Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 December 2022 | 14(12): 22207–22214
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893
(Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7886.14.12.22207-22214
#7886 | Received 18 February 2022 | Final
received 18 October 2022 | Finally accepted 20 November 2022
A preliminary survey of moss
flora of Chail Wildlife Sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh,
India
Meenal Sharma 1, Anju Rao
2 & S.S. Kumar 3
1–3 Department of Botany, Panjab
University, Chandigarh 160014, India.
1 meenaljasra@gmail.com, 2 anjuraoanju@rediffmail.com
(corresponding author), 3 sharmasudarshan455@gmail.com
Editor: S.D. Tiwari,
Indira Priyadarshini Government Girls PG College of Commerce, Haldwani, India. Date
of publication: 26 December 2022 (online & print)
Citation: Sharma, M., A. Rao & S.S.
Kumar (2022). A preliminary survey of moss
flora of Chail Wildlife Sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh,
India. Journal of
Threatened Taxa 14(12): 22207–22214. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7886.14.12.22207-22214
Copyright: © Sharma et al. 2022. Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: None.
Competing interests: The authors
declare no competing interests.
Author details: Meenal Sharma is a research scholar
in Department of Botany, Panjab University. Anju Rao is an
associate professor in Department
of Botany, Panjab
University. S.S Kumar
is professor (Emeritus) in Department of Botany, Panjab University.
Author contributions:
MS surveyed
the study area, collected the plant material, prepared the slides for identification and written up the whole manuscript. SSK helped with the identification
of the plant material. AR designed and supervised
the whole experiment throughout. All authors read and
approved the final manuscript.
Acknowledgements: The authors are thankful to the
forest personnel of Chail Wildlife Sanctuary for
being permitted to conduct a survey. Authors are also thankful to the
Chairperson, Department of Botany, Panjab University, Chandigarh, for providing
necessary research facilities. MS would like to thank Mr. Ankit Goyal for his
help during field trips and sample collection.
Abstract: The present study aims to account
for the moss flora of Chail Wildlife Sanctuary,
district Solan, Himachal Pradesh (HP). Frequent field
visits were made in different seasons to collect moss samples. Ecological data
like temperature, humidity, and habitat preferences were also recorded at the
time of collection. A total of 31 moss species belonging to 22 genera and 15
families were recorded so far. The family Pottiaceae
(7 spp.) was the most dominant one, followed by Brachytheciaceae
(4 spp.), Polytrichaceae, Fissidentaceae,
and Entodontaceae with (3 spp.) each. In the acrocarpous mosses, family Pottiaceae
was highly dominant, whereas, among the pleurocarpous
mosses family, Brachytheciaceae was dominant. Among
the genera, Atrichum P. Beauv.
(Acrocarpous), Fissidens
Hedw. (Acrocarpous), and Entodon C. Muell. (Pluerocarpous) were dominantly present, represented by
three species each. This study provides baseline data of moss diversity and
their ecological attributes in Chail Wildlife
Sanctuary, which may prove beneficial in establishing policies for future
exploration of bryodiversity with proper management
and conservation in the sanctuary area.
Keywords: Acrocarpous,
Bryodiversity, Bryophytes, Pleurocarpous,
western Himalaya.
INTRODUCTION
Bryophytes constitute a vast
group of land plants, only second after angiosperms. Approximately 20,000
species of bryophytes (Mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) are reported
worldwide (Ismail et al. 2020). In India, the bryophytes are represented by
2,562 taxa (1,636 mosses, 887 liverworts and 39 hornworts (http://www.bsienvis.nic.in/Database/Bryophytes).
Bryophytes can colonize a wide variety of habitats, including rocks, tree bark,
wood, forest floors, and riverbank. Mosses constitute an important group of
bryophytes with more species richness and wide geographic distribution than
liverworts and hornworts. Moss flora of western Himalaya has been extensively
studied by several authors such as Chopra & Kumar (1981), Vohra (1983); Tewari & Pant (1994), Joshi et al. (2001); Kumar &
Singh (2002), Kapila & Kumar (2003), Saxena et al. (2006), Nath et al.
