A STUDY OF MOSS DIVERSITY IN ASSAM VALLEY WET EVERGREEN FORESTS

Abstract

The present study deals with the enumeration of 127 species of Mosses under 71 genera belonging to 27 families from the Assam Valley Wet Evergreen forests, Assam, India. Among the taxa Pleuridiella colei Robins. and Splachnobryum synoicum Robins are endemic to the present study area. Besides, an anisosporous moss i.e. Macromitriuum moorcroftii (Hook & Grev.) Schwagr recorded in this study which is to be considered as noteworthy contribution towards the evolutionary significance corresponding with heterospory in Pteridophytes. It is the first ever work done as an Indian worker from the present political territory of Assam, India. In this investigation, it has been revealed that the order Hypnobryales consists of 49 species which is 62.23% of the total species recorded in this study. Taxonomically, the order Hypnobryales of Mosses is corresponded to the order Asterales of Dicotyledons of Angiosperms (Chopra, 1975). Considering this statement, most of the workers (Gogoi, 1981; Sarmah, 1989) of floristic study of Angiosperms from the present study area have also agreed with because the taxa under the order Asterales have shown highest diversity and even leading to the level of varieties. The present investigation on the Mosses recorded with 62.23 % of Hypnobryales of total species occurrence is of good corresponds with the Angiospermic order Asterales. Phytogeographically, the present study area considered as Assam Valley Wet Evergreen Forest type under “Tropical and Subtropical Evergreen Forests” (Mehra, et. al. 1983). As the tropical rain forests are at the core of modern biological research it should be conserved in situ which is a new challenge towards the sustainable development of the whole biological diversity as well as biological spectrum; otherwise many of the species of mosses and also other biological diversity would be perished and disappear before being documented from such potentially wilderness areas.