Seasonal Changes in Diel CO₂ Exchange of Three Central European Moss Species: a One-Year Field Study

Abstract

Diel courses of net CO₂ gas exchange, water relation parameters and microclimatic conditions of three bryophyte species (Grimmia pulvinata, Schistidium apocarpum, Tortula ruralis) were studied in the Botanical Garden Würzburg (Franconia, Germany) over the course of one year. At the exposed study site, i.e., the upper surface of an anthropogenic limestone wall, photosynthetic active radiation (PFD) was hardly limiting for carbon gain, while plant water relations were of much greater importance: the time of metabolic activity correlated rather closely with the diurnal carbon budget. Carbon gain was highly seasonal in all three species, with the highest diel carbon budgets (NP_24h) being observed in autumn, while near zero NP_24h were typical for summer. Annual carbon gain differed considerably between the three species, and Tortula ruralis was by far the most productive. The estimates of annual productivity derived from gas exchange measurements in Grimmia pulvinata were compared with direct measurements of growth: the results of these different approaches yielded quite similar values.

Key words

Bryophytes - growth - photosynthesis - seasonal carbon budget - plant water relations

References

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Section Editor: L. A. C. J. Voesenek