The MOVECLIM – AZORES project: Bryophytes from Santa Maria Island (2019)

This inventory of bryophyte diversity on Santa Maria Island (Azores, Portugal) was carried out in 2019 within the framework of the MOVECLIM project. Bryophytes were sampled along an elevational gradient using the GIMS protocol (Borges et al. 2018), a standardized approach adapted from the BRYOLOAT methodology (Ah-Peng et al. 2012), incorporating taxonomic information on phorophytes and associated environmental variables (Gabriel et al. 2014). In addition, non-systematic, opportunistic sampling was conducted based on field observations, targeting bryophytes across a range of microhabitats and along an altitudinal gradient from 31 m (Santo Espírito, Baía da Maia) to 464 m (Santa Bárbara, Pico Alto). Within each GIMS sampling unit, five substrate types were surveyed: rupicolous, terrestrial, lignicolous, epiphytic, and epiphyllous. The study generated a total of 264 event records (eventID) of which 203 were from the MOVECLIM survey and 61 from opportunistic sampling. These correspond to 810 occurrence records (occurrenceID): 692 from the standardized survey and 118 from opportunistic records.