A Comparative Study of Growth and Production of Aquatic
Mosses in Acidified Lakes of Southern Karelia

B. P. Il’yashuk

Institute of Problems of Industrial Ecology of the North, Karelian Scientific Center, Russian Academy of Sciences,
ul. Fersmana 14, Apatity, Murmanskaya oblast, 184200 Russia

Received November 4, 1998

Abstract—During the growing season of 1996, three small acidified lakes (pH of water 5.3–5.9) of Southern
Karelia were studied in respect to species composition, phytomass, and morphometric characteristics of aquatic
mosses in their dense vegetation zone. By the method of seasonal reconstructions, the annual mean increments
of three species of mosses were obtained, and, also on the basis of these data, the absolute net production in the
zone of vegetation was found. In two lakes, the annual means of absolute net production of aquatic mosses were
32–41 g/m², while in the third lake, they were markedly higher, at 155 g air-dry mass m² year¹. The obtained
results and characteristics of aquatic mosses are compared with those for other acidified lakes of Europe.

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