(2008), Sahu & Asthana (2012), Alam (2013), Alam et al. (2013),
Asthana & Sahu (2013), Riaz et al. (2015), and Sahu & Asthana (2015). In Himachal Pradesh (HP),
several authors (Sharma & Choyal 2011) have
documented the moss flora at the local scale. However, to the best of our
knowledge, no study has explored the moss flora of a protected area in HP so
far. Therefore, the present study aims to document the moss flora of Chail Wildlife Sanctuary supplemented with their habitat
and ecological attributes.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Study area
Chail wildlife sanctuary is situated
in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh (Figure 1),
covering an area of ~110 km2. The majority of the sanctuary area
comes under the Kandaghat sub-division of Solan district, however, some part of it also falls under
the jurisdiction of the Shimla wildlife division. It lies between 30.891 latitude
& 77.138 longitude at an altitude range of 701–2,405 m. The study area
experiences sub-tropical to temperate climatic conditions with temperatures
ranging from 40˚C in summer to -4˚C in winters. The annual rainfall amounts to
about 1,250 mm, most of which is procured during the monsoon season between
July to September. The area receives occasional snowfall during winters.
Sampling and collection
The frequent field visits were
made in different seasons to collect moss samples from the sanctuary. Samples
were systematically collected from different parts of the sanctuary to cover
various aspects, topography, and forest types. The moss plants were collected
from different habitats such as rocks, tree barks, trunks, and soil surfaces.
The specimens were scraped out carefully with the edge of a knife and
immediately placed in polybags. While collecting the samples, several field
parameters such as habitat, host, geographic coordinates, surrounding
vegetation, and substrate conditions were recorded. In addition, at each
sampling site, soil, temperature and moisture data were also gathered. The
collected moss samples were transferred to the laboratory and air-dried at room
conditions. The dried material was then soaked in luke
warm water for 5–10 minutes.The specimens are
deposited in the herbarium of the Department of Botany, Punjab University,
Chandigarh and a voucher number for each specimen was obtained. The
geographical map of the study area was prepared using ArcGIS software version
10.8.
Identification and taxonomic
treatment
For identification, anatomical studies
were performed by soaking the plant material in luke
warm water for 5–10 minutes to regain the turbidity and the permanent slides
were prepared using 30% glycerine and DPX (Dibutyl
phthalate Polystyrene Xylene) solvent. The selected mounts were observed and
photographed under a microscope. Photographs of dry and wet plant material were
also taken. The specimens were identified with the help of previously published
floras such as Gangulee (1969–1980), Chopra (1975), Chopra &
Kumar (1981), and Kumar (1980). The families are arranged according to Goffinet & Buck (2004) system of classification.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
In the present study, 31 species
of mosses belonging to 22 genera and 15 families were recorded so far. The
family Pottiaceae accounts for the highest number of
species (7), followed by Brachytheciaceae (4 spp.)
and Polytrichaceae, Entodontaceae,
& Fissidentaceae with (4 spp.) each. Rest of the
recorded families were represented by one species each (Figure 2). All the
recorded families along with their respective species and their habitat
preferences are depicted in Table 1. Among the recorded families, nine are acrocarpous and six are pleurocarpous.
The coloured pictures of all the collected taxa are
provided in photo Images 1–31. A detailed description of recorded families with
diagnostic features is discussed below:
Polytrichaceae: Polytrichaceae includes 25 genera, of which
four are commonly found in the Western Himalaya (Alam
2013). In the present study, only one genus, i.e., Atrichum
(3 species, i.e., Atrichum undulatum (Hedw.) P. Beauv., A. flavisetum
Mitt. and A. obtusulum (Müll.
Hal.) A. Jaeger) was recorded. All three species are terricolous in habitat.
Plants are usually small with an erect, unbranched stem. The characteristic
feature of Atrichum, i.e., leaf lamina
bisect with teeth and lamellae restricted to nerve portion only, helped in easy
identification. The peristome teeth in the studied taxa are of nematodontous type.
