Distribution of viridis (Moug. ex Lam. & DC.) Brid. ex Moug. & Nestl. in Croatia V. ŠEGOTA1, A. ALEGRO2, I.ŠAPIĆ3 , J.VUKELIĆ3 , B.PAPP4 1 Institute for Research and Development of Sustainable Ecosystems, Velika Gorica, Croatia; [email protected] 2 Department of Botany with Botanical Garden, Faculty of Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia 3 Department of Ecology and Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, University of Zagreb, Croatia 4 Department of Botany, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary

 boreal species, with European centre of distribution in Central Europe and southern Scandinavia, in the rest of Europe scattered mostly in montane areas.

 lives on large, well-decaying fallen dead wood (on variety of wood genera, mostly on Picea and Abies, but also on Pinus, Fagus, Alnus, Betula, Sorbus and Salix) and rarely on humus on bare patches of ground, in constantly humid and shaded forest microclimate.

 being an indicator species of old-growth (primeval) forests – a rare forest habitat in European context - it is a Red listed species, included in the Bern Convention and Habitat Directives

 the populations of Buxbaumia viridis in the region of Balkan Peninsula and Pannonian Plane (e.g. Serbia, Montenegro and Hungary) have been already studied and monitored. However, the data on distribution of B. viridis in Croatia are very old, the “newest” dating from 1938.

Results of preliminary field research in 2011:

 12 localities along Croatian Dinarides (Gorski Kotar, Mt Velika Kapela and Mt Velebit)

 finding sites inside fir (Blechno-Abietetum), spruce (Laserpitio krapfii-Piceetum, Aremonio-Piceetum) and fir-beech (Omphalodo-Fagetum) dominated forests

 large populations (many decaying trees per site and dozens of per trunk)

 exclusively on fir and spruce decaying logs or stumps

 the largest populations on fallen decaying trees with soft and spongy wood in non-managed (virgin) forest stands

in managed forest stands on rotten tree stumps without bark

Non-managed spruce forest (Štirovača, North Velebit Mt.) Managed spruce forest (Jasenak, Velika Kapela Mt.)

Briophytes found on decaying wood along with Buxbaumia viridis: Bazzania trilobata, Blepharostoma trichophyllum, Brachythecium reflexum, B. rutabulum, B. salebrosum, Calypogeia muelleriana, C. suecica, Cephalozia bicuspidata, C. catenulata, Dicranodontium denudatum, , Eurhynchium angustirete, Herzogiella seligeri, Hypnum cupressiforme, Isothecium myosuroides, Jungermannia leiantha, Lepidozia reptans, Leucobryum glaucum, L. juniperoideum, Lophocolea heterophylla, Lophozia ascendens, Metzgeria conjugata, M. furcata, Nowellia curvifolia, Odontoschisma denudatum, Plagiomnium affine, Plagiothecium cavifolium, Pl. curvifolium, P. denticulatum, P. platyphyllum, Ptilidium pulcherrimum, , Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Riccardia latifrons, R. palmata, Sanionia uncinata, Scapania nemorea, S. umbrosa, , Thuidium tamariscinum, Tritomaria exsecta Old-growth (primeval) spruce dominated forest

Frequent microhabitat is well decayed, spongy spruce wood covered with mat of Hypnum cupressiforme