SEASONAL CHANGES IN THE CONCENTRATION AND RATIOS OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC PIGMENTS IN THE THREE SPHAGNUM SPECIES

Abstract

Background. There is reason suppose that the concentration of photosynthetic pigments in sphagnum mosses, as in vascular plants, changes throughout the year and varies from species to species. Moreover, hollow sphagnum species have a higher growth and photosynthesis rate than ridge sphagnum species, which suggests the presence of differences in the pigment complex of species from different habitats. Purpose. Evaluation of quantitative changes in the pigment complex of the sphagnum mosses growing in different microclimatic conditions within oligotrophic bogs during the growing season at high latitudes. Materials and methods. The content of photosynthetic pigments in the three Sphagnum species growing in oligotrophic conditions was determined using the photometric method in an acetone extract once a month from May to October. The study was carried out for S. fuscum and S. lindbergii in 2021-2022, and for S. angustifolium only in 2022. Statistical data processing was carried out in Microsoft Excel 2010 and SPSS Statistics 11. Results. Seasonal and interannual variability in the content of chlorophylls, carotenoids, and their ratios was revealed for the studied sphagnum species. The pigment complex of S. lindbergii and S. angustifolium during the growing season is influenced by the bog water level and air temperature. Changes in the pigment complex of S. fuscum are associated with the amount of precipitation. Conclusion. Apparently, the seasonal and interannual dynamics of the pigment complex of sphagnum mosses is species-specific, but to further verify this statement it is necessary to study other species of sphagnum mosses from the same habitats, since the dynamics may be associated not so much with a peculiar species, but with the ecological conditions of the habitat.

Keywords

• chlorophyll
• carotenoids
• seasonal dynamics
• sphagnum