Dicranaceae: Dicranaceae includes a total of 70 genera,
of which 18 are present in the western Himalaya (Alam
2013). In our study area, this family is represented by only one taxon, i.e., Dicranella divaricata (Mitt.)
A. Jaeger. This species is terricolous in its habitat. Plants are small,
erect with the tomentose and usually branched stem.
Leaves broader at the base and long distinctive apex, leaf cells subquadrate or elongated in the apical region and alar
cells are usually well differentiated. The sporophytic
stage was not observed.
Fissidentaceae: This family comprises five
genera, of which only one is reported from the western Himalaya (Alam 2013), i.e., Fissidens;
this genus is also reported from the study area with three species viz. Fissidens bryoides Hedw., F. crispulus Brid.
and F. involutus Wilson ex Mitt. Fissidens bryoides was
recorded on the tree trunk and F. crispulus &
F. involutus were found to be terrestrial. The
plant body of Fissidens sp. is erect and
ranges between 1–5 mm in height. This most distinctive taxon among mosses was
easily recognizable by its distichous leaves and each leaf with lamina vaginata, lamina dorsalis and lamina apicalis.
The sporophytic stage was not observed.
Ditrichaceae: Ditrichaceae includes 32 genera worldwide, of
which only four are found in the western Himalaya (Alam
2013). In the present study, only one taxon, i.e., Ditrichum
tortipes (Mitt.) Kuntze
was observed. The plants were found growing in loose tufts. Stem usually
unbranched, with slightly dentate apex. The shape of the leaf, the deeper color
of percurrent costa, leaves linear to almost square in shape with areolation
helped distinction. The sporophytic stage was not
observed.
Rhabdoweisiaceae:Rhabdoweisiaceae includes two genera, of which
only one is found in the western Himalaya (Alam
2013). In the area under present study, only taxon, i.e., Rhabdoweisia
crenulata (Mitt.) H. Jameson. was recorded. Like
the other members of this acrocarpous family, plants
are small and found growing in dense cushions. The long lingulate leaves with
irregularly serrated margins, short, quadrate to elongated thin-walled
areolation with undifferentiated alar cells, helped separation from other
species. The sporophytic stage was not observed.
Pottiaceae: Pottiaceae includes 112 genera, of which 32
genera are found in the western Himalaya (Alam 2013).
In present study, five genera i.e., Anoectangium
(2 species, A. stracheyanum Mitt. and
A. bicolor Renauld & Cardot),
Molendoa [1 species, M. roylei
(Mitt.) Broth.], Hymenostylium [1 species,
H. recurvirostrum(Hedw.)
Dixon], Hyophila [2 species, H. involuta (Hook.) A. Jaeger. and H. rosea R.S. Williams] and Hydrogonium
[1 species, H. arcuatum (Griff.) Wijk & Margad.] were
recorded. Anoectangium strachyanum
and Hymenostylium recurvirostre
were epiphytic and others were terrestrial. All members of the family Pottiaceae are acrocarpic and
grow in loose tufts. The plant body is erect, small and caespitose.
The stem is well developed with a central hydroid strand. The most important
identifying feature of this family is the multi papillose laminal cells. Leaves
are of variable shape ovoid to lanceolate, broad at the apex and tapered at the
base with entire or sometimes serrated margins. Hyophila
involuta have serrated margins, while Hyophila rosea have
smooth margins. Anoectangium bicolor
can be easily identified by the presence of prominent costa, which extends
beyond the tip. Peristome teeth are absent in all of the reported taxa.
Bartramiaceae: Bartramiaceae includes 11 genera, of which
seven are found in the western Himalaya (Alam 2013).
In the present study area, only one taxon, i.e., Philonotis
fontana (Hedw.) Brid.
is reported. Bartramiaceae
is commonly called as a family of apple mosses because of the apple-like shape
of the capsules. The plants grow in extensive tufts. Stems mostly tomentose, with whorls of subfloral
innovations, leaves lanceolate and acuminate with single costa ending below the
tip, laminal cells rectangular at the base, elongated in mid leaf with cell
ends extended as mamillae which offer an additional
feature of distinction. Capsules were found to be erect or slightly inclined
with diplolepidous peristome teeth.
