A checklist of vascular plant, bryophyte and macrofungal mire specialists in the Czech Republic

Tomáš Peterka 1 , Eva Holá 2 3 , Petra Hájková 1 4 , Monika Kolényová 1 5 , Zuzana Plesková 1 , Daniel Dvořák 1 , Martina Vašutová 2 , Daniel Dítě 6 , Martin Jiroušek 1 7 , Eva Mikulášková 1 , Karel Prach 2 8 , Hana Skokanová 9 , Vojtěch Taraška 10 , Lubomír Tichý 1 , Kamila Vítovcová 2 & Michal Hájek 1

Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137 Brno, Czech Republic
  2. Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, CZ-37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
  3. Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 31, CZ-37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
  4. Department of Paleoecology, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Lidická 25/27, CZ-60200 Brno, Czech Republic
  5. Department of Forest Ecology, Landscape Research Institute, Lidická 25/27, CZ-60200 Brno, Czech Republic
  6. Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, SK-84523 Bratislava, Slovakia
  7. Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 1, CZ-61300 Brno, Czech Republic
  8. Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, CZ-37982 Třeboň, Czech Republic
  9. Department of Landscape Ecology, Landscape Research Institute, Lidická 25/27, CZ-60200 Brno, Czech Republic
  10. Department of Botany, Moravian Museum, Hviezdoslavova 29a, CZ-62700 Brno, Czech Republic

Published: 29 September 2026 , https://doi.org/10.23855/preslia.2026.209

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Abstract

Species can be classified as specialists or non-specialists for a habitat depending on their niche optimum. Habitat specialists exhibit a distinct conservation, functional and indication value and respond specifically to habitat fragmentation and deterioration. This is particularly important in highly vulnerable habitats, such as mires. In this study, we compiled a list of specialists of vascular plants, bryophytes and macrofungi associated with fens (minerotrophic mires) or bogs (ombrotrophic mires) for the Czech Republic. For fen specialists, the association with individual types of fens (calcareous fens, rich fens, poor fens) was further assessed. Taxa were classified into the two main categories reflecting the strength of their specialization: strict (obligate) and partial (facultative) specialists. Altogether 124 vascular plants, 100 bryophytes and 50 macrofungi were classified as either strict or partial specialists for fens or bogs. Out of them, 83 and 26 taxa are strict specialists for fens or bogs, respectively. Using occurrence records of strict specialists obtained from the distribution databases and other datasets, we reconstructed the former distribution of mire habitats in quadrants of grid flora mapping. Comparison of the reconstructed distribution with the current distribution of mire habitats showed their overall large decline. Significant conservation attention should be directed towards the vast majority of strict specialists of both fens and bogs, as well as selected partial specialists.

Keywords

bogs, ecological specialization, fens, floristic databases, peatlands, mire decline, rare species

How to cite

Peterka T., Holá E., Hájková P., Kolényová M., Plesková Z., Dvořák D., Vašutová M., Dítě D., Jiroušek M., Mikulášková E., Prach K., Skokanová H., Taraška V., Tichý L., Vítovcová K. & Hájek M. (2026) A checklist of vascular plant, bryophyte and macrofungal mire specialists in the Czech Republic. – Preslia 98: 209–240, https://doi.org/10.23855/preslia.2026.209