Natura Croatica Issue number: Natura Croatica, Vol. 32 No.2

First record of the rare boreo-alpine moss Herzogiella striatella (Brid.) Z. Iwats. in the Western Balkans

Authors: Vedran Šegota, Snežana Dragićević, Anja Rimac, Antun Alegro

Authors and affiliation

  • Vedran Šegota University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Division of Botany, Marulićev trg 20/II, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
  • Snežana Dragićević Natural History Museum of Montenegro, Trg Vojvode Bećir-bega Osmanagića 16, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro
  • Anja Rimac University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Division of Botany, Marulićev trg 20/II, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
  • Antun Alegro University of Zagreb, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Division of Botany, Marulićev trg 20/II, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

The rare boreo-alpine moss Herzogiella striatella was found on Mt Snježnik (W Croatia) in 2015 and constitutes the first national record. Two populations were recorded inside an old and hardly accessible spruce forest on steep boulders (Lonicero caerulae-Piceetum) along the Frankopanski Put hiking path. The markedly cool and humid microclimate ensured by small karst dolines within the forest shapes the specific bryophyte species composition with the elements of snowbed and timberline pine krummholz vegetation and the domination of boreal and arctic taxa. Due to its pronounced isolation from other European populations, the species is certainly of relict origin in Croatian Dinaric Alps.

Keywords

boreal taxa, bryophytes, Croatian Dinaric Alps, spruce forests, Mt Snježnik, snowbed vegetation

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