Mniaceae: Mniaceae includes 12 genera, of which
seven are found in the western Himalaya (Alam 2013).
In the present study area, only one taxon, i.e., Plagiomnium
cuspidatum (Hedw.) T.J.
Kop. was observed. The species is characterized by large leaves, spathulate to
oval in shape often present in rosette at stem apex, with sharp uniseriate teeth on the margins. The plants were found
growing in loose tufts. The sporophytic stage was not
observed.
Bryaceae: Bryaceae includes 33 genera, of which
only six are reported from the western Himalaya (Alam
2013). In the present study, only one taxon, i.e., Ptychostomum
capillare (Hedw.) D.T. Holyoak & N. Pedersen was recorded. The plants are
terrestrial as well as epiphytic found growing in dense tufts under damp and
shady conditions. Leaves ovate-lanceolate in shape with smooth margins,
serrated at the tip and hexagonally elongated areolations
helped recognition of this taxon. The sporophytic
stage was not observed.
Amblystegiaceae: Amblystegiaceae includes 44 genera, of which
only two are found in the western Himalaya (Alam
2013). In the present study, only one taxon, i.e., Cratoneuron
filicinum (Hedw.) Spurce was recorded. The stem leaves are broader
than the branch leaves, lanceolate, acuminate, areolations
elongated in the apical region and rhomboidal in the lower half. Peristome
teeth are diplolepidous, hypnoid
type.
Thuidiaceae: Thuidiaceae includes 25 genera, of which
five are found in the western Himalaya (Alam 2013).
In the present study, two taxa, viz., Thuidium
glaucinium (Mitt.) Bosch. & Sande Lac. and Herpetineuron toccoae
(Sull. & Lesq.) Cardot were recorded. In both these taxa, plants are
yellowish-green growing in dense mats. Stem stoloniferous, branched pinnately
with or without paraphyllia, dimorphic leaves viz. small leaves which are
scale-like, large leaves ovate with broad apex, single costa usually ending
below the leaf apex, laminal cells small, papillose helped distinction. The
absence of paraphyllia and the tortuous costa of the leaves are
the most characteristic features of the Herpatineuron.
The sporophytic stage was not observed.
Brachytheciaceae: Brachytheciaceae includes 51 genera, of which 10
are reported from the western Himalaya (Alam 2013).
In the present study, two taxa viz. Brachythecium [2
species, B. buchananii (Hook.) A. Jaeger &
B. populeum (Hedw.) Schimp.] and Rhynchostegium
[2 species, R. planiusculum (Mitt.) A.
Jaeger and Oxyrrhynchium vagans (A. Jaeger) Ignatov & Huttunen]
were observed. These are the most common mosses among the pluerocarpous,
which are found on soil, tree trunks, and rocks. Plants are small, glossy, stem
prostate, irregularly branched. Stem leaves and branch leaves are well
distinguished; branch leaves are relatively smaller, narrower, with more
serrated margins and longer costa. Laminal cells linear, elongate, rhomboidal,
costa reaching halfway to the apex of leaves of these taxa helped distinction.
The capsules are slightly inclined in the case of B. buchananii
and horizontal in R. planiusculum. Peristomes
are hypnoid type.
Plagiotheciaceae: Plagiotheciaceae includes five genera worldwide,
of which three are found in western Himalaya (Alam
2013). In the present study only one taxon, i.e., Psuedotaxiphyllum
elegans (Brid.) Z. Iwats.
was recorded. P. elegans is terricolous in
habitat and is easily recognized by its glossy leaves with whitish tinges,
apparently arranged in two rows. Irregularly and pinnately branched stems,
ovate to ovate-lanceolate leaves with short and double costa. The sporophytic stage was not observed.
Entodontaceae: Entodontaceae includes 13 genera worldwide, of
which four are found in the western Himalaya (Alam
2013). In the area under study, only one genus, i.e., Entodon
[3 species, E. flavescens (Hook.)
