Abstract: Based on the investigation of bryophyte communities in four artificial vegetations including Caragana intermedia scrub, Populus simonii forest, Platycladus orientalis forest and Pinus tabuliformis forest in Huangfuchuan Watershed (Inner Mongolia), the species composition, mosses patches in microhabitats of the same vegetation, as well as the formation and development mechanism of bryophyte crusts were studied. A total of 23 species in 15 genera and 8 families of bryophytes were found. The sum of relative coverage of Bryum argenteum, B. dichotomum and Didymodon vinealis in four vegetations was above 95%. In the thinnest moss crust of microhabitats, the heights of B. argenteum, B. dichotomum and Didymodon vinealis were 0-(0.93±0.04), (0.72±0.03)-(1.82±0.04) and 0-(2.82±0.08) mm with the densities of 0-(11.08±0.28), (2.30±0.23)-(20.08±0.55) and 0-(29.56±1.07) plants·cm^-2, respectively. In the thickest moss crust of the microhabitat, the heights of B. argenteum, B. dichotomum and D. vinealis were (3.23±0.09)-(6.55±0.12), (5.99±0.08)-(11.64±0.11) and (7.71±0.11)-(22.05±0.23) mm with the densities of (64.34±1.54)-(400.12±2.87), (216.23±3.23)-(356.27±2.19) and (32.27±0.99)-(236.03±2.48) plants·cm^-2, respectively. Thickness of moss crusts, height of subterraneous section and aboveground section of plants of three kinds of dominant species were also obviously different among the four vegetations. Finally, some measures of artificially promoting formation of moss crusts were put forward based on the analysis of distribution of species, succession of moss crusts and correlations of all indexes of moss crusts in microhabitats.

Key words: karst, restoration stage, fine root, soil nutrient, morphological trait