ECOLOGY OF CRYPTOGAMIC EPIPHYTES AND THEIR COMMUNITIES IN DECIDUOUS FORESTS IN MEDITERRANEAN SPAIN

A distribution of the epiphytic bryophyte and lichen vegetation of deciduous forests from the centre and north of the supramediterranean belt from the Spanish Iberian Peninsula was established using numerical (PCA, CCA) and traditional floristic characteristics. Four groups have been established in relation to several syntaxa. Derived by numerical classification, possible successional trends between the groups with respect to changes in moisture, light and diameter of the trees are described. Nevertheless, patterns with succession in epiphytic communities are very complex to establish.