Preliminary study of bryophytes from Azorean wetlands II:

Bryophytes from “Paul da Pedreira do Cabo da Praia” (Praia da Vitória, Terceira Island, Azores)

Rosalina Gabriel1, César Pimentel2, Mariana dos Reis Brito2 & Cecília Sérgio3

(1) cE3c/ABG – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group; (2) LIFE CWR project “Ecological Restoration and Conservation of Praia da Vitória Coastal Wet Green Infrastructures, Praia da Vitória, Azores, Portugal;

(3) cE3c/MNHN – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Lisboa, Portugal.

Overview Results

The “Paul da Pedreira do Cabo da Praia” is a marshy zone, in Terceira Island, part of a network of wetlands including the “Paul da Praia da Vitória” and the “Paul do Belo Jardim” (see following image).

References

Discussion Methods

To initiate the inventory of bryophytes in PPCP, in February 2016, two 300 m’ transects, with stations placed every 20 m, were analysed. At each station, a sample of 10 cm x 5 cm (microplot) was collected from every available substrate (soil or rock); whenever possible, three replicates of the same substrate were obtained. Only 24 samples revealed bryophytes, which were analysed in the laboratory.

Prior to the LIFE CWR fieldwork, there were no species of bryophytes recorded for “Paul da Pedreira do Cabo da Praia”.

Now there are 10 species of mosses and three species of liverworts referred to the site (see table).

The diversity of bryophytes found in “Paúl da Pedreira do Cabo da Praia” is similar to diversity found in “Paúl do Belo Jardim” and “Paul da Praia da Vitória”. Although some interesting species were reported in this study, the general diversity is rather low, probably due to the high environmental disturbance that affects wetlands in the Azores (and other places).

However, the presence of rare species should be noted and further monitoring studies should proceed in the area, probably in different seasons of the year. Furthermore, in the future, it is expected that the number of species of bryophytes will increase in the area, related to the recovery of the wetlands of Praia da Vitória, allowing bryophytes with different life strategies to settle in.

The life strategies of the 13 bryophyte species, include mainly colonists (sensu During, 1979), such as the small thallose liverwort Riccia huebeneriana, and the mosses Bryum capillare and Trichostomum brachydontium, the two

species with the highest frequency in Paul da Pedreira do Cabo da Praia, occurring in half of the 24 collected samples. Nevertheless, there are also some shuttle species, namely the three liverworts.

View of Paúl da Pedreira do Cabo da Praia on the 23rd April 2016 (Photo: Paulo A.V. Borges)

Fissidens crispus

Tortula solmsii

Alpha diversity

Life strategies

Although most species from the inventory have a wide distribution, the list includes a new record for Terceira Island: the moss Trichostomum crispulum. Besides, for another moss, Fissidens crispus, this was only the second record for Terceira Island; its first record was from Quatro Ribeiras, a village also in Praia da Vitória council,

where it was observed by the Allorge couple in 1937! (Allorge & Allorge, 1952).

The liverwort Riccia huebeneriana has also seldom been collected in the Azores (e.g. (Allorge & Allorge, 1950), and is one of the species more characteristic of wet habitats.

ALLORGE, P. & ALLORGE, V. 1950. Hépatiques recoltées par P. et V. Allorge aux îles Açores en 1937. Révue Bryologique et Lichénologique, 19: 90-118. ALLORGE, P. & ALLORGE, V. 1952. Mousses recoltées par P. et V. Allorge aux îles Açores en 1937. Révue Bryologique et Lichénologique, 21: 50-95. BRITO, M.R. (2013). Contributo para o estudo e conservação da espécie Galinha d'água (Gallinula chloropus Linnaeus, 1758). Mestrado em Gestão e Conservação da Natureza. Angra do Heroísmo: Universidade dos

Açores, Departamento de Ciências Agrárias. [Available at: http://repositorio.uac.pt/handle/10400.3/2001] DURING, HJ. (1979) Life strategies of Bryophytes: a preliminary review. Lindbergia, 5, 2-18. LEAL, C. (2011). Paul da Pedreira do Cabo da Praia - Contributo das percepções ambientais para a sua preservação. Dissertação de Mestrado em Educação Ambiental. 171pp. Angra do Heroísmo, Universidade dos

Açores. [Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.3/1657] BARATA, F. (2002). A avifauna aquática nas zonas húmidas da costa leste da Ilha Terceira – um contributo para a sua conservação. Dissertação de Mestrado em Gestão e Conservação da Natureza. Angra do Heroísmo,

Universidade dos Açores. MORTON, B., BRITTON, J.C. & MARTINS, A.M.F. (1997). The former marsh at Praia da Vitória, Terceira, Azores, and the case for the development of a new wetland by rehabilitation of the quarry at Cabo da Praia.

[Available at: http://www.azoresbioportal.angra.uac.pt/files/publicacoes_MortonBrittonMartins_1997.pdf]. Açoreana, 8(3): 285-307.

Unlike the other two wetlands, “Paul da Pedreira do Cabo da Praia” (PPCP) is of human origin. It emerged in the 80s, with the exploitation of a quarry, in order to obtain stone to the Oceanic Port of Praia da Vitória. Meanwhile a number of birds established in the area, and some studies were devoted to its preservation (e.g. Morton, Britton & Martins, 1997; Barata, 2002; Leal, 2011; Reis, 2013).

The LIFE – RCW project, “Ecological Restoration and Conservation of Praia da Vitória Coastal Wet Green Infrastructure”, is presently managing all the wet coastal infrastructures of the council, in order to enhance biodiversity of plants and animals, particularly of birds.

Azores, Terceira Island , area of the Praia da Vitória city with the three wetlands identified 1) Paul do Belo Jardim; 2) Paul da Praia da Vitória; 3) Paul da Pedreira do Cabo da Praia (adapted from Google Earth).

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Azores

Division Family Species Life Strategy

(sensu During 1979) Abundance

Bryophyta

Brachytheciaceae Brachythecium velutinum perennial 2

Bryaceae Anomobryum julaceum colonist 11

Bryum capillare colonist 12

Bryum capillare var. rufifolium colonist 1

Dicranaceae Campylopus pilifer long-lived shuttle 10

Ditrichaceae Ceratodon purpureus colonist 1

Fissidentaceae Fissidens crispus perennial 2

Grimmiaceae Grimmia sp. colonist 2

Pottiaceae Tortula solmsii colonist 1

Trichostomum brachydontium colonist 12

Trichostomum crispulum colonist 1

Marchantiophyta

Fossombroniaceae Fossombronia caespitiformis var. multispira

annual shuttle 12

Frullaniaceae Frullania azorica long-lived shuttle 1

Ricciaceae Riccia huebeneriana annual shuttle 1