Summary
Well over 700 fern species are estimated to occur on the island of Seram, Moluccas, judging from recent collections. This species richness may be ascribed to such non-biotic characteristics as a semi-everwet climate, mountainous topography, and limestone-rich geology, all providing fern species with a variety of habitats, and to geographical proximity to New Guinea with the world’s richest fern flora, and the rest of Malesia. Seram has the strongest floristic affinity to New Guinea.
The diversity of Seram fern species includes such ecological extremes as: species of subalpine tree fern forests, which are characteristic of the vegetation of New Guinea; the obligate xeric calcicolous genus Phanerosorus with vegetative proliferation in both long-lived sporophytes and gametophytes; and a submerged aquatic ecotype of Asplenium unilaterale. Diplazium fiavoviride is unique in its phytogeographic affinity to eastern North America.
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Kato, M. (1990). The fern flora of Seram. In: Baas, P., Kalkman, K., Geesink, R. (eds) The Plant Diversity of Malesia. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2107-8_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-2107-8_19
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