Vertical zonation of Sphagnum mosses along hummock-hollow gradients

Abstract

The vertical distributions of 9 Sphagnum species and 4 associated mosses [Polytrichum strictum, Pohlia nutans, Aulacomnium palustre, Pleurozium schreberi] in 2 bogs (Adirondack Mountains, New York, USA) were analyzed for interspecific and interbog differences. Based on 4300 sample points, Sphagnum mean heights ranged from 12 to 43 cm above the water table and the sequence of species was similar in both bogs (S. cuspidatum and S. majus) < (S. fallax and S. angustifolium) < (S. magellanicum, S. rubellum and S. russowii) < (S. fuscum and S. nemoreum). However, at Bloomingdale Bog, a relatively dry mire with many well-developed hummocks and narrow hollows, mosses had significantly greater means (by 4-12 cm) than at Raybrook Bog, a relatively wet mire with wide Sphagnum carpets and fewer hummocks. South- and east-facing hummock slopes tended to be gentler than the north and west slopes, but the mosses'' mean heights did not vary with aspect. The abundance of hummocks at Bloomingdale seems responsible for not only the greater mean heights, but also for broader ranges and greater vertical overlap with other species. However, the ability of each species to dominate a certain array of height classes did not differ between bogs. Within each bog, hummock species tended to have large vertical ranges than hollow species, implying a lesser ability of hollow mosses to tolerate the full range of conditions along the hummock-hollow gradient.