Biology of Polar Bryophytes and Lichens

Longton, R. E.

doi:10.1017/cbo9780511565212

Cited by 329 publications

(277 citation statements)

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“…Smith, 1994;Day et al, 1999Day et al, , 2008Hill et al, 2011;Torres-Mellado et al, 2011), while fewer have examined moss communities (for reviews, see Robinson et al, 2003;Bramley-Alves et al, 2014). Continuing expansion of ice-free regions in Antarctica will increase the size of habitats suitable for colonization by stresstolerant mosses (Longton, 1988;Convey and Lewis Smith, 2006;Bramley-Alves et al, 2014;Convey et al, 2014); therefore, understanding the impacts of global warming on Antarctica's moss communities will be key to making informed predictions about the future of Antarctica's terrestrial ice-free margins (Smith, 1994;Royles et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Passive warming reduces stress and shifts reproductive effort in the Antarctic moss,Polytrichastrum alpinum

Shortlidge

Eppley

Köhler

et al. 2016

Ann Bot

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Background and Aims The Western Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth, and many biotic communities inhabiting this dynamic region are responding to these well-documented climatic shifts. Yet some of the most prevalent organisms of terrestrial Antarctica, the mosses, and their responses to warming have been relatively overlooked and understudied. In this research, the impacts of 6 years of passive warming were investigated using open top chambers (OTCs), on moss communities of Fildes Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica.Methods The effects of experimental passive warming on the morphology, sexual reproductive effort and stress physiology of a common dioicous Antarctic moss, Polytrichastrum alpinum, were tested, gaining the first speciesspecific mechanistic insight into moss responses to warming in the Antarctic. Additionally community analyses were conducted examining the impact of warming on overall moss percentage cover and sporophyte production in intact Antarctic moss communities.Key Results Our results show a generally greater percentage moss cover under warming conditions as well as increased gametangia production in P. alpinum. Distinct morphological and physiological shifts in P. alpinum were found under passive warming compared with those without warming: warmed mosses reduced investment in cellular stress defences, but invested more towards primary productivity and gametangia development.Conclusions Taken together, results from this study of mosses under passive warming imply that in ice-free moss-dominated regions, continued climate warming will probably have profound impacts on moss biology and colonization along the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Such findings highlight the fundamental role that mosses will play in influencing the terrestrialization of a warming Antarctica.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Passive warming reduces stress and shifts reproductive effort in the Antarctic moss,Polytrichastrum alpinum

Shortlidge

Eppley

Köhler

et al. 2016

Ann Bot

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“…Mosses can be found on every continent and in every terrestrial ecosystem, from tropical rain forests (1) to arid deserts (2) to polar tundra (3). To survive in such diverse and often extreme environments, these sedentary organisms must possess an equally diverse set of physiological adaptations.…”

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confidence: 99%

Cryptic species within the cosmopolitan desiccation-tolerant moss Grimmia laevigata

Fernandez

Shevock

Glazer

et al. 2006

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The common cushion moss Grimmia laevigata (Bridel) Bridel grows on bare rock in a broad range of environments on every continent except Antarctica. As such, it must harbor adaptations to a remarkably broad set of environmental stresses, the extremes of which can include very high temperatures, prolonged nearly complete desiccation, and high ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure. Yet, like many mosses, G. laevigata shows very little morphological variability across its cosmopolitan range. This presents an evolutionary puzzle, the solution to which lies in understanding the phylogeographic structure of this morphologically simple organism. Here we report the results of an analysis of amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) in G. laevigata, focusing on individuals from the California Floristic Province. We found evidence that populations within California constitute two distinct geographically overlapping cryptic species. Each clade harbors multiple private alleles, indicating they have been genetically isolated for some time. We suggest that the existence of cryptic species within G. laevigata, in combination with its life history, growth habits, and extreme desiccation tolerance, makes this moss an ideal research tool and a candidate for a biological indicator of climate change and pollution.amplified fragment length polymorphisms ͉ bioindication ͉ California Floristic Province ͉ Grimmiaceae ͉ phylogeography

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“…The other two species had more densely packed turf, and therefore potentially greater desiccation avoidance. Other morphological characteristics that influence desiccation avoidance, such as degree of leaf curling toward stem (Longton 1988), might also be adopted by these species and are worthy of further study.…”

Section: Avoidance Of Desiccationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Some like it wet — biological characteristics underpinning tolerance of extreme water stress events in Antarctic bryophytes

Wasley

Robinson

Lovelock

et al. 2006

Functional Plant Biol.

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Antarctic bryophyte communities presently tolerate physiological extremes in water availability, surviving both desiccation and submergence events. This study investigated the relative ability of three Antarctic moss species to tolerate physiological extremes in water availability and identified physiological, morphological, and biochemical characteristics that assist species performance under such conditions. Tolerance of desiccation and submergence was investigated using chlorophyll fluorescence during a series of field-and laboratorybased water stress events. Turf water retention and degree of natural habitat submergence were determined from gametophyte shoot size and density and ?13C signatures respectively. Finally, compounds likely to assist membrane structure and function during desiccation events (fatty acids and soluble carbohydrates) were determined. The results of this study show significant differences in the performance of the three study species under contrasting water stress events. The results indicate that the three study species occupy distinctly different ecological niches with respect to water relations and provide a physiological explanation for present species distributions. The poor tolerance of submergence seen in Ceratodon purpureus helps explain its restriction to drier sites and conversely, the low tolerance of desiccation and high tolerance of submergence displayed by the endemic Grimmia antarctici is consistent with its restriction to wet habitats. Finally the flexible response observed for Bryum pseudotriquetrum is consistent with its co-occurrence with the other two species across the bryophyte habitat spectrum. The likely effects of future climate change induced shifts in water availability are discussed with respect to future community dynamics.

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Biology of Polar Bryophytes and Lichens

Cited by 329 publications

References 0 publications

Passive warming reduces stress and shifts reproductive effort in the Antarctic moss,Polytrichastrum alpinum

Passive warming reduces stress and shifts reproductive effort in the Antarctic moss,Polytrichastrum alpinum

Cryptic species within the cosmopolitan desiccation-tolerant moss Grimmia laevigata

Some like it wet — biological characteristics underpinning tolerance of extreme water stress events in Antarctic bryophytes

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