Moss Flora of Kanneliya Forest Reserve, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Bryophytes; liverworts, mosses and hornworts, comprise an important yet poorly researched group of plants in Sri Lanka. Varied climate and topography of the island provide ample habitat diversity for bryophytes. However, the diversity and species richness of the three morphological groups of bryophytes within the country are yet to be discovered. Kanneliya Forest Reserve, a prominent lowland rain forest in the wet zone of Sri Lanka has been a base for much scientific research on both flora and fauna. However, the bryophyte flora within the forest, apart from a few old collections remains unexplored. The present study was undertaken to explore the moss flora of the Kanneliya Forest Reserve and serves as the first taxonomic study on mosses in the forest. Mosses were collected from different habitats of the forest, along with the substrate. They were stored in paper packets labeled with the locality details. Collected samples were observed for their morphological and anatomical characters, using dissecting, light and stereo microscopes. Specimens were identified to their generic/specific level using taxonomic keys, monographs and other available literature. A total of 68 specimens of mosses were collected from different habitats within the forest and 45 specimens were identified to their generic and/or specific level. The moss flora of the Kanneliya Forest Reserve represented 13 families and 21 genera of mosses. Taxonomic descriptions with the characteristic features were prepared for the identified species of mosses. Herbarium specimens prepared for each identified species are deposited at the Department of Botany, University of Peradeniya.

Biogeography of Sri Lankan bryophytes: the present status

“…Recent field explorations and taxonomic studies have identified a few new records to the island: Tan (2005) -five new species records of mosses; Ruklani and Rubasinghe (2013) -10 new records of mosses and liverworts. Also, studies are being carried out to investigate the bryoflora of different ecosystems of the country (Ruklani and Rubasinghe, 2015). These studies will contribute to elucidating the biogeographic affinities of Sri Lanka.…”

Antimicrobial and Alpha‐Amylase Inhibitory Activities of Organic Extracts of Selected Sri Lankan Bryophytes

“…Hot and humid climate with annual rainfall over 2,500 mm makes this island home to different varieties of bryophytes, and most of them are endemic and native [ 8 , 9 ]. There are over 200 recorded species of bryophytes in Sri Lanka, and most of them are found in tropical rain and submontane and montane forests [ 10 , 11 ].…”

Three new additions to the moss flora of Sri Lanka

“…The island is one of the most diverse regions in South Asia and is recognized as one of the world's biodiversity hotspots along with the Western Ghats of India (Ashton et al, 1997). Owing to its high level of topographic and climatic heterogeneity, Sri Lanka supports a luxuriant growth of a remarkably rich bryophyte (liverworts, mosses, hornworts) flora (Geffert et al, 2013;O'Shea, 2003;Ruklani and Rubasinghe, 2015). In contrast to the wellstudied higher plant flora of Sri Lanka, bryophytes are still poorly explored, mainly due to their small size and difficult taxonomy (O'Shea, 2003;Rubasinghe and Long, 2014;Ruklani and Rubasinghe, 2013;Ruklani and Rubasinghe, 2015).…”

“…Owing to its high level of topographic and climatic heterogeneity, Sri Lanka supports a luxuriant growth of a remarkably rich bryophyte (liverworts, mosses, hornworts) flora (Geffert et al, 2013;O'Shea, 2003;Ruklani and Rubasinghe, 2015). In contrast to the wellstudied higher plant flora of Sri Lanka, bryophytes are still poorly explored, mainly due to their small size and difficult taxonomy (O'Shea, 2003;Rubasinghe and Long, 2014;Ruklani and Rubasinghe, 2013;Ruklani and Rubasinghe, 2015). According the recent checklists, the island harbours 327 species of liverworts (Long and Rubasinghe, 2014), 560 mosses (O'Shea, 2002) and five Hornworts (Long and Rubasinghe 2014).…”