For a ‘dry’ hill Shotover is surprisingly rich in mosses and liverworts. In recent years over a 100 bryophyte species have been recorded there by Shotover Wildlife. This diversity is due to the widely varying soils, habitats and hydrology of the hill. The combinations of marsh, heath, woodland and exposed rock, all with their associated niches and microclimates, make the bryophyte flora an important contribution to the biological diversity of both the SSSI and the County.
The flora of Shotover has been studied for centuries and some of the oldest bryophyte collections in the world were made on and around Shotover some 400 years ago. However, in 1984 David Steel’s book about Shotover suggested that many species had become extinct on the hill. Now in 2010, with cleaner air and frequent surveying by Shotover Wildlife, not only have new species been discovered, but many of the ‘extinctions’ have been refound.
The contribution of bryophytes to the ecology of a habitat is often overlooked: from soil stabilisation and nutrient cycling, to the life that teems within it at the very bottom of the animal food chain. Mosses and liverworts are present across all habitats and their importance needs better recognition for their role in natural ecosystems.
Jacqueline Wright (Recorder of Bryophytes for Oxfordshire and Berkshire) has written a Conservation Action Plan specifically for Shotover’s bryophytes, including consideration for the various BAP habitats being conserved in the SSSI. Shotover must be one of the few SSSIs in the region for which the conservation of bryophytes is being integrated throughout the management.
