The effect of herbaceous litter on bryophyte growth

Abstract

Shoots of Brachythecium rutabulum, Lophocolea bidentata, Plagiomnium undulatum, Pseudoscleropodium purum and Thuidium tamariscinum were allowed to grow in contact with litter of Urtica dioica, Succisa pratensis, Holcus lanatus, A venula pratensis, Pseudoscleropodium purum and soils of contrastee,-fertility. All the species were positively growth-stimulated when grown in contact with the stem litter of Urtica dioica and the fertile soil. The other treatments included did not enhance significantly the growth of the five bryophyte species. An attempt is made to relate these responses to the ecology of the species and the possible role that plant litter might exert upon bryophyte distribution in herbaceous vegetation.