Biological Conservation 1992, 59, 171-173

Analysis of the fauna of protected moss species

J. Varga Eszterhdzy Kdroly Teachers" Training College, Eger, Eszterhdzy tdr 1, H-3301, Hungary

The Seslerietum heuflerianae community is situated near a busy road in the BOkk Mountains of Hungary and contains two protected subalpine moss species, Plagio- bryum zierii and Saelania glaucescens. The bryofauna present in colonies of these two species was analysed. The local air pollution is affected by the road traffic near the collecting site. The moss cushions in this area have higher lead concentrations and a poorer bryofauna than those from an unpolluted control site. High concentrations of lead were recorded in invertebrates extracted from moss at the first site.

INTRODUCTION

An intensive study of the zoocommunities in the bryophytes of Szarvask6 (Btikk Mountains, Hun- gary) was begun by the Zoology Department of the Teachers' Training College of Eger in 1985. Szarvask6 (approximately 10 km from Eger) and its surroundings belong to the protected area of the BOkk National Park. The aim of the investi- gation was primarily to study the Collembola communities of the bryophyte species. In the Sesleri- etum heuflerianae association of the study site, on diabase fundamental rock, we have found two rare bryophyte species, Plagiobryum zierii and Saelania glaucescens; this is the only place where these can be found in the Biikk Mountains, and their pres- ence is sporadic throughout Hungary. This paper analyses the composition of zoocommunities in colonies of the two species.

The study site

Sampling was undertaken in an epirogenic valley of the Btikk Mountains, rich in protected plant and animal species. The collecting site is in the im- mediate vicinity of a road which carries heavy traffic associated with tourism, and with one of the largest cement-works in Hungary.

Biological Conservation 0006-3207/92/$05.00 © 1992 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, England. Printed in Great Britain

171

METHODS

Monthly collections of bryophyte cushions (sized 5 × 5 cm) of the investigated species were made at a distance of 5 m from the road, in May, August and October 1989. The zoocommunities of the bryophyte species were examined by means of the funnel system, which is widely used in faunal investigations. It was assumed that air pollution from the heavy traffic influenced the bryophyte species and their zoocommunities; therefore, at the same time, Saelania glaucescens cushions of the same size were collected from a site at Sask6 in the M~itra Mountains not polluted by traffic. After extraction of the fauna, chemical analysis of the bryophyte cushions was performed. The quantity of heavy metals was examined primarily because these metals may have deleterious effects on the animal species living in the bryophyte cushions. The chemical composition of the bryophyte speci- mens was analysed at the Soil and Agrochemical Institute of Hajdu Bihar county. Measurements of element content were made with a UV-25 labtest ICP spectrophotometer (Simadzu Mbh, Kyoto, Japan). Samples were prepared with HNO 3 and H20 2. In our further investigations we examined the zoocommunities of moss cushions. The Collembola species which occur in the Szarvask6 sample and in the Sask6 control were studied by means of the optical emission method with a PGS-2 spectrograph (Karl Zeiss, Jena, Germany).

172 J. Varga

RESULTS

The composition of the zoocommunities of Plagio- bryum zierii and Saelania glaucescens is shown in Table 1. Seventy-four individuals of 15 animal species were found in P. zierii from Szarvask6 and 82 individuals of 16 species in S. glaucescens. In contrast, the S. glaucescens from the control site

at Sask6 contained 28 animal species and a total of 155 individuals. Fifteen species were common to both sample sites. Fischer's test was employed in order to establish the differences between the P. zierii and S. glaucescens bryofauna from Szar- vask6 and S. glaucescens from Sask6. The results show that there is no significant difference be- tween the bryofauna of P. zierii and S. glaucescens

Table 1. Number of animals found in the moss samples

Animal species Plagiobryum zierii Saelania glaucescens Saelania glaucescens (Szarvask6) (Szarvask6) (Sask6)

Gastropoda Punctum pygmaeum Drap. Abida frumentum Drap.

Crustacea Porcellium colliculum Verh.

Diplopoda Chromatoiulus unilineatus L. Polydesmus complanatus L. Polyxenus lagurus L.

Chilopoda Lithobius mutabilis C. Koch. Schendyla nemorensis C. Koch. Dignathodon microcephalum Luc. Monotarsobius aeruginosus C. Koch.

Protura Acerentomon campestre Jon. Eosentomon transitorium Bed.

