Beneath the towering canopies of subtropical forests lies an often overlooked, yet crucial element in the global carbon cycle: bryophytes. This diverse group of mosses and liverworts, carpeting the forest floor, has recently been thrust into the spotlight by a groundbreaking study that challenges conventional understanding of forest biomass and carbon storage. Published as an Open Access Rapid Communication in Carbon Research, this extensive investigation, led by Dr. Zhe Wang and Dr. Weikai Bao, undertakes the largest survey to date of understory bryophyte biomass across 413 subtropical forests in Sichuan Province, China. The findings compel a significant reevaluation of mosses’ role in carbon sequestration and ecosystem stability worldwide.
For decades, forest carbon models have primarily emphasized aboveground biomass, particularly tree trunks and canopies, casting bryophytes as mere background players with negligible influence. However, this paradigm is shifting due to robust empirical data revealing that bryophytes account for a startling 25% of the total understory biomass. While their mass represents only about 1% compared to aboveground tree biomass, the vast extent of forest landscapes magnifies their contribution to carbon stock beyond previously estimated levels. This discovery spotlights bryophytes as essential components of forest carbon budgets, suggesting that their exclusion from models skews global carbon accounting and climate projections.
The study elucidates that bryophyte biomass thrives disproportionately in cold temperate coniferous forests, environments characterized by high humidity, shade, and minimal disturbance. These microclimatic conditions foster optimal bryophyte growth and accumulation. Beyond merely occupying space on the forest floor, bryophytes exhibit exceptional ecological functions: they act as carbon sinks by assimilating atmospheric CO2, nutrient reservoirs maintaining soil fertility, and soil stabilizers preventing erosion. Their slow growth and even slower decay rates enhance carbon retention timescales, potentially locking carbon in forest substrates for decades or longer.
The physiological and ecological attributes of bryophytes highlight their potential as linchpins for bolstering forest resilience under ongoing climate perturbations. Their capacity to maintain moisture balance and reduce nutrient leaching confers stability amid environmental fluctuations. From a biogeochemical perspective, bryophytes’ ability to sequester carbon suggests a natural, low-cost strategy for enhancing carbon sinks—a concept often overshadowed by high-profile afforestation initiatives. Inclusion of bryophyte data in forest carbon models could therefore provide a more nuanced and accurate reflection of terrestrial carbon dynamics, informing policy and conservation priorities with a refined understanding of ecosystem fluxes.
This research challenges the status quo, advocating for bryophytes to be integrated into global carbon models, an amendment that could reshape carbon offset strategies and climate mitigation frameworks. Current omission of bryophytes from these models introduces error, obscuring true ecosystem carbon stocks. By quantifying understory biomass with unprecedented precision, this study opens avenues for enhanced predictive modeling of forest carbon budgets. More accurate carbon accounting can empower policymakers to enact conservation and afforestation initiatives that align with realistic sequestration potentials.
Furthermore, the study’s findings resonate beyond the subtropical forests of China, with implications for ecosystems worldwide. Bryophytes are ubiquitous in boreal, temperate, and tropical forests, each with distinct vegetation structures but potentially analogous carbon sequestration contributions. The researchers advocate for extended, global-scale surveys to map bryophyte biomass comprehensively, attempting to bridge critical knowledge gaps on carbon storage in the understory layer. Such collaborative international research endeavors, exemplified by the China-Croatia “Belt and Road” Joint Laboratory on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, could spearhead transformative insights and inform broader ecological management practices.
From a methodological standpoint, the study leveraged large-scale field sampling, integrating species identification, biomass quantification, and ecological context analyses across 413 forest plots. Advanced statistical models correlated bryophyte biomass with environmental variables, illustrating the nuanced relationships between microhabitat conditions and bryophyte distribution patterns. This rigorous approach surpasses previous smaller-scale investigations, setting a benchmark for future ecological research in understory biomass assessments. The integration of bryophyte data potentially refines ecosystem service valuations, reinforcing their role as ecosystem engineers beyond traditional plant functional groups.
As ecosystem services gain traction as fundamental pillars in environmental policy, recognizing bryophytes’ multifaceted contributions aligns with global sustainability goals. They are not only biodiversity keystones but also agents of carbon neutrality and soil health. Preserving bryophyte communities becomes a direct strategy for safeguarding forest function and continuity in the face of anthropogenic pressures such as deforestation, climate change, and habitat fragmentation. Their resilience and carbon-sequestering abilities position bryophytes as valuable, though underappreciated, allies in the global response to climate crises.
Highlighting the collaborative nature of this breakthrough, Dr. Wang’s combined affiliation with Shanghai Normal University and Chengdu Institute of Biology, alongside Dr. Bao’s dedication at the Chengdu Institute, underscores the power of multidisciplinary and international cooperation in elucidating complex ecological phenomena. By crossing geographic and disciplinary boundaries, the team paves the way for integrative research frameworks that reconcile biodiversity conservation with climate mitigation. Their work exemplifies the scientific community’s push towards holistic ecosystem understanding, emphasizing that even minute organisms wield significant environmental influence.
Consequently, forest managers and conservationists may rethink management frameworks to include bryophyte conservation as a priority. Protection protocols can be refined to maintain the microhabitats integral to bryophyte thriving conditions, such as moisture regimes and soil stability. This realignment fosters a proactive ecosystem-based adaptation strategy, capitalizing on natural processes for climate resilience. From carbon market perspectives, safeguarding bryophyte biomass could become an innovative source of carbon credits, leveraging nature-based solutions with economic incentives.
Looking forward, the study prompts critical questions concerning bryophytes’ flux dynamics under varying climate scenarios, their interactions with other microbial communities, and their responses to anthropogenic disturbances. Addressing these questions requires multidisciplinary teams encompassing ecology, biogeochemistry, climate science, and policy expertise. The research also points to technological advances, such as remote sensing and environmental DNA, which could enable more efficient and scalable bryophyte biomass assessments. By harnessing these innovations, the scientific community can unlock the true potential of the forest floor in climate mitigation.
In summary, this landmark investigation unmasks the hidden carbon storage capabilities of bryophytes, advocating their integration into global carbon frameworks and ecological conservation plans. By quantifying their biomass and revealing their ecosystem services, the study overturns decades of underappreciation, elevating bryophytes as essential carbon custodians. As the planet grapples with climate change, the subtle yet powerful role of mosses offers a hopeful path grounded in nature’s own mechanisms, demonstrating how the smallest components can yield the largest impacts in sustaining Earth’s ecological balance.
Subject of Research:
Not applicable
Article Title:
Missing biomass stock: a systematic investigation of understory bryophytes across 413 subtropical forests
News Publication Date:
23-Jul-2025
Web References:
10.1007/s44246-025-00224-6
References:
Wang, Z., Liu, X., Feng, D. et al. Missing biomass stock: a systematic investigation of understory bryophytes across 413 subtropical forests. Carbon Res. 4, 55 (2025).
Image Credits:
Zhe Wang, Xin Liu, Defeng Feng, Yanqiang Jin, Xinxu Yang, Beibei Gao & Weikai Bao
Keywords:
Biomass; Bryophyte; Forest type; Nutrient storage
