Microscopic Life in Sphagnum

The bogland habitat, which is often threatened by peat extraction, has very great natural history value. It is known to support interesting plants, dragonflies and birds. Less widely recognised, but no less important, is the unique community of microscopic plants and animals inhabiting the leaves and crevices of Sphagnum, the moss that dominates the bog vegetation. This community is well worth exploring. Under the microscope, a drop of water squeezed from bog moss will reveal a wonderful diversity of complex and distinctive organisms. Some are conspicuous and easy to name; others are poorly known and identifiable only to the major group. This book introduces the community, and gives keys for identification, which has hitherto required the use of a range of rather inaccessible literature and specialist expertise. Perhaps this book will help to encourage research that will reveal more about the range of species present, their natural history, and particularly the interspecific interactions that make the bog moss ecosystem so fascinating to ecologists.Ecological processes are usually studied in the familiar context of a wood or a meadow. Here they operate on a more convenient, compact and accessible scale. If moss samples are collected with care and restraint from unthreatened sites, an ecological study performed on a handful of Sphagnum need not harm the environment and will bring great benefits in terms of increased understanding and appreciation of a microcosm that deserves a wider audience.

Author: Majorie Hingley
Publisher: Richmond Publishing
Extra Details: Pictorial Card Covers 6 x 9 inches tall.64 Pages.Illustrated with Colour plates and B&W line drawings throughout.NEW BOOK.