Comparison of gemma production among three Lophozia species during the growing season

The extent and seasonal pattern of asexual reproduction and ability to germinate in the rare liverwort Lophozia ascendens and the common liverworts L. ventricosa and L. longiflora were studied in the Boubínský prales National Nature Reserve in Šumava Mts. (Bohemian Forest), South Bohemia, Czech Republic. Asexual reproduction was quantified as the number of gemmae produced per individual shoot. Numbers of gemmae per shoot among sampling months differed significantly; increase of gemma production was delayed in L. ascendens in comparison with gemma production of L. ventricosa and L. longiflora. We suggest that gemma production is influenced by environmental factors, mainly air humidity. Germinability of gemmae was low in early spring, highest in August and September and slightly depressed in October. This pattern suggests that rather mild winters in the Czech Republic cause the lower mortality of shoots during winter and the environmental pressure towards the production of dormant gemmae is not a prominent factor affecting the population dynamics of the species under study.