Questions: In some fire-prone ecosystems, bryophytes play a crucial role by providing the surface fuel that controls the fire-return interval. Afroalpine heathlands are such an ecosystem, yet almost nothing is known about the bryophytes in this system. We do not know the level of species richness, or if there is a successive accumulation of species over time, or if some species are adapted to specific phases along the successional gradient, for example early-successional species sensitive...