Summary

This study on bryophytes was conducted from July 29 to August 1, 2013, in the municipality of Santa Cruz das Flores, on the island of Flores (Azores). The objective was to assess bryophyte diversity along an elevational gradient at 70 m, 200 m, 400 m, 600 m, and 800 m (a.s.l.). Bryophytes were sampled using a modified version of the standardized BRYOLAT protocol (see Ah-Peng et al., 2012; Gabriel et al., 2014), published as one of the GIMS protocols (Borges et al., 2018), considering both taxonomic and environmental data. At each elevation, two 10 m × 10 m plots were established, spaced 10–15 meters apart. Each plot was subdivided into 25 quadrats (2 m × 2 m), from which three were randomly selected for detailed inspection. Within each selected quadrat, three microplots (10 cm × 5 cm; 50 cm²) were collected from the different substrates colonized by bryophytes, including rock, soil, humus, organic matter, tree bark, and leaves/fronds. For tree bark, microplots were sampled in a stratified manner at three height intervals: low stratum (1–50 cm), medium stratum (51–100 cm), and high stratum (101–200 cm). The study yielded 385 event records and 1342 occurrence records, resulting in the identification of 89 bryophyte species.

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http://ipt.gbif.pt/ipt/resource?r=moveclim_azores_flores_island_2012&v=1.0