BRYOPHYTES OF THE VELYKYI DIL MOUNTAIN RANGE (NATIONAL NATURE PARK “ZACHAROVANII KRAJ”, UKRAINIAN CARPATHIANS) AND THEIR ECOLOGICAL TIMING

Abstract

Biodiversity monitoring of protected areas is important in the context of environmental management planning. Bryophytes are an important aspect of plant cover biodiversity and exhibit good indicator properties at the level of species and communities. The study of bryophytes in the Zacharovanyi Krai NNP has been started recently (Sadygov 2020, 2021; Felbaba-Klushyna, Sadygov 2022; Sadygov, Felbaba-Klushyna 2021, 2022, 2023). The published results relate to individual tracts or lowerranked protected areas that are part of the NNP, interesting findings and descriptions of individual bryocommunities. However, we present the generalized results of the study of bryophytes of the Velykyi Dil ridge, which is the largest geomorphological structure of the park, for the first time. We have studied the taxonomic and ecological structure of the bryoflora of this ridge based on the collection of material in beech, beech-oak, beech-spruce forests (on tree bark, dead wood, and soil), along streams, in the Bagno bog, on rocks and stones. We investigated the taxonomic and ecological structure of the bryoflora of the “Zacharovanyi krai” National Nature Park. Bryological material was determined using traditional determinants. Systematic analysis was made on the basis of the latest European bryotaxonomic system “An annotated checklist of bryophytes of Europe, Macaronesia and Cyprus” (Hodgetts et al., 2020), ecological groups were characterized according to generally accepted criteria. A total of 129 bryophyte species from 48 families and 94 genera were found as a result of research. Analysis of the spectrum of the leading families of mosses and liverworts indicates that the main part of the species is confined to beech forests and moist and overmoistened ecotopes. As a result of the analysis of the ecological structure, it was established that the most widespread are mesotrophic mesophytes, a significant percentage is mesoeutrophic and eutrophic hygromesophytes and hygrophytes, which indicates the presence of both moderately humid and overmoistened, relatively nutritious ecotopes, suitable for bryophytes to inhabit. It should be noted that the taxonomic and ecological structure of bryophytes accurately characterizes the ecotopical features of the research area.