Details
Complete Name :
Campylopus introflexus (Hedw.) Brid.
Taxonomy :
Bryophyta »
»
Bryopsida »
Dicranales »
Dicranaceae »
Campylopus introflexus
Authors :
Phil Lambdon
Last Updated : November 3rd, 2006
Common Names
Heath star moss.
Synonyms
Campylopus introflexus - auct. Amer., non (Hedw.) Brid.
Short Description
A moss with leaves tapering to a long, whitish hair-point. When plants dry the leaves become crisp, twisting slightly round the stem (5 cm long), with the hair-points bent at right angles, horizontally outwards. The capsules are produced in spring, on the end of long, flexuous seta and covered by a beaked calyptra which is soon shed. Prior to maturity, the setum grows bent double, so that the capsule remains buried in the upper leaves.
Biology / Ecology
- Dispersal Mechanisms
- Spores disperse with wind. Vegetative fragments are thought to be important in short-distance colonization.
- Reproduction
- Capsules are sometimes rare in drier localities, but plants can regenerate vegetatively from fragments of leaf.
- Known Predators/Herbivores
- May be grazed by typical moss herbivores such as slugs or pill beetles (Bhyrridae).
- Resistant Stages (seeds, spores etc.)
- The leaf fragments can persist for up to a year.
Habitat
- Native (EUNIS Code)
- Probably similar to European habitats.
- Habitat Occupied in Invaded Range (EUNIS Code)
- Blanket bog and on bare, sandy or gravely ground. It also occurs sporadically in a wider range of habitats, including on decaying logs, mineral spoil heaps, acid rocks and roof tiles. B1: Coastal dune and sand habitats, D1: Raised and blanket bogs, F4: Temperate shrub heathland, H3: Inland cliffs, rock pavements and outcrops, J1: Buildings of cities, towns and villages, J2: Low density buildings, J6: Waste deposits.
- Habitat Requirements
- A very successful pioneer species, often amongst the first to colonise recently burned or disturbed areas, especially in forests and on heathland. It thrives best in acid conditions with moderately high nutrient levels (e.g. areas which suffer from atmospheric pollution). Positive effects of nitrate deposition have been suggested but are yet to be proven.
Introduction Pathway
The arrival to Europe was possibly by ship. Local dispersal may be facilitated by the hooves of grazing animals or vehicles.
Distribution
- Native Range
- It almost certainly originated in the southern hemisphere, possibly in South America where it is abundant on north-western savannahs. It may also be native to some Pacific islands.
- Known Introduced Range
- The first European observations were from England and western France in 1941. It was found throughout the U.K. and Ireland by the 1960s, and had become problematic in the Netherlands and Germany by the 1970s. Most common in north-western oceanic parts of Europe, including islands as remote as Iceland, and especially abundant on North Sea and German Baltic coasts. Sporadic records exist from Guatemala southwards, over much of South America and Oceania, and on various islands from the tropics to the subantarctic. Found in California in 1975.
- Trend
- In Europe it is spreading rapidly eastwards, where it has reached Lithuania and Russia, and southwards, to northern Spain and Menorca. It has recently penetrated to Switzerland, northern Italy and the Czech Republic. Similar expansion is occurring in south-western North America.
Distribution Map
Main symbols used in maps
   | known distribution area (in CGRS grid squares; in countries; along coast) |
Specific symbols occurring only in some species
 | eradicated |
 | extinct |
 | not present; eradicated |
 | native distribution range in CGRS grid squares |
 | native range |
 | assumed native range |
 | infrequent distribution |
 | key distribution area |
 | not established |
Countries
Impact
- Ecosystem Impact
- Studies from dune heath have shown that it can replace much of the ephemeral cover of specialist lichens, which are relatively common growing on trees elsewhere, but localised to dunes in exposed places. In north-central Europe, it has become problematic on sandy heaths dominated by Cladonia lichens and grey hair grass (Corynephorus canescens). However, invasions do not slow the rate of succession, and although heather seedlings germinate less well than on bare ground, they grow better once established.
- Health and Social Impact
- Economic Impact
Management
- Prevention
- Mechanical
- Burning or mechanical removal may sometimes be practical, although trials using livestock to trample and fragment the mats have been largely unsuccessful because they merely disperse vegetative propagules more efficiently. Heavy liming to reduce the acidity of the soil is another option, but the effectiveness of this measure is unproven and the risk of environmental damage may often be prohibitive.
- Chemical
- No effective control strategy has yet been found, mainly because native species occurring in sensitive habitats would be at greater risk from chemical treatments than the invader.
- Biological
Contributors
The following contributors have provided records in the DAISIE database for this species.
| Name | Institute |
|---|
| Franz Essl |
Federal Environment Agency Austria, Spittelauer Lände 5, 1090 Vienna |
| North European and Baltic Network on Invasive Species (NOBANIS) |
c/o Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Uppsala |
Experts
The following experts registered themselves as having knowledge about this species or its family.
| Name | Institute | Country | Taxa |
|---|
|
BLWG |
Netherlands |
Campylopus introflexus (name) |
|
University of Vienna |
Austria |
Dicranaceae (family) |
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References
Equihua, M. & Usher, M.B. (1993) Impact of carpets of the invasive moss Campylopus introflexus on Calluna vulgaris regeneration. Journal of Ecology 81:359-365
Hasse, T. (2006) The impact of Campylopus introflexus invasion on dune grasslands. Biological Invasions, submitted
Ketner-Oostra, R. & Sýkora, K.V. (2004) Decline of lichen diversity in calcium-poor coastal dune vegetation since the 1970s, related to grass and moss encroachment. Phytocoenologia 34:521-549
Richards, P.W. (1963) Campylopus introflexus (Hedw.) Brid. and C. polytrichoides De Not. in the British Isles; a preliminary account. Transactions of the British Bryological Society 4:404-417
Other References
Frahm J-P (1994) A new synopsis of the Campylopus species from Australia. Journal of Bryology 18, 311-327.
Hasse T (2006) The impact of Campylopus introflexus invasion on dune grasslands. Biological Invasions, submitted
Loskotova E (2005) Biology, ecology and invasion characteristics of Campylopus introflexus in the Czech Republic. In: XV11 International Botanical Congress. 508
Porley R & Hodgetts N (2005) Mosses and Liverworts. Harper Collins ltd., London, UK
Smith AJE, (2005) The moss flora of Britain and Ireland. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK
Campylopus introflexus
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