Nugget moss (Microbryum vlassovii) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 6
Biology
General
Microbryum vlassovii is a small, erect-growing moss that grows as individuals or small, scattered patches on compact, silt- and clay-rich soil.
Reproduction and dispersal
Although production of sporophytes of Microbryum vlassovii is common in Canadian populations, only immature capsules have been observed. Incomplete development of the sporophytes may be a response to arid conditions combined with the compact substratum of the habitat of this species. It is likely that this species needs a relatively prolonged, wet spring period to enable the spores to mature. Spores, if produced, are probably of importance in the short-range dispersal of this species. They may take advantage of open soil characteristic of lacustrine bank habitats, although this is unknown. Although Microbryum vlassovii may be considered a member of the “pygmy mosses” whose life history is characterized by a short life cycle and “fleeting use of ephemeral habitats” (Crum & Anderson 1981), it is probably a perennial species based on examination of specimens and the presence of tuber-like structures on the rhizoids.
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