English description
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The
Sphagnum mosses receive recognition for the central role
they play in the ecology of mire wetland ecosystems and for their high
monetary value as both a major constituent of commercially harvested
peat and a source of raw material for several products. The
International Association of Bryologists and the British Bryological
Society sponsered an international symposium on research involving
Sphagnum. A part of the contributed papers was suited to the
review format of the Advances in Bryology.
These papers are status reports on research into various aspects of
the biology of Sphagnum and the role of peat mosses in extant
ecosystems. From the papers can be gleaned an understanding both of
the problems that remain and what has been learned about the peat
mosses in recent decades.
Editor's Preface vii
Sphagnum - A Mossy Story, by Hugo Sjörs 1
Progress Toward Understanding Sphagnum Section Sphagnum
in Brazil, by Howard Crum 9
Phenotypic and Genotypic Variation in Sphagnum, by R.E. Daniels 31
Cytogenetics of Sphagnum, by M.E. Newton 61
Nitrogen Metabolism of Sphagnum, by Hansjörg Rudolph,
Jan Hohlfeld, Sven Jacubowski, Petra von der Lage,
Hannes Matlok, and Hanna Schmidt 79
Ion Behavior in Sphagnum Cell Walls, by Jack Dainty and
Conrad Richter 107
Experimental Studies of Protonemal Morphogenesis in Sphagnum:
The Role of Growth Regulators and the Cytoskeleton,
by Jamie A. Goode, Anthony D. Stead, and Jeffrey G. Duckett 129
Mechanisms of Interactions Among Sphagnum Species Along
Water-Level Gradients, by Hakan Rydin 153
Distribution of Sphagnum Species, Communities, and Habitats
in Relation to Climate, by L. Dennis Gignac 187
Mineral Nutrients in Vegetation and Surface Layers of
Sphagnum-Dominated, Peat-Forming Systems, by Nils Malmer 223
Decay and its Regulation in Sphagnum Peatlands,
by Loretta C. Johnson and Antoni W.H. Damman 249
Sphagnum Species and Polluted Environments, Past and Future,
by I.A. Lee, A.N. Parsons, and R. Baxter 297
Peat and People: A Review, by R.G. Turner 315
Index 329
Acknowledgments 338
