DOI: 10.26672/anatolianbryology.1910257 ISSN: 2149-5920

A New Locality Record for Riccia fluitans (Marchantiophyta), A Rare Aquatic Liverwort Species in Türkiye: Contributions to Ecology and Habitat Characteristics

Kamil Mert Yücel, Serdar Gökhan Şenol, Hanife Tarım
Show PDF Cite
This study aims to identify aquatic liverwort specimens collected during field surveys of macrophytes in the Akyaka Kadın Stream (Muğla) basin and to reveal potential new locality records for the liverwort flora of Türkiye. Plant materials collected during fieldwork were dried in envelopes following standard herbarium techniques, with a portion preserved in alcohol. The specimens were identified based on relevant literature and as a result, Riccia fluitans is recorded for the first time for Akyaka and Muğla. This research details the general morphology, EUNIS-classified habitat, ecological characteristics and vegetation elements of R. fluitans, alongside the classification of its wetland environment and worldwide distribution. The aquatic area of occurrence is geomorphologically and hydrologically classified as a 'Trough,' while the vegetation type falls within the 'Species-poor beds of low-growing water-fringing or amphibious vegetation' category. The identification of the aquatic form after a 28-year hiatus has contributed to filling specific gaps in the life history of the species by providing new insights into its population status in Türkiye, associated taxa and the ecological structure of its wetland habitat. In light of these data, the number of known localities for R. fluitans in Türkiye has increased to five, with the number of sites featuring the aquatic form rising to two.

More from our Archive