Hylocomium splendens
Table of Contents
Introductory
SPECIES: Hylocomium splendens
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Tesky, Julie L. 1992. Hylocomium splendens. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/bryophyte/hylspl/all.html
[].
ABBREVIATION :
HYLSPL
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
NO-ENTRY
COMMON NAMES :
splendid feather moss
mountain-fern moss
stair-step moss
feather moss
step moss
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name for splendid feather moss is
Hylocomium splendens (Hedw.) B.S.G. There are no recognized subspecies,
varieties, or forms [9,14,16].
LIFE FORM :
Bryophyte
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Hylocomium splendens
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Splendid feather moss occurs from Greenland to Alaska, south to North
Carolina, and west to Oregon and California. It also occurs in the West
Indies, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand [9,14,16].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES10 White - red - jack pine
FRES11 Spruce - fir
FRES18 Maple - beech - birch
FRES19 Aspen - birch
FRES20 Douglas-fir
FRES22 Western white pine
FRES23 Fir - spruce
FRES24 Hemlock - Sitka spruce
FRES25 Larch
FRES26 Lodgepole pine
FRES44 Alpine
STATES :
AK AZ CA CO CT DE ID IL IN IA
KY ME MD MA MI MN MT NH NJ NY
NC ND OH OR PA RI SD UT VT VA
WA WV WI WY AB BC MB NB NF NT
NS ON PE PQ SK YT
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
1 Northern Pacific Border
2 Cascade Mountains
3 Southern Pacific Border
4 Sierra Mountains
5 Columbia Plateau
6 Upper Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K001 Spruce - cedar - hemlock forest
K002 Cedar - hemlock - Douglas-fir forest
K003 Silver fir - Douglas-fir forest
K004 Fir - hemlock forest
K005 Mixed conifer forest
K008 Lodgepole pine - subalpine forest
K013 Cedar - hemlock - pine forest
K014 Grand fir - Douglas-fir forest
K015 Western spruce - fir forest
K020 Spruce - fir - Douglas-fir forest
K021 Southwestern spruce - fir forest
K093 Great Lakes spruce - fir forest
K094 Conifer bog
K096 Northeastern spruce - fir forest
K097 Southeastern spruce - fir forest
K107 Northern hardwoods - fir forest
K108 Northern hardwoods - spruce forest
SAF COVER TYPES :
1 Jack pine
5 Balsam fir
12 Black spruce
13 Black spruce - tamarack
18 Paper birch
24 Hemlock - yellow birch
30 Red spruce - yellow birch
31 Red spruce - sugar maple - beech
32 Red spruce
33 Red spruce - balsam fir
34 Red spruce - Fraser fir
35 Paper birch - red spruce - balsam fir
37 Northern white-cedar
38 Tamarack
107 White spruce
201 White spruce
202 White spruce - paper birch
204 Black spruce
205 Mountain hemlock
206 Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir
218 Lodgepole pine
223 Sitka spruce
224 Western hemlock
225 Western hemlock - Sitka spruce
226 Coastal true fir - hemlock
251 White spruce - aspen
253 Black spruce - white spruce
254 Black spruce - paper birch
256 California mixed subalpine
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Splendid feather moss is often an indicator of stable, late stages of
succession stands dominated by white spruce (Picea glauca) or black
spruce (P. mariana) [17]. Publications listing
splendid feather moss as a
dominant ground cover are as follows:
Field guide to forest ecosystems of west-central Alberta [10].
Flood-plain succession and vegetation classification in interior Alaska [29].
Some forest types of central Newfoundland and their relation to
environmental factors [35].
A review of forest site classification acitivities in Newfoundland and
Labrador [36].
A preliminary classification system for vegetation of Alaska [31].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Hylocomium splendens
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Splendid feather moss is occasionally eaten by deer and caribou [15,22].
PALATABILITY :
NO-ENTRY
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
In the past splendid feather moss has been used for covering dirt floors
and lining fruit and vegetable storage boxes [25]. Splendid
feather moss
is still used for chinking log structures in Alaska. The wet moss is
pressed into cracks between logs using a wooden chisel. When the moss
is dry, it remains compressed and stays green for the life of the cabin.
In many ways it is preferable to modern material [21].
Splendid feather moss is used by florists to form banks of green in show windows [6].
Splendid feather moss is used in locating pollution sources and determining
levels of pollution of heavy metals in the environment [3]. Mountain
fern moss absorbs metals over its entire surface and is little
influenced by variations in substrate mineralization. Close to the
source, this moss accumulates high levels of metals [25].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
It has been shown that tree canopy removal will kill splendid feather moss,
but removal of only the shrub canopy has a less severe effect [7].
