Abstract: Based on the coverages of 86 moss species in51 sites with 3305 samples on ground in Changbai Mountains, six groups of sites including Larix gmelinii-bog, turdra, Betula ermanii forest, transitional forests in sub alpine, dark conifer forest and Pinus koraiensis broad leaved mixed forest were identified using TWINSPAN. The total moss coverage of Larix gmelinii-bog, tundra Betula ermanii forest, transitional forests in sub alpine, dark conifer forest, and Pinus koraiensis broad leaved mixed forest were 26.88%, 80.94%, 25.42%, 59.83%,44.11% and 1.67%, respectively. With the decline of pH and the increase of soil water content, the total moss coverage increased. In the forests between tundra and Pinus koraiensis broad leaved mixed forest, the total moss coverage declined with the canopy coverage. The relationship between the species number (N) and their niche breadth (B) for 86 moss species in51 sites followed the model: N=74.6475×e^-20.6705×B. It indicates that the most moss species in Changbai Mountains had very narrow niches.

Key words: Mosses, Distributional pattern, Ecology, Ecosystem, cone and seed, natural population, Cupressus chengiana, phenotypic trait, environmental factor