A. Jaeger, E. myurus (Hook.) Hampe, and E. rubicundus
(Mitt.) A. Jaeger] were recorded. Entodon flavescens & E. myurus
are terricolous and E. rubicundus is
saxicolous in habitat. Plants thin, glossy, and found growing in mats. Branch
leaves are smaller than stem leaves. Leaves lanceolate to ovate in shape.
Laminal cells elongated rhomboidal, differentiated alar cells, double, short or
absent costa is the most characteristic feature of the recorded taxa. Capsules
are erect and cylindrical in shape. Peristome teeth are two-rowed.
Hypnaceae: Hypnaceae includes 60 genera, of which 15
are found in the western Himalaya (Alam 2013). In the
area under study, only one taxon, i.e., Hypnum cupressiforme
Hedw. was recorded. These green-glossy plants were
found to be saxicolous in habitat. Leaves are ovate to lanceolate with smooth
margins. The costa is indistinct. Areolations
linear, differentiated at angles helped distinction. Capsule mostly erect.
Peristome teeth are observed to be hypnoid type.
The number of reported species
(31 spp.) in our study is comparatively less than other studies in the
Himalayan region. In a similar study conducted at Kedarnath
Wildlife Sanctuary, Bahuguna et al. (2016) reported 113 species of mosses belonging to 65
genera. The lesser number of moss species in our study could be attributed to
the small geographical area of the sanctuary. Alam
(2013) provided an updated list of moss flora of western Himalaya, comprising
three states, namely, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh.
He reported a total of 745 species of mosses across the three Himalayan states.
In the present study, acrocarpous mosses were found in greater numbers. The pluerocarpic mosses were mostly observed as epiphytes or
saxicolous. The relatively lower occurrence of pluerocarpic
mosses than the acrocarpous mosses appears to be due
to the lack of shade and moisture availability in the epiphytic and saxicolous
conditions.
Among the acrocarpous
mosses, Pottiaceae (7 species) is most commonly
found, followed by Polytrichaceae (3 spp.) and Fissidentaceae (3 spp.), suggesting that it can exploit
more diverse habitats and can also withstand relatively more bryologically xeric conditions. Among the pluerocarpous mosses, Brachytheciaceae
(4 spp.) and Entodontaceae (3 spp.) are more
dominant. Among genera, the most dominating are Atrichum,
Fissidens and Entodon,
each represented with three species. As evident from the table 1, the substrate
preference of most of the taxa is terricolous, a few are found to be epiphytic
and some of them were present in both types of habitats. It is further observed
that the acrocarpous mosses are better adapted to the
arid and exposed habitats, whereas the pluerocarpous
mosses are scarce in such environmental conditions. In short, 19 acrocarpous (63.3%) and 11 pluerocarpous
(36.6%) mosses were collected from the site, which indicates the dominance of
the acrocarpous mosses.
CONCLUSION
Although bryophytes are the
second largest group of plants after angiosperms, detailed information about
their number and distribution is still scarce. The present study provides a
preliminary assessment of the moss flora of the Chail
Wildlife Sanctuary with a total of 31 moss species. The most dominating family
was found to be Pottiaceae (7 species). Acrocarpous mosses dominate the study area compared to pleurocarpous mosses, suggesting that the former possesses
varied ecological adaptability than the latter. The habitat preferences data
provided can be used in niche modelling and conservation programs. Regional and
local plant inventories of mosses, especially in protected areas, can be an
important tool for national database preparation and keeping a record of
species for future management and conservation practices. Therefore, this study
will undoubtedly act as baseline information for futuristic researchers.
Further studies are recommended to understand the relationships between moss
flora, associated tree species, and substrate conditions.
