New moss records from western part of Turkey

Two species of moss namely, Onchoporus dendrophilus Hedderson & Blockeel and Sphagnum fimbriatum Wilson are reported for the first time from Turkey. Onchoporus dendrophilus is also a new report from Southwest Asia. Diagnostic characters, descriptions and illustrations were studied. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjb.v42i2.18047 Bangladesh J. Bot. 42(2): 371-375, 2013 (December)

Non-destructive methods for peat layer assessment in oligotrophic peat bogs: a case study from Poiana Ştampei, Romania

Practices currently employed in the investigation and characterisation of peat deposits are destructive and may irremediable perturb peat bog development even in cases when exploitation is not carried out. We investigated the correlation between vegetation characteristics in the active area of Poiana Ştampei peat bog, Romania, and the underlying peat layer depth, aiming at establishing a non-destructive method of peat layer depth estimation. The presence of the <em>Sphagneto-Eriophoretum</em> vaginati association, dominated by <em>Sphagnum fimbriatum</em>, <em>Eriophorum vaginatum</em>, <em>Andromeda polifolia</em>, <em>Vaccinium oxycoccos</em>, <em>V. myrtillus</em>, <em>V. vitis-idaea</em>, <em>Polytrichum commune</em>, <em>Picea excelsa</em>, <em>Pinus sylvestris</em> and <em>Betula verrucosa</em> was found to predict the existence of the peat layer but not its depth. Out of the seven identified vegetation types, one type was associated with a very thin or no peat layer, one type was characterised by the presence of a thick (over 100 cm) peat layer and five types indicated the presence of variable average depths of the peat layer. pH values correlated with peat layer depth only within the vegetation type associated with thick peat layers.

The role of Sphagnum fimbriatum in secondary succession in a road salt impacted bog

Secondary succession of Sphagnum mosses was studied for 7 years along a belt transect in a bog that had been impacted by sodium chloride highway deicing salts. Laboratory studies on Sphagnum fimbriatum Wils., the dominant recolonizing species, were conducted to determine its salt tolerance level and ability to reproduce from spores and fragments across a salt gradient. Vegetative reproduction was also compared with that of four other recolonizing species. Sphagnum fimbriatum represented a high percentage of all recolonizing Sphagnum and generally began growing on low hummocks in quadrats where the salt content of the interstitial peat pore waters had dropped to about 300 mg/L as chloride. This salt concentration was also found to be the basic tolerance limit for mature plants and reproducing spores and fragments. The success of Sphagnum fimbriatum as a pioneer species seems to be associated with its prolific production and probable dispersal of spores, its superior vegetative reproduction, its tolerance of mineralized waters, and its ability to grow on hummocks out of direct contact with mineralized waters.

The fatty acid composition of some Sphagnum species

The fatty acid composition of total lipids was studied in gametophytes of Sphagnum fimbriatum, S. majus, S. magellanicum and S. nemoreum cultivated aseptically at a constant temperature of 25 °C. It was found to be very similar in these four bog mosses, and also fairly similar to that of other bryophytes. The lipid content of these species was about 6% of the weight of the freeze-dried plant material. The fatty acid composition of different lipid fractions (neutral, glyco-, and phospholipids) was studied in S. fimbriatum and S. majus. Eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5) is abundant (~ 40%) in the triglycerides, and arachidonic acid (20:4) (30%) in the steryl and methyl ester fraction. Linolenic acid (18:3) formed about 60% of the fatty acids in the mono- and digalactosyl diglycerides. This fatty acid occurs only in low concentrations (~ 10%) in the triglycerides. Palmitic (16:0) and linoleic (18:2) acids are the most important fatty acids of the phospholipids.