Bryum cyclophyllum
Bryum cyclophyllum (Schwägr.) Bruch & Schimp.
Bryaceae
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B2ab(iii)].
Morphology and biology. Perennial short-lived acrocarpous moss forming soft lax bright green tufts. Shoots thin, leaves sparsely spaced, decurrent, the lower almost round, the upper elongate-elliptical with broadly rounded apex, slightly concave, entire. Nerve ends below leaf apex. Unisexual, rarely with sporophytes, in Bulgaria collected only as sterile plants. Reproduces vegetatively via branched filiform gemmae produced in leaf axils.
Habitats and populations. Grows on wet sandy soil in fens and swamps by ponds, streams and ditches, sometimes among peat mosses (Sphagnum). The populations have restricted distribution and low density. The species has restricted reproductive potential.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Vitosha Region (Vitosha Mt), Rhodopi Mts (Western – by Batak dam and in the region of Shiroka Polyana dam).
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia), N and C Europe, NE, E and C Asia, North America. Subarctic species.
Threats. Major negative factor is habitat disturbance and destruction due to water logging of the wet areas around reservoirs, drainage and general climate aridisation which favours the overgrowing of wet areas with competitive species. The localities in the Rhodopi Mts are subjected to grazing and mowing that additionally deteriorate the habitat quality. The species has restricted reproductive potential.
Conservation measures taken. The population in Vitosha Mt is within Vitosha Nature Park. The localities are within sites 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; Stefanoff & Petrov 1962.
Author: Rayna Natcheva
