Study of the bryological flora at the archaeological site of Chellah, Morocco

The Chellah archaeological site in Rabat, listed as a cultural asset since 2012 on UNESCO's World Heritage List, is subject to significant biodeterioration. The aim of this study is to identify the bryophytes that have an important impact on the destruction of the substrate. For this purpose, three prospectionswere carried out in autumn 2014, spring 2015 and winter 2016. The systematic sampling carried out allowed us to identify 20 species of bryophytes belonging to 10 botanical families, of which 4are dominant with 13 species equivalent to 65% of the total. The four families are Pottiaceae, Brachyceciaceae, Funariaceae and Bryaceae; they belong to the class of Muscinae. The liverworts are represented by only 6 species, representing 30% of the total population. Among the 20 species inventoried, 3 are newly observed in the region of Rabat: Entosthodon pulchellus (H. Philib.) Brugués; Dydimodon Fallax Hedw. and Trichostomum crispulum Bruch. When bryophytes settle on substrates, a preliminary soilis initiated to the detriment of the quality of materials and their durability