Ignatov M.S.1 2001. Moss diversity in the Western and Northern Palearctic // Arctoa. Vol. 10: 219–236 [in English].
1 Tsitsin Main Botanical Garden of Russian Academy of Sciences, Botanicheskaya 4, Moscow 127276 Russia
KEYWORDS: phytogeography, biodiversity, Western Palearctic, Northern Palearctic, endemic species.
ABSTRACT. The moss flora of the Western and Northern Palearctic includes 1667 species of 300 genera and 67 families. The south-western half of Europe has the highest species diversity in this area, and also more rich in endemics. Endemic species of the Western and Northern Palearctic are 532, or 32.5% of total moss flora; this value seems inflated by insufficiently known taxa, so the real species endemism can be evaluated at about 20%. About a third of endemics have a relatively wide distribution. Generic endemism is low, about 10-16 genera, all monotypic and a third of them known from the type locality only. One family, Cinclidotaceae, with 1 genus and 8 species is subendemic for the Western and Northern Palearctic. Pottiaceae is the largest family in this area; they include ca. 1/5 of its species diversity.
doi 10.15298/arctoa.10.23