Bryophyte flora and vegetation of the glaciokarst plains in the Dolomites(S. Alps, Italy)

Abstract

The habitat of glaciokarst plains in the Dolomites corresponds to ancient cirques carved by glaciers during the Pleistocene era and now determined by karstic processes. It has a rich bryological flora (eighty-seven species). Some of them proved to be statistically significant for indicating vegetation types. The latter are clearly correlated with different types of karstic landforms, each of which corresponding to a well-defined microenvironment.