Diversity of the Bryoflora of the Tazekka National Park, North-East Morocco

The Tazekka National Park, in the Moroccan Middle Atlas, offers a great diversity of flora and fauna that has been the subject of much research. However, bryophytes are the least studied in the area. In this context, the present study aims to establish an exhaustive inventory of the bryoflora of the park. Sampling was carried out along altitudinal transects, taking into consideration 10 stations spread over the entire massif, making a total of 112 records, and the period of collection was spread over two years. The exploration of the park revealed the existence of 112 taxa belonging to 100 mosses, 10 liverworts and 2 hornworts distributed over 32 families and 66 genera. The Pottiaceae family is predominant (26 species). The present study has enabled us to enrich the Moroccan bryoflora with five newly observed taxa: Anomodon attenuatus, Amblystegium serpens, Didymodon nicholsonii, Orthothecium intricatum and Stegonia latifolia var. Latifolia. Moreover, we note the predominance of acrocarpous mosses over pleurocarps, and a dominance of terricolous mosses over the other habitat types. The level of abundance of the species is variable depending on the environmental conditions of the station, showing that two liverworts are dominant and the most widely distributed in this area (Lunularia cruciata and Targonia hypophylla) and four epiphytes belonging to Orthotrichum are very dominant in an only station. This study clarifies the bryological component of the park's ecosystems. This is not without interest considering the role of these plants in the equilibrium of the environments.