Abstract Detail

Bryology and Lichenology

Kackley, Rho [1], McClelland, Donald [2].

A Partial Checklist of the Bryophytes of Montserrat, West Indies.

There is little information on bryophytes in Montserrat, West Indies. The research presented here aims to organize and expand upon what is know by presenting a partial checklist of bryophytes from the island and a summary of collections. Most of the bryological collections from Montserrat were made by J.A. Shafer in 1907, R. Bovey in 1986, and A.D. Banwell in 1980, and to date, the only paper on Montserrat's bryological flora includes only the four liverworts and thirteen mosses collected by Banwell. Many of Shafer's, Bovey's, and Banwell's collections were made in the Soufriere Hills and near Plymouth, the former capital. The flora of this entire area was destroyed by volcanic eruptions starting in 1995 and is now within a heavily controlled exclusion zone. Our checklist of bryophytes from Montserrat, was compiled from 118 herbarium records, published literature, and our own collections. At present, the checklist consists of 61 species in 22 families. Give how few specimens of bryophytes there are from Montserrat relative to the number of species they represent, we expect there are more species yet to be documented, and more collections are needed to complete a comprehensive checklist of the bryophytes of Montserrat.

1 - 2640 Broadway Ave, Evanston, IL, 60201, United States
2 - Bard College at Simon's Rock, 84 Alford Rd, Great Barrington, MA, 01230, USA

Keywords:
bryophytes
West Indies
Caribbean
liverworts
Montserrat
moss.

Presentation Type: Poster
Number: PBL005
Abstract ID:836
Candidate for Awards:None