Diversity and distribution of mosses in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico

Abstract

Through field work, bibliographic information and herbarium collections, a preliminary list of mossesfor the state of Hidalgo was compiled. Records for 355 species were supported by 3 068 herbarium specimens atMEXU; when varieties are included along with taxa unsupported by local herbarium specimens, the number of taxareaches 420. A collecting effort analysis indicates that 74.5% of the moss flora has been surveyed, that is, 56 taxaremain to be added. Species distribution modeling using 20 climatic variables from the WorldClim database for 150species produced a map of potential distribution using a 5-minute cell network; it shows that the species potentialrichness is higher in central and southeastern Hidalgo, although most collections were obtained in southern andnorthwestern stations. Because large portions of the state land area are underexplored for mosses, no biodiversityhotspots are recognized. The Caribbean element is best represented in the Eastern Sierra Madre, but the confluenceof the latter with the Neovolcanic Belt does not seem to show other major floristic differences between them, despitetheir geographical proximity.