Author: David G Lonzaerich,  Professor (University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire)

Description:
In lakes, mosses are distributed in deeper waters than any other form of plant life. Deep-water mosses have been documented from lakes around the world, with the earliest descriptions being reported from lakes in Wisconsin. The present study was undertaken with the primary goal of characterizing the diversity, abundance and depth distribution of deep-water mosses from 40 lakes in northern Wisconsin. Our secondary goal was to identify water quality and physical landscape characteristics that affect patterns of distribution and diversity of these plant communities. We encountered deep-water mosses from 22 lakes, although only in a small fraction of these lakes did we find moss in great abundance. Moss diversity did not show much variability among lakes (ranging from 1 to 5 species), with the species <em>Drepanocladus aduncus<em> and <em>Fontinalis antipyretica<em> being most widespread. Based on principal components analysis, lakes with and without moss were principally segregated by pH, alkalinity and lake size, and to a smaller degree by water clarity and depth. Our study represents the first large scale intensive examination of the deep-water mosses of Wisconsin, and is a necessary first step towards answering questions about how mosses colonize lakes, and what role they may play in their ecology.

Category: Scientific Program Abstract > Special Session > CS28 Primary production