The thesis consists of regional forest condition studies, using different biomonitors. Heavy metal deposition was investigated in 1985–2000 on the basis of the heavy metal concentrations (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Ni, Pb, V, Zn) in mosses in Finland. A comparison on the suitability of mosses, epiphytic lichens and pine bark as biomonitors of heavy metals was also carried. Bark was also used to st...

There have been more than 640 species of bryophytes recorded for Tasmania, comprised of 282 hepatic species (Ratkowsky 1987) and 361 moss species (Dalton et al. 1991). This number of species is significant when compared to other groups ofland plants and, therefore, the bryophytes represent a major component of the flora (table 1). Since the publication of an annotated checklist of Tasmanian mos...

Heavy metals may influence chemical composition of plants, and thus shape elemental stoichiometry of plant communities. That is because some physiological processes aiming at neutralization of contaminant toxicity require increased acquisition of some nutrients (e.g. N, S, P or Ca). The aim of the study was to evaluate the heavy metal deposition in Poland using moss Pleurozium schreberi as a bi...

Sphagnum peatlands are important ecosystems in the methane cycle. Methane-oxidizing bacteria in these ecosystems serve as a methane filter and limit methane emissions. Yet little is known about the diversity and identity of the methanotrophs present in and on Sphagnum mosses of peatlands, and only a few isolates are known. The methanotrophic community in Sphagnum mosses, originating from a Dutc...

In restored peatlands, recovery of carbon assimilation by peat-forming plants is a prerequisite for the recovery of ecosystem functioning. Restoration by rewetting may affect moss photosynthesis and respiration directly and/or through species successional turnover. To quantify the importance of the direct effects and the effects mediated by species change in boreal spruce swamp forests, we used...

In the study the activities of polonium 210Po and uranium 234U, 238U radionuclides in moss and lichen samples were determined using the alpha spectrometry. Different lichens and mosses were collected around the Sobieszewo Island (northern Poland) and investigated for potential use as biomonitors for 210Po and 238U deposition. Mosses and lichens have a high efficiency in capturing 210Po and 238U...

Feather moss-cyanobacteria associations, although still poorly understood, are recognised as essential for the regulation of nitrogen (N) input into N-limited ecosystems such as boreal forests due to their ability to carry out N2-fixation. This thesis aimed to investigate the diversity and composition of feather mossassociated cyanobacterial communities, the mechanisms by which cyanobacterial c...