Breidleria pratensis
Breidleria pratensis (Spruce) Loeske
Hypnaceae
Conservation status. Critically Endangered [CR B2ab(iii)].
Morphology and biology. Perennial pleurocarpous moss forming pale- to yellowish green, glossy tufts. Shoots prostrate, irregularly pinnately branched, 4–10 cm long, complanate, densely covered with leaves. Stem leaves straight or weakly curved curved ovoid lanceolate, gradually tapering, with rounded base and denticulate margin in the upper part. Nerve very short double or missing. Unisexual, rarely with sporophytes.
Habitats and populations. Grows on wet soil in spring fens, marshy meadows, and eutrophic mires. The populations have restricted distribution and good density. The species has restricted reproductive potential.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Rila Mts (around Borovets).
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia), N and C Europe, Svalbard, C, N and E Asia, North America. Northern-sub-oceanic species.
Threats. Major negative factor is the loss of habitats due to intensive tourism and resort building, pollution of soils and water with communal waste and building materials, drainage of wetlands and changes in the dynamics of local competitive species. The low number of populations make the species sensitive to stochastic processes. The species has restricted reproductive ability.
Conservation measures taken. The localities are within Rila National Park and in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. To study the dynamics of numbers and area of the populations, as well as the biology and ecology of the species in Bulgaria, to elucidate the threatening factors and monitor the populations.
References. Podpéra 1911.
Author: Rayna Natcheva
