Comparative analysis of urban moss floras of the Murmansk Region

Abstract

The paper reports data from surveys of the moss floras of 6 towns in the Murmansk Region carried out in 2002-2010. Comparative analysis of species richness and taxonomic structure of these moss floras with the moss flora of the Murmansk Region at large is provided. Species that are common and specific for each moss flora are discussed. Urban moss floras appear quite rich in the number of species because of a great variety of conditions and ecotopes presented in urban territories. The species composition and structure of the bryofloras reflect the characteristic features of the regional moss flora. Mosses of antropogenic habitats and species with wide ecological amplitude play a great role in urban bryofloras. Most of them are indifferent to the type of habitats and substrates. The core of anthropotolerant species is very similar in all the towns. Simultaneously, many stenotopic species such as mosses inhabiting rock crevices, bark of deciduous trees, calcephyllic epilytes of shady habitats and large forest and bog hydrophytes are absent from the bryoflora of the towns. A majority of these species are rare in the Murmansk Region. The presence of certain specific mosses in the flora of a town is usually due to the availability of some unique urban habitats.