chaco) forest. Finally, grassland (e.g. llanos of Colombia and Venezuela) and semi-desert to full desert (e.g. Atlantic coast of Colombia, raised valley basins of Ecuador) are least diverse. Endemism is likewise correlated with the highlands, at the generic level the Central Andes is highest, and at the species level endemism is relatively high in the montane forest regions, however ranges are on a much broader scale than for vascular plants.