Bryophytes of Surtsey, Iceland: Latest developments and a glimpse of the future

A recent study on Surtsey, Iceland—the youngest island in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago—reveals that bryophyte species richness has increased from 43 to 59 taxa between 2008 and 2018. The research, conducted through systematic inventories in a grid of 100 m × 100 m quadrats, found that while some areas experienced expansion or contraction of earlier colonists, others showed significant increases in species richness, particularly in seabird-affected zones not overgrown by grassland. Additionally, the study compared bryophyte flora on Surtsey with that of Elliðaey, a 5,000-year-old island, identifying shared and unique taxa. The findings suggest that bryophyte diversity on Surtsey will continue to grow but may eventually decline as lava fields erode and grassland dominates. Continued monitoring is deemed essential for tracking these changes.

Ingimundardóttir, G. V., Cronberg, N., & Magnússon, B. (2022). Bryophytes of Surtsey, Iceland: Latest developments and a glimpse of the future. Surtsey Research, 15. https://doi.org/10.33112/10.33112/surtsey.15.6