A post from Becks who joined us recently to take a look at what's about on the tops at Dove Stone. Big thank you to Becks for this really interesting info on Bryophytes.
' Whilst doing some survey work near Chew reservoir at Dove Stone recently it was a delight to behold the health and abundance of some of the Bryophytes, (mosses and liverworts), out on the moors. A particularly common sight was the liverwort Marchantia ruderalis. This is a thalloid liverwort looking like a leathery mat spreading along the ground. Liverworts are really ancient and sometimes referred to as the simplest true plants dating back 400,000,000 yrs! They have unusual structures for reproduction, as seen in the photo of female receptacles, which look like little umbrellas. Most thalloid liverworts have male and female plants and the receptacles are produced containing the female egg, and male receptacles produce the sperm which must them swim through film of water to find the female egg...amazing!!!
Marchantia ruderalis
This species can also reproduce asexually, meaning it can produce little gemmae, fragments of the parent plant, which are then dispersed and grow into separate plant which is a clone of the parent. The gemmae produced appear in little cups on the surface of the liverwort and are splashed out into the wider area when it rains. It is a common species and one you are likely to see in gardens and greenhouses so keep your eyes peeled!
Gemmae cups
The Sphagnum mosses are a very important group to the restoration of the moorland here at Dove Stone as they are the peat forming mosses vital to a healthy bog system. There are many trials underway to encourage the spread of these important species and the good news on the moor is that many of the sphagnum patches were covered in capsules. The production of these capsules are how Sphagnum mosses reproduce sexually; many thousands of spores are released from these capsules when they explode open in dry conditions to ensure the airborne spread of these spores far and wide. Hopefully they will land in a wet and sheltered spot and create a new plant and eventually a new colony.
Sphagnum species can also reproduce asexually from fragments of the adult plant which may be dispersed through disturbance or simply through branching and eventually separating into two plants. It's encouraging to see the Sphagnum in a healthy enough state to produce spores, no doubt they have been helped by the wet summer and a dry spell long enough to enable spore dispersal. Other mosses were also seen with capsules as in the photo below, this species (at present unidentified) has produced a sea of capsules dominating an area completely so you can barely see the tiny plants they come from below!
Next time you are out and about on the moor take some time to bend down and peer into the miniature world of bryophytes and marvel at their amazing structure and diversity!'
Becks also reported back on a hoverfly Sericomyia silentis that followed Becks around during her surveying ! Sericomyia silentis is one of our biggest hoverflies in the UK, measuring around 16mm and it is a specialist of boggy habitats. Although it's wide spread in the UK it is seen in relatively small numbers in peaty, boggy habitats. Thanks again to Becks for the info. More soon with an update of what's about at Dove Stone of late.