Bryophytes are essential components of urban biodiversity but remain understudied in subtropical cities. This study investigates bryophyte diversity across three urban green space types: parks, affiliated green spaces, and street plantings along urban-rural gradients in Guangzhou, southern China. We surveyed 36 sample sites and employed a boosted regression tree model to analyze the relationships between bryophyte diversity and environmental variables, including soil physicochemical properties, canopy density, precipitation, and anthropogenic disturbance. Twenty-two bryophyte species were recorded, with Sematophyllaceae and Hypnaceae as the dominant families. Key environmental drivers of bryophyte diversity were ranked as follows: human disturbance > canopy density > vascular plant diversity > site elevation > soil properties. Conservation strategies should focus on minimizing anthropogenic impacts, enhancing vascular plant diversity, and maintaining moderate canopy cover.
Liu et al. (Sun,) studied this question.