engleski

Invasive moss Campylopus introflexus (HEDW.) BRID. continues to spread through Croatia

Invasion patterns of bryophytes have been largely neglected in invasion biology for a long time. Campylopus introflexus (Hedw.) Brid, originating from the Southern hemisphere, is one of only three invasive immigrant bryophyte species recorded in Europe so far. Due to its biological features (numerous small spores and abundant vegetative propagation) it is considered an aggressive invader in western and central Europe and shows tendency to expand towards the east. Its pioneer arrival to the frontiers of the southeastern Europe in two Croatian geografical regions – the Dinaric (karst field Vrhovinsko polje, Lika) and the peri-Pannonian (Mt Papuk, Slavonia) has been observed between 2013 and 2015. Subsequently the further spread of the species in Croatia has been registered by mere chance while studying various vegetation types. In the peri-Pannonian region the species has been additionally found within rare sand dune vegetation of the Đurđevački peski Botanical Reserve. In the Dinaric region two new populations occupying different habitats were registered. The first one has covered managed beech and fir forest clearings highly disturbed after extreme snowbreaks and windthrows (near Lividraga in Gorski Kotar), while the second one occupied transitional habitats between peatbog vegetation and spruce forests affected by severe, climate change induced water drainage (Trstenik mire, Gorski Kotar). The vegetation analyses of affected localities in Croatia indicates the species adaptation to acidic and nutrient-poor, often disturbed habitats with sparse vegetation cover, which is in accordance with the known invasive patterns of C. introflexus across the Europe. No sexual propagation was found in any of rather disjunct populations, thus the introduction and expansion dynamics of the species in Croatia has not yet been fully elucidated.

alien ; bryophyte ; habitats ; invasion

nije evidentirano