Alleniella besseri, (Lobarz.) S. Olsson, Enroth & D. Quandt (Lobarz.) S. Olsson, Enroth & D. Quandt

Alataş, Mevlüt, Ezer, Tülay, Erata, Hüseyin, Batan, Nevzat & Ursavaş, Serhat, 2023, The Epiphytic Bryophyte Vegetation of Buxus sempervirens L. forests in the Fırtına Valley (Rize, Turkey), Cryptogamie, Bryologie 20 (5), pp. 123-132 : 126

Alleniello besseri - Palamocladietum euchloronis Ezer, Alataş, Erata & Batan, ass. nov.

( Table 2 )

HOLOTYPE. — Turkey. Rize Province, Fırtına Valley , 1004 m, Buxus sempervirens forest.

NOMENCLATURAL TYPE. — Table 2 , relevé no. 17, holotype.

CHARACTERISTIC SPECIES. — Alleniella besseri , Palamocladium euchloron .

COMMENTS

The association, which occurs in the northern part of the Fırtına Valley, was determined by a total of six relevés, taken mostly from the middle parts of the Buxus sempervirens trunks, at an altitude between 956 and 1018 m. While the general bryophyte coverage varies between 86% and 99%, the canopy cover, in the forest where it was found, was 100%. The association consists of a total of 16 taxa. Of these, two are liverworts and 14 are mosses. Thirteen of the mosses are pleurocarpous and one is acrocarpous. The average number of taxa within the community is eight. Both the coverage percentages and the number of acrocarpous and xerophylous species and meso-hygrophylous pleurocarpous mosses show that the study area has humid and semi-arid habitats. In addition, based on the ecological characteristics ( Dierssen 2001) of the taxa belonging to the association, it can be stated that the syntaxon spreads in semi-neutral shaded areas with meso-hygrophylous character.

Alleniella besseri (Lobarz.) S.Olsson, Enroth & D.Quandt and Palamocladium euchloron (Bruch ex Müll.Hal.) Wijk & Margad. , the main characteristic species of the association, have the highest frequency, and the species are 100% constant in the relevés. Both species generally grow on tree trunks in semi-arid and semi-neutral environments ( Dierssen 2001). They also grow as epilitics on rock surfaces.

Synhierarchically, due to the fact that Alleniello besseri - Palamocladietum euchloronis contains characteristic species, such as Alleniella complanata (Hedw.) S.Olsson, Enroth & D.Quandt , Exsertotheca crispa (Hedw.) S.Olsson, Enroth & D.Quandt and Homalia trichomanoides (Hedw.) Brid. of the Neckeretea complanatae, Neckeretalia complanatae, and Neckerion complanatae ( Marstaller 2006), it was classified within these higher syntaxonomical units ( Table 2 ). The class Neckeretea complanatae is characterized by both epiphytic and epilithic species which prefer humid and shaded habitats in alkaline environments ( Dierssen 2001).