Quantitative analyses on the moss flora of China based on 125 geographical units

Floristic data of mosses from 125 geographical units in China were collected from relevant literature. The distribution frequencies of genera and species were calculated. Geographical differentiation of moss flora was analyzed by Fuzzy K-means Clustering and Detrended Correspondence Analysis. Results showed that: (1) Species (or genera) number decreased exponentially with the increase in distribution frequency, namely, most species or genera were recorded from a narrow geographical range. (2) Seventy-three areas with more than 100 moss species could be divided into five groups based on the number of species in the families; group 1 included 12 areas in eastern and southwestern China; group 2 included 16 areas in northwestern and northern China; group 3 included 15 areas in the Yangtze River Delta and other areas intensely disturbed by human activities; group 4 included 19 mountains in tropical and southern subtropical regions of southern China; group 5 included 11 temperate mountains in northeastern and northwestern China or mountains with high altitude in southwestern China. (3) Incorrect specimen identification in previous reports has resulted in the misconception that most moss species are confined to narrow geographical areas.