A Checklist of the Bryophytes of the Sidi Boughaba Wetland (Kénitra, Morocco)

The Sidi Boughaba Biological Reserve is a nature reserve known for its lake, which is a protected site for the preservation of its biodiversity, particularly that of migratory birds. The aim of this study of the bryophytes of this wetland on the north-west coast of Morocco is to establish as exhaustive a list as possible, while at the same time contributing to the completion of the Moroccan bryophytic catalog. The study of the diversity and ecology of the reserve’s bryophytic species is based on the analysis of 20 surveys carried out during different seasons, from January 2022 to May 2023. A total of 61 species and subspecies were recorded, including 6 liverworts (5 thalloids, 1 leafy) and 55 mosses (43 acrocarps and 12 pleurocarps). These taxa are divided into 12 families and 29 genera, with around 75% of families represented by one to three species and/or subspecies, with Pottiaceae, Brachytheciaceae and Bryaceae dominating. Substrate type analyses show that terricolous taxa dominate with 24 species (39.3%), followed by corticolous with 24 species (27.9%) and saxicolous with 7 species (11.5%). In terms of water requirement, mesophyllous taxa (62.3%) are more dominant than xerophils (36.1%). Selon l’indice de signification écologique (IES), nous avons noté 34 espèces très rares, 15 espèces rares, 10 modérément abondantes et seulement deux espèces sont abondantes, il s’agit de Funaria hygrometrica (IES = 142) et Scorpiurium circinatum (IES = 113). This study represents the first fieldwork on the bryophytic flora of the Sidi Boughaba nature reserve, with the aim of better understanding the ecology and role of these small plants in the local biodiversity.