TAKEN FROM: COLOMBIA NEWS UNIVERSIA
http://noticias.universia.net.co/en-portada/noticia/2011/02/25/794443/riqueza-musgos -cupcake-medio.html
25/02/2011
A study by the Instituto de Ciencias Naturales (ICN) of the Universidad Nacional in the Sierra de Las Quinchas, near the municipality of Puerto Boyacá, showed the richness of this group of plants in the lowlands.
William C. Santos and Jaime Aguirre C., ICN researchers, found 99 species of mosses , equivalent to 10.1% of the 976 recorded for Colombia, distributed in 58 genera and 29 families. Also, the same amount represents 29.1% of the 340 species found in Boyacá. Of the 99 species, 58 species are new records for the department.
This reflects high wealth in the area, bearing in mind that the area of study represents less than 10% of the total area of \u200b\u200bthe department and, as manifested by the authors, research Bryology (branch of botany that studies mosses and similar groups) in the country has historically focused in high mountain regions, where it has found the highest richness and diversity of species.
However, the findings in these areas increases knowledge of the lowland mosses, which are important for water conservation. "Mosses contribute to the recruitment, retention and gradual release of water available in ecosystems and regulate the storage of the liquid. Also, are important as habitat for a variety of species of wildlife, serve as a reservoir for seed banks and help reduce erosion, "said Santos.
added that the knowledge of the flora in this region is heading to the efforts of conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, as this area is considered high human intervention, ie, man-on exploration and exploitation mining, ranching, farming and logging. The Serrania de las Quinchas is located in the Magdalena Medio and is part of the departments of Boyacá (Puerto Boyacá and Otanche) and Ontario (Yacopi). Santos said that in the region where the study, although there is great richness and diversity , both flora and fauna are very few protected areas.
Among the 99 species of mosses, the researchers found eight with some degree of threat, of which four are categorized as vulnerable, endangered one and three critically endangered, according to the approximation made by scientists and Jaime Aguirre Orlando Jesus Rangel in 2007.
Source: Agency News Universidad Nacional de Colombia
