Occurrence Records of Mosses from Benin (West Africa): The BryoBen Project, National Herbarium of Benin

Data Records

The data in this occurrence resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 365 records.

This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.

Versions

The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.

How to cite

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

DASSOU G H, SALAKO K V, KPETIKOU C G, AGOUNDE G, AHAMIDE D Y I, OUACHINOU J M S, ADJIRE C, FAVI A, ALIA B, ADOMOU A, TOSSOU M, MARLINE L, YEDOMONHAN H, HEDDERSON T (2026). Occurrence Records of Mosses from Benin (West Africa): The BryoBen Project, National Herbarium of Benin. Version 1.2. Faculté des Sciences et Techniques (FAST). Occurrence dataset. https://ipt.gbifbenin.org/resource?r=bryoben&v=1.2

Rights

Researchers should respect the following rights statement:

The publisher and rights holder of this work is Faculté des Sciences et Techniques (FAST). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) License.

GBIF Registration

This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: 291034cc-0ff4-4baa-bb2e-141b950f8c0f.  Faculté des Sciences et Techniques (FAST) publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by GBIF Benin.

Keywords

Occurrence; Benin; Mosses; BryoBen Project

Contacts

Geographic Coverage

Benin, West Africa

Taxonomic Coverage

Moss, Hypnales, Fissidentaceae, Pottiaceae

Temporal Coverage

Project Data

Bryophytes, the second largest plant group after Angiosperms, with approximately 20,000 species, remain largely undocumented in Benin despite the implementation of a national botanical inventory. Their high sensitivity to temperature and environmental changes makes them excellent bioindicators for monitoring the effects of climate change on ecosystems. Bryophytes also play essential roles in soil formation, nutrient cycling, water retention, and plant community dynamics, highlighting their ecological importance. In West Africa, bryophytes are rarely included in biodiversity surveys. The BryoBen project aims to fill this knowledge gap by creating a comprehensive inventory of bryophyte species in Benin and mobilizing data for public use. The project has three main objectives: (1) provide resources to support species identification, taxonomic studies, field surveys, and conservation assessments, including postgraduate research; (2) mobilize and publish occurrence records and images through GBIF and iNaturalist; and (3) train staff at the National Herbarium of Benin and other scientists on how to prepare, publish, and access data from GBIF. By generating high-quality, openly accessible bryophyte data, BryoBen will support education, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable ecosystem management in Benin and beyond

The personnel involved in the project:

Sampling Methods

Spontaneous collection of samples was used in six reserve forests in six municipalities, three in each of the Guineo-Cogolian and the Soudano-Guinean zones.

Method step description:

1. Spontaneous collection of samples was used in six reserve forests in six municipalities, three in each of the Guineo-Cogolian and the Soudano-Guinean zones.

Bibliographic Citations

1. Petit, E. (1978). Clefs Pour La Détermination Des Familles et Des Genres Des Mousses Pleurocarpes (Musci) d’Afrique. Bulletin du Jardin botanique national de Belgique/Bulletin van de Nationale Plantentuin van Belgie 135–181.
2. Magill, R.E. (1987). FLORA OF SOUTHERN AFRICA: Bryophyta; Botanical Research Institute, Department of Agriculture and Water Supply, Private Bag X144, Pretoria 0001.: Pretoria, Vol. pt.1:fasc.2 (1987), pp. 1–168; ISBN ISBN 0 621 10325 X.
3. Magill, R.E.; Magill, R.E.; Leistner, O.A. (1981). FLORA OF SOUTHERN AFRICA: Bryophyta; Institut de recherche botanique, Département de l’Agriculture et des Pêches: Pretoria, Vol. pt.1:fasc.1 (1981), pp. 1–311; ISBN 978-0-621-06951-8.
4. Magill, R.E.; van Rooy, J. (1998). FLORA OF SOUTHERN AFRICA: Bryophyta; National Botanical Institute, Private Bag X101, Pretoria, 0001 South Africa: Pretoria Vol. pt.1:fasc.3(1998); ISBN ISBN 1-874907-33-1.
5. Bruggeman-Nannenga M. A. (2006a). Bryophyte flora of Uganda. 6. Fissidentaceae (Part 1), Journal of Bryology, 28:1, 53-62, DOI: 10.1179/174328206X90422
6. Bruggeman-Nannenga M. A. (2006b). Bryophyte flora of Uganda. 6. Fissidentaceae (Part 2), Journal of Bryology, 28:2, 139-148, DOI: 10.1179/174328206X105434
7. Bruggeman-Nannenga, M. A. (2024). Subgenus Polypodiopsis (Fissidens, Bryophyta) in Tropical Africa II. The completely limbate species with small to medium sized, pluripapillose or mammillose laminal cells, including F. latelimbatus sp. nov. Lindbergia, 2024 (1): e25309. DOI: 10.25227/linbg.25309
8. Bruggeman-Nannenga, M. A. (2017). Fissidens Subgenus Aloma (Bryophyta) in Tropical Africa I. the Large-Celled Costate and Ecostate Species. Polish Botanical Journal, 62 (2): 139-168. DOI: 10.1515/pbj-2017-0019
9. Bruggeman-Nannenga M. A. & Theo Arts (2010). A revision of the Fissidentaceae (Musci) of La Réunion (including all species known from Mauritius and Rodriguez), Journal of Bryology, 32 (3): 170-207, DOI: 10.1179/037366810X12735734836179
10. Majestyk P. (2009). A taxonomic revision of Erythrodontium (Entodontaceae). The Bryologist 112(4): 804–822
11. Jan-Peter Frahm & Brian J. O'Shea (1996). British Bryological Society Expedition to Mulanje Mountain, Malawi 4. Dicranaceae: Campylopodioideae (Atractylocarpus, Bryohumbertia, Campylopus, Microcampylopus) , Journal of Bryology, 19(1): 119-134, DOI: 10.1179/jbr.1996.19.1.119
12. Sean R. Edwards (1980). A revision of West Tropical African Calymperaceae I. Introduction and Calymperes. Journal of Bryology 11:1, 49-93, DOI: 10.1179/jbr.1980.11.1.49

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