• Medientyp: E-Artikel
  • Titel: The Occurrence of Hornwort Populations (Anthocerotales, Anthocerotopsida) in the Swiss Plateau: The Role of Management, Weather Conditions and Soil Characteristics
  • Beteiligte: Bisang, Irene
  • Erschienen: Nordic Bryological Society and Dutch Bryological and Lichenological Society, 1998
  • Erschienen in: Lindbergia, 23 (1998) 2, Seite 94-104
  • Sprache: Englisch
  • ISSN: 0105-0761; 2001-5909
  • Entstehung:
  • Anmerkungen:
  • Beschreibung: Annual populations of Anthoceros agrestis and Phaeoceros carolinianus were surveyed over seven years in 28 arable fields fields in north-western Switzerland. Gametophytic occurrences of the two hornwort taxa are compared to management type recorded at each census (three categories based on the crop type: cereal, maize/root-crops, other) and to temperature, relative humidity and precipitation data retrieved from recordings at nearby meteorological stations. Hornwort occurrences were found to be strongly associated with cropland farming practices but not with weather conditions. Anthoceros, and to a lesser extent Phaeoceros, were found regularly, and often abundantly, in untreated stubble-fields, but were more rare and poorly developed in stubble-fields with catchcrop, fields with maize, root-crops, and fodder-crops. Soil quality did not differ significantly between fields with and nearby fields without hornwort gametophytes. The soils investigated in selected fields are subneutral, rather permeable, contain moderate amounts of organic matter, and are classified as sandy loams. Since hornworts are largely confined to cultivated fields in Central Europe, management effectively influences the population dynamics at a regional scale, and may play an essential role for their local survival.