Collembola Xenylla maritima Tullb. Friesea stachi Ksen. Neanura muscorum Temp. Neanura stachi Temp. Onychiurus campatus Gis. Onychiurus granulosus Stach. Folsomia multiseta Stach. Entomobrya multifasciata Tullb. Entomobrya nivalis L. Orchesella cincta L. Tomacerus longicornis M011. Sminthurinus aureus Lubb. Sminthurus maculatus T6m.

Heteroptera Acalypta gracilis Fieb. Acalypta musci Schrank.

Mecoptera Boreus hyemalis L.

Coleoptera Medon brunneus Erison. Pselaphus heisei Herbst.

Hymenoptera Myrmica ruginodis Nyl.

Arachnoidea Neobisium muscorum Stach. Chthonius ischnocheles Herin. Pardosa lugubris Walck. Oxyptila blackwalli Sim. Erigone atra Blackw. Dicranolasma scabrum Herbst. Euophrys obsoleta Sim.

Total

7 3

1 1 1

19 18 62 6

10 14 9 7 5

13 17 4 10 14 3

2 4 3 5 4 4 3 2 2 3

3 4 3

10 3

1 1

1

74 82

1

2

1 1

155

Fauna of protected moss species 173

pglg 1000

lO0

10

122.2 148.1

Zn Cu Cd Co Or

Fig. 1. The heavy metal concentration (p,g/g) in Plagiobryum zierii

Plagiobryum zierii (Szarvask6)

Saelanb glaucescens (Szarvask~) ~#ania glaucescens (SaskS)

8.0 6.5 6.7 5.5

Ni

80.3 92.9

Pb

and Saelania glaucescens.

collected in Szarvaskr, but there are significant differences when the two samples from Szarvask6 are compared with that from Saskr. The results of the Fischer test are as follows: Szarvask6 P. zierii and Sask6 S. glaucescens, F = 5.733, p -- 0.001; Szarvask6 S. glaucescens and Sask6 S. glaucescens, F = 5.195, p = 0.001. As shown by Fig. 1, the con- centration of lead (Pb) was substantially higher in the S. glaucescens from Szarvask6 than from the control site at Saskr. Zinc concentrations showed the opposite response. The concentrations of other heavy metals--copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni)--showed rela- tively little difference between sites.

The quantity of lead was higher in the moss species and in the body of the Collembola col- lected in Szarvaskr. Figure 2 shows a comparative histogram of the relative concentration of lead. The air pollution caused by traffic leads to a five-fold increase in the lead concentration in Collembola species which live in moss cushions.

6 1 1 Szarvask5 s.07

~2

0 Saelania Collembola

glaucescens Fig. 2. The relative lead concentration (/zg/g) in Saelania glaucescens and Collembola species from Szarvask6 and Saskr.

DISCUSSION

Invertebrates living in bryophyte cushions, which with their associated bacteria and fungi provide

nutrients for many animal species, remain there for shorter or longer periods, some species spend- ing their whole life cycle in the cushions (Gerson, 1982). Heavy metals are absorbed and retained in the bryophyte tissues, some, for example copper, nickel and lead, having a toxic effect on animals living in and feeding on the bryophytes (R0hling & Tyler, 1971, 1973). In this way the toxic heavy metals accumulated in the bryophytes can contin- uously enter the food chain, and environmental pollution thus indirectly has a deleterious effect on the zoocommunities of bryophyte cushions (Grod- zinka, 1978). For example, lead can also be found in Collembola which feed on moss protonema.

The zoocommunity of the control sample site (Saskr) was richer both in species and in number of individuals, and because the air pollution at Sask6 is lower than at Szarvaskr, we concluded that the differences in the zoocommunities may have been influenced by this fact. Bryophytes are good indicators of the accumulated air pollution of their environments. The heavy metals are likely to have been deposited on the mosses from atmo- spheric dust and from rain water, and the high concentration of lead in the moss from Szarvask6 may be caused by the heavy traffic on the road close to the sample site.

REFERENCES

Gerson, U. (1982). Bryophytes and invertebrates. In Bryo- phyte Ecology, ed. A. J. E. Smith. Chapman and Hall, London, New York, pp. 291-332.

Grodzinska, K. (1978). Mosses as bioindicators of heavy metal pollution in Polish national parks. Water, Air, Soil Pollut., 9, 83-97.

Rtihling, A. & Tyler, G. (1971). Regional differences in the deposition of heavy metals over Scandinavia. J. appl. Ecol., 8, 497-507.

RQhling, A. & Tyler, G. (1973). Heavy metal deposition in Scandinavia. Water, Air, Soil Pollut., 2, 445-55.