Bryophyte Physiological Processes in a Changing Climate: an Overview

Climate change as a result of global warming is predicted to be most pronounced at high latitudes. It is known from experimental studies that Sphagnum species respond to enhanced UV radiation by decreasing their growth (Huttunen et al. 2005). Some polar bryophytes reproduce sexually and form sporulating sporophytes, e.g., Polytrichum hyperboreum on the Svalbard tundra. Antarctic mosses tend to reproduce sexually more often at higher Antarctic latitudes (Lewis-Smith & Convey 2002). Simultaneously, increased emissions of nitrogenous air pollutants cause increased nitrogen deposition over the northern hemisphere (Bouwman et al. 2002).