Species Richness of Moss Flora on the Montane Vegetation of Mt. Apo Natural Park, Philippines

Abstract

Taxonomic and ecologic assessment of moss flora in the montane forest of Mt. Apo Natural Park, Davao, Philippines was conducted. It aimed to determine the species richness, composition, taxonomy and ecology of the species; and recognize some medicinal properties and species identified as rare, endemic and endangered. Transect method was used and a quadrat of eight randomly sampled plots in a 20 x 20 m along 12 hectares of the montane forest sectioned into lower and upper montane was established. Results of the study revealed 136 mosses belonging to 56 genera and 26 families. The family with the most species-rich is Orthotrichaceae and the least species-rich are the families belonging to Ditrichaceae, Ephimeropsidaceae, Garovagliaceae, Lembophyllaceae, Mniaceae, Neckeraceae, and Spiridentaceae. Moreover, the distribution of species and life forms in different microhabitats reflect the variation of humidity and light regimes. The family Leucobryaceae is strongly epiphytic on decayed logs while the family Ephemeropsidaceae is strongly epiphytic on leaf surfaces. Local assessment further revealed 33 moss species as new record in the park, with 2 endangered species namely: Pogonatum cirratum subsp. macrophyllum (Dozy & Molk.) Hyvonen. and Dawsonia becarri Broth. & Geh; and 4 Philippine endemic species namely: Ectropothecium ferrugineum (C. Müll.) Jaeg., Calyptrochaeta microblasta (Broth.) Tan & Robins., Symphysodontella subulata Broth. and Thuidium benguetense Broth. Ex Bartr. Of the collected species, 5 moss species were noted to have medicinal properties namely: Dawsonia becarri Broth. & Geh., Fissidens nobilis, Pogonatum cirratum subsp. macrophyllum (Dozy & Molk.) Hyvonen, Rhodobryum giganteum and Plagiomnium integrum (Bosch & Lac.) T. Kop. Taxonomically, the mosses showed distinct variation on their morphology structures and forms based on microscopy and field examinations. Further, cryptogam studies are needed to extract information specifically from moss diversity and understand their ecological distribution and functions on the montane forest ecosystem.