An Unusual Epiphytic Habitat for Hedwigia ciliata (Bryophyta: Hedwigiaceae) in Poland (Central Europe)

Monika Staniaszek-Kik,Barbara Fojcik,Mariusz Wierzgoń,Michał Smoczyk,Stanisław Rosadziński,Beata Zagórska-Marek,Grzegorz Vončina,Adam Stebel

doi:10.5586/asbp.903

Abstract

Abstract In Poland, Hedwigia ciliata (Hedw.) P. Beauv., an obligatory epilithic moss species, has in recent years also been observed on the bark of trees. In this paper, we describe 25 recently identified sites in which epiphytic H. ciliata has been observed, and provide a plausible explanation to account for this phenomenon.

Highlights

IntroductionIs moss grows at higher altitudes in Central and South America, Africa, South Australia, and New Zealand (Eckel, 2014; Ochyra et al, 1988)
E first documented occurrence of H. ciliata growing on bark in Poland was on that of a roadside Populus ×canadensis Moench tree found in the Western Carpathians (Stebel & Vončina, 2014) in 2011, and to date, epiphytic H. ciliata have been recorded at a total of 25 sites in Poland (Figure 1) distributed in 22 ATMOS squares. e distribution of these sites spans virtually the entire length and breadth of Poland, with an evident concentration in the south-west region of the country
With growth, the conditions on trees can begin to resemble those typical on rocks, and epilithic species increasingly o en colonize trees (Vitt, 1981). is habitat transition is facilitated to a large extent by the xeromorphic features of bryophytes that confer a certain degree of resistance to desiccation or contribute to reducing insolation

Summary

Introduction

Is moss grows at higher altitudes in Central and South America, Africa, South Australia, and New Zealand (Eckel, 2014; Ochyra et al, 1988). It typically colonizes sunny, dry, acidic rock substrates, including exposed erratic boulders, rock outcrops, stones, and rocks in abandoned quarries (Dierßen, 2001; Ochyra et al, 1988). In recent years, H. ciliata has been found on limestone rocks

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