Not yet extinct! The surprising story of two rare northern moss species

Calliergon megalophyllum and Drepanocladus sordidus (Amblystegiaceae, Bryophyta), which had been considered extinct in the Czech Republic, were found in the Třeboň Basin, South Bohemia, a refuge for many glacial relics both of vascular plants and bryophytes. Both species were collected in that area (Ptačí blato fishpond) by Łukasz Krajewski (Institute of Technology and Life Sciences, Falenty), together with Vítězslav Plášek (University of Ostrava), and Lubomír Adamec (Czech Academy of Sciences). Their discovery was confirmed by an outstanding bryologist Professor Ryszard Ochyra from our Institute and was also supported by DNA sequence analyses, which were carried out by Marta Saługa, also from our Institute. To sum up, this is the first recorded sighting of these species since 1896 and 2005, respectively.

In an article describing this discovery, in addition to the morphological and molecular investigation, environmental changes that took place in water bodies from that region were characterized. Thanks to this, the reasons for the present ranges of these rare moss species were identified. According to the authors, the two species should be classified as critically endangered in the Czech Republic.

Krajewski Ł., Adamec L., Saługa M., Bednarek-Ochyra H., Plášek V. 2020. Welcome to the Czech Republic again! Rare northern mosses Calliergon megalophyllum and Drepanocladus sordidus (Amblystegiaceae) in South Bohemia in light of their European distribution and habitat preferences. PhytoKeys 154: 111–136. DOI

Drepanocladus sordidus.
Photo: Łukasz Krajewski.

A shoot apex of Drepanocladus sordidus.
Photo: Łukasz Krajewski.

Calliergon megalophyllum.
Photo: Łukasz Krajewski.

Ptačí blato fishpond – a site of discovery.
Photo: Łukasz Krajewski.