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Drepanocladus trifarius – an example of unsuspected niche widths among mosses
Author(s) -
Hedenäs Lars,
Bisang Irene
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
nordic journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.333
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1756-1051
pISSN - 0107-055X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1756-1051.2012.01526.x
Subject(s) - moss , habitat , nutrient , biology , spots , niche , substrate (aquarium) , shoot , ecological succession , ecology , botany , ecological niche
The habitat of the pleurocarpous moss Drepanocladus trifarius is commonly described as mineral‐rich wet fens. We sampled individual D. trifarius shoots at 214 pre‐defined randomly distributed spots in an area of ca 15 km 2 in a sloping fen in central–western Sweden. We assessed the habitat variation of the sampling spots in this area by means of a multi‐variate analysis (DCA) based on the species identity of the ten shoots adjacent to D. trifarius , and by indicator values for light availability and substrate moisture, acidity, and nutrient availability of the associated species. Both approaches indicated that D. trifarius occurred in well lit and constantly moist, wet or submerged places. Most spots were weakly acid to sub‐neutral, but some spots had distinctly acid conditions. Generally the spots were nutrient‐poor, but a few were nutrient‐ rich. DCA revealed gradients from relatively wet, sub‐neutral to basic towards drier and more acid habitats, and from nutrient‐poor to ‐richer environments. The species obviously exhibits a broader than expected niche width with respect to substrate acidity and nutrients. We suggest that succession, disturbance, or climatic factors may explain the species’ occurrences in different habitats.