Splendid feather moss growth is better in undisturbed areas than in
disturbed areas. Moss growth is so closely balanced with its
microclimate that even the removal of a rather open shrub layer can have
a measurable effect on growth rates [7].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Hylocomium splendens
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Splendid feather moss is a perennial, relatively large, robust moss,
occurring in wide loose patches, and often forming mats [8,14]. Stems
are 3.9 to 5.9 inches (10-15 cm) in length. Splendid feather moss has
tiny, long, filamentous rhizoids that can transport soil water
remarkably long vertical distances to green surface tissues [23]. The
average life span of this moss is 8 years [5].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
NO-ENTRY
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Sexual reproduction: Splendid feather moss reproduces sexually by spores.
These spores are wind dispersed. The period for gametangicel (structure
containing the gametes) development for splendid feather moss is 11 months
[34].
Vegetative reproduction: Splendid feather moss reproduces vegetatively by
branching laterally. A new, readily identifiable segment is produced
each year arising from the stems of the previous year's growth in a
layered or steplike fashion [7,16]. In splendid feather moss, the bud
which will develop into the following year's growth layer is formed at
the same time that the lateral branches are initiated in the current
year's layer, but further development is somehow delayed. The buds do
not start to elongate until the previous segment has completed its
growth [7]. Cold treatment is not required for further development, as
buds show normal development in material brought into a growth chamber
later in the season and kept at temperatures above freezing.
Photoperiod also seems not to be a factor. A small proportion of buds
showed some elongation in late September and October, whereas
development in the field does not usually take place until the following
May or June [7].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Splendid feather moss is abundant and often dominant in coniferous forests
on water-shedding and water-receiving sites [18]. On such sites, this
moss often develops a mat layer that may be 7.9 to 11.8 inches (20-30
cm) thick [28]. Splendid feather moss also occurs on ledges, humus and
decaying wood in cool, moist ravines and mountain woods from sea level
to 10,000 feet (0-3,048 m) [14]. This moss is a common moss on dune
pastures in Scotland [25].
Splendid feather moss is restricted to areas sheltered by trees and shrubs
[7]. It requires shade, moderate water levels, and high nutrient
levels. It is not rooted in the substrate and is nearly independent of
the substrate's nutrient and water supply. Growth is controlled by
rainfall frequency and degree of protection from evaporation stress [7].
This moss quickly dries up when the canopy cover is not adequate to
prevent high evaporation [17]. Growth rates are highest in habitats
protected from evaporation stress, and survival is enhanced in shaded
habitats or in environments with high humidity and consistent cloud
cover [7].
Splendid feather moss is typically found associated with the following
understory species: salal (Gaultheria shallon), pachystima (Pachystima
myrsinites), Shreber's moss (Pleurozium schreberi), Rhytidiadelphus
boreus, big huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum), and red huckleberry
(V. parvifolium) [18].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Obligate Climax Species
Splendid feather moss typically occurs in stable late stages of succession.
It is very shade tolerant [7,18,27]. It will replace the
shade-intolerant lichens and often becomes the dominant ground cover in
late seral to climax stands of white spruce and black spruce [17,28,31].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
The beginning of blooming in mosses is considered to occur when one or
two archegonia (female gametophyte) open. In Hernoesand, Sweden,
splendid feather moss first bloomed in July. The gametangicel developed in
May or June of the following year. In Germany, splendid feather moss first
bloomed in May or June and the gametangicel developed in February or May
of the following year [2]. Growth of the previous year's layer is
usually resumed in early May to mid-June. In boreal forests, growth
rates were high in May, June, and August; growth slowed in October.
There appears to be little if any growth activity over the winter months
in high-altitude regions [7].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Hylocomium splendens
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Splendid feather moss is not well adapted to fire. It typically occurs in
wet stands of white or black spruce that have a fire regime of 200 to
400 years [31]. When they do burn, the moss/lichen layer provides the
major carrier fuels. These fuels take only minutes to reach equilibrium
moisture content when the relative humidity changes; therefore, they are
very flammable [23].
FIRE REGIMES:
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page
under "Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Hylocomium splendens
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Splendid feather moss is generally killed by fire, although small patches
may survive low-severity fire [31]. Some moss species on burned areas
can survive as fragments in the soil [1].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Splendid feather moss takes many years to recover following fire. Although
small patches may survive fire, it is not until a closed or nearly
closed canopy is established that splendid feather moss can spread and
become the dominant ground cover [31]. Ten to thirty years after fire,
splendid feather moss will replace the early successional mosses and
liverworts. In mesic, high-nutrient habitats, splendid feather moss
generally appears 30 to 50 years after fire and quickly becomes the most
abundant ground cover [17]. However, in Finland,
splendid feather moss
began appearing 10 years after fire. Recovery was slow and 50 years
after fire, this moss still had not reached prefire levels [1].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
For information on prescribed fire and postfire response of many plant
species, including splendid feather moss, see Hamilton's Research Papers
(Hamilton 2006a, Hamilton 2006b, Hamilton 2006c) and these Research Project
Summaries:
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
References for species: Hylocomium splendens
1. Ahlgren, C. E. 1974. Effects of fire on temperate forests: north central United States. In: Kozlowski, T. T.; Ahlgren, C. E., eds. Fire and ecosystems. New York: Academic