Study of Bryophytic Flora in the Ramsar Wetland of Merja Zerga (North-west of Morocco)

The research undertaken in the IBA and Ramsar wetland of Merja Zerga at Moulay Bousselham were interested only in the higher plants. Our study tends then to contribute to enrich the knowledge about the bryophytic flora of this area by filling the gaps in this field. Thus, we carried out a systematic sampling with a stop and a harvest in each encountered bryophyte population. This prospection enabled us to find 26 species of bryophytes including 22 species of mosses belonging to 15 genera and 9 families, and 4 species of liverworts belonging to 3 genera and 3 families. The relative low specificity of this wetland can be explained by the influence of sea spray and the strong anthropic disturbance. A comparison with previous studies allowed us to conclude that 11 species were observed for the first time in the area.