Pigment and morphological response to emersion and immersion of some aquatic and terrestrial mosses in N.E. Spain

Pigment and morphological response to emersion of the most characteristic aquatic mosses of the river Muga was analysed as also was the response of some terrestrial mosses to immersion. Aquatic species lost 50% chi a in a very few weeks depending on the species, and an increase was found in the OD430/OD665 values in the most sensitive. The OD665/OD665a ratio (indicative of phaeo-pigment proportion) was sensitive to periods of rainfall and humidity. The six species tested are ranked according to their sensitivity. Cinclidotus fontinaloides was the most tolerant and Fontinalis antipyretica the least. Ch1 content of terrestrial mosses fell quickly to below 50% in the first week for all species studied. Their morphological decay was very significant after 3 weeks and all of them lost their green leaves within 2 months. Pterogonium gracile and Trichostomum crispulum were the most tolerant and Grimmia pulvinata the least.