Dicranum bergeri
Dicranum bergeri Blandow.
Dicranum affine Funck3
Dicranaceae
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B2ab(iii)].
Morphology and biology. Perennial acrocarpous moss forming green to yellow green cushions, tomentose within. Shoots erect, to 15 cm high. Leaves spirally arranged, patent both dry and fresh, straight, gradually tapering above the oval-lanceolate base, transversely undulate. Leaf apex rounded, roughly dentate in the upper part. Nerve ending in leaf apex, smooth or weakly denticulate on the dorsal surface. Unisexual, rarely with sporophytes.
Habitats and populations. Grows on wet or damp soil in fens and swamps, rarely in wet meadows. The populations have restricted distribution, low density and low reproductive potential.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Vitosha Region (Vitosha Mt). Reported for Balkan Range (Western – Vitinya).
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Slovenia), N and C Europe, NE, E and C Asia, North America. Boreal species.
Threats. Major negative factor is habitat degradation due to change in the hydrological regime of wetlands in the middle mountain belt resulting from drainage, grazing, mowing or the global aridisation of climate. The low numerical strength of populations makes the species vulnerable to stochastic processes. The species has low ability for dispersal.
Conservation measures taken. The population in Vitosha Mt is within Vitosha Nature Park and in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. To study the dynamics of the numerical strength 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
