| Summary: | A gradual shift in liverwort flora from Subarctic to South Temperate elements occurrs across the entire reach of the Kuril Island Chain. The study of different groups of organisms, including liverworts, reveals this pattern. Thirty-two hepatic species found on the Kuril Islands show the southern limit of their distribution; most of these species belong to arctic, arctic-boreal and, less often, boreal floristic elements. The Kuril Islands represent a northern distribution boundary for 50 taxa that belong to southern temperate or even subtropic floristic elements. Liverwort flora at the northern and southern extremes of the Kuril Island Chain are qualitatively different as demonstrated by their affiliation with different floristic provinces. Biodiversity and Biogeography of the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin vol.3
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