Bryophyte Diversity and Distribution Patterns along Elevation Gradients of the Mount Etna (Sicily), the Highest Active Volcano in Europea

• Published in: Plants
• Main Authors: Marta Puglisi, Saverio Sciandrello
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2023
• Subjects: bryophyte flora; chorotypes; conservation; diversity; elevation gradients; life forms; life strategies; hotspot areas; Arctic; Etna
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12142655

Mt Etna in Sicily hosts a bryophyte floristic richness of 306 taxa, corresponding to 259 mosses, 43 liverworts, and 4 hornworts. Species richness shows a hump-shaped relationship with the elevation, with a peak at 1200–1700 m a.s.l. Chorotype patterns clearly change along an altitudinal gradient, fr...