Responses of Sphagnum species to atmospheric nitrogen and sulphur deposition

The responses of Sphagnum species to atmospheric pollution by sulphur and nitrogen oxides are reviewed. An explanation of the tolerance of sulphur dioxide in Sphagnum cuspidatum is provided. This involves an exclusion mechanism by the oxidation of bisulphite ions to less toxic sulphate ions catalysed by the presence of iron and possibly other metals on the cell wall cation-exchange sites. Tolerance is influenced by changing the iron content of the plants. A similar mechanism may account for sulphur dioxide tolerance in Sphagnum recurvum. Evidence for a close coupling of nitrate assimilation with the atmospheric nitrogen supply in ombrotrophic Sphagnum species in unpolluted regions is reviewed, and this coupling is shown to be lost in polluted environments with high atmospheric nitrogen supply. The potential effects of a supra-optimal atmospheric nitrogen supply to Sphagnum species on the ecology of mires is discussed. The effects of nitrogen and sulphur pollutants on Sphagnum species are used to make broad generalizations as to how other bryophyte species might respond to these pollutants and to explain known effects of atmospheric pollution on bryophyte communities.