According to the latest estimates, there are between 500 and 700 species of bramble in France (http://www.tela-botanica.org/). In France the inventory of bramble species is still very incomplete. The first floristic inventories carried out on OPTMix revealed the presence of several species of brambles without being able to determine them reliably.
An experiment has just begun in order to determine the species present on the OPTMix device. For this purpose, brambles will be multiplied in-situ by layering and then raised ex-situ under full light conditions allowing a better determination of species.
The determination at the species level of brambles will make it possible to better estimate the biodiversity on the OPTMix experimental plots. On the other hand, the species of brambles differ in their ecology and palatability. It is therefore important to be able to distinguish them in order to better understand the understorey vegetation dynamics in interaction with large herbivores.