Table 1. A list of recorded moss
species with habitat preferences and herbarium specimen numbers.
|
Genus |
Species |
Family |
Habitat |
Herbarium specimen number (PAN) |
|
Atrichum P. Beauv. |
A. undulatum (Hedw.) P. Beauv. |
Polytrichaceae |
RP, TR |
6323 |
|
|
A. flavisetum Mitt. |
|
TR |
6324 |
|
|
A. obtusulum (Müll. Hal.) A. Jaeger |
|
TR |
6325 |
|
Dicranella Schimp. |
D. divaricata (Mitt.) A. Jaeger |
Dicranaceae |
TR |
6330 |
|
Fissidens Hedw. |
F. bryoides Hedw. |
Fissidentaceae |
SX |
6333 |
|
|
F. crispulus Brid. |
|
TR |
6335 |
|
|
F. involutus Wilson ex Mitt. |
|
CT, RP, TR |
6336 |
|
Ditrichum Hampe |
D. tortipes (Mitt.) Kuntze |
Ditrichaceae |
TR |
6341 |
|
Rhabdoweisia Bruch &
Schimp. |
R. crenulata (Mitt.) H. Jameson |
Rhabdoweisiaceae |
RP |
6343 |
|
Anoectangium Schwägr. |
A. stracheyanum Mitt. |
Pottiaceae |
CT, RP, TR, SX |
6346 |
|
|
A. bicolor Renauld & Cardot |
|
TR |
6348 |
|
Molendoa Lindb. |
M. roylei (Mitt.) Broth. |
|
TR |
6349 |
|
Hymenostylium Brid. |
H. recurvirostrum (Hedw.) Dixon |
|
CT, RP, SX |
6351 |
|
Hyophila Brid. |
H. involuta (Hook.) A. Jaeger |
|
RP, TR, SX |
6358 |
|
|
H. rosea R.S. Williams |
|
RP, TR |
6359 |
|
Hydrogonium (Müll. Hal.) A. Jaeger |
H. arcuatum (Griff.) Wijk & Margad. |
|
TR |
6366 |
|
Philonotis Brid. |
P. fontana (Hedw.) Brid. |
Bartramiaceae |
RP, TR |
6370 |
|
Plagiomnium T. J. Kop. |
P. cuspidatum (Hedw.) T.J. Kop |
Mniaceae |
TR |
6375 |
|
Ptychostomum Hornsch. |
P. capillare (Hedw.) D.T. Holyoak & N. Pedersen |
Bryaceae |
RP, TR |
6384 |
|
Cratoneuron (Sull.) Spruce |
C. filicinum (Hedw.) Spruce |
Amblystegiaceae |
TR |
6386 |
|
Thuidium Schimp. |
T. glaucinum (Mitt.) Bosch & Sande Lac. |
Thuidiaceae |
TR |
6392 |
|
Herpetineuron (Müll. Hal.) Cardot |
H. toccoae (Sull. & Lesq.) Cardot |
|
SX |
6410 |
|
Brachythecium Schimp. |
B. buchananii (Hook.) A. Jaeger |
Brachytheciaceae |
CT, RP, TR, SX |
6394 |
|
|
B. populeum (Hedw.) Schimp. |
|
TR |
6396 |
|
Rhynchostegium Schimp. |
R. planiusculum (Mitt.) A. Jaeger |
|
TR |
6401 |
|
Oxyrrhynchium (Schimp.) Warnst. |
O. vagans (A. Jaeger) Ignatov & Huttunen |
|
RP, TR |
6402 |
|
Pseudotaxiphyllum |
P. elegans (Brid.) Z. Iwats. |
Plagiotheciaceae |
TR |
6407 |
|
Entodon Müll. Hal. |
E. flavescens (Hook.) A. Jaeger |
Entodontaceae |
RP |
6403 |
|
|
E. myurus (Hook.) Hampe |
|
TR, SX |
6404 |
|
|
E. rubicundus (Mitt.) A. Jaeger |
|
RP, TR, SX |
6405 |
|
Hypnum Hedw. |
H. cupressiforme Hedw. |
Hypnaceae |
RP |
6409 |
RP—Rupicolous
| TR—Terricolous | SX—Saxicolous | CT—Corticolous.
For figures &
images - - click for full PDF
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