Using water chemistry to define ecological preferences within the moss genus Scorpidium, from Wales, UK

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Three Scorpidium species: S. scorpioides, S. cossonii and S. revolvens are often associated with habitats of high conservation value. This is the first attempt to define the chemical niches for these Scorpidium species in Wales (UK) and allows us to compare these with earlier European datasets.

Methods

Water chemistry from sixteen locations was analysed using water obtained by direct squeezing of mosses sampled from a total of 77 spots, and their principal water supply, e.g. springs and seepages.

Key Results

Statistical analysis by spherical k-means clustering suggests there are two distinct groups in the dataset; one characterised by S. cossonii and another by S. revolvens, associated with differences in pH and Electric Conductivity (EC) of the habitat. The Welsh habitats have higher pH and EC than Scandinavian habitats of the species, which could potentially be a result of different pollution histories or species compositions of the areas, the latter leading to different realised niches along the mineral poor to rich gradient.

Conclusions

It is hoped that with this data a better understanding of the chemical niches will support site managers and environmental regulators to make evidence-based decisions to protect these species and their habitats.

KEYWORDS:

• Cluster analysis
• habitats directive
• petrifying springs
• Scorpidium cossonii
• Scorpidium revolvens
• Scorpidium scorpioides

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the following: Sam Bosanquet, Peter S Jones, Jonathan Saville and Julie Creer from Natural Resources Wales. David Schofield, British Geological Survey for funding the chemical analysis and Dr Mark Hill for help with data analysis using spherical k-means. Gareth Farr, Aurelie Devez and Michael Watts publish with the permission of the executive director, British Geological Survey, NERC. Annemieke Kooijman allowed us to use Swedish data collected jointly with Lars Hedenäs. Comments by reviewers and A. Vanderpoorten significantly improved the paper.

Notes on contributors

Jonathan Graham has interests in conservation of UK river and wetland habitats especially those that are bryophyte rich as well as interests in research into the effects of nutrient enrichment and climate change on these habitats.

Gareth Farr is a hydrogeologist who has interests in the influence of geology and groundwater systems on wetland habitats. He has been working with bryologists in the UK for the last five years.

Lars Hedenäs has interests in bryophyte diversity, evolution, phylogeny and phylogeograpy. Wetland pleurocarps is a continuous theme in his research, but other pleurocarpous as well as acrocarpous mosses are also included among his research interests.

Aurelie Devez has interests in biogeochemistry studies relating to pollutant pathways influencing biota, and employment of analytical chemistry methods.

Michael J. Watts has interests in the study of pollutant pathways, dynamics and controls on the mobility and availability of potentially harmful elements and nutrients essential for ecological and human health.

ORCID

Lars Hedenäs http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1763-1696

Additional information

Funding

This work is in part the result of an initial commercial project for Natural Resources Wales supplemented with British Geological Survey (Welsh office) science funding for additional chemical analysis. The authors contributed their own time for additional survey, sampling and preparation of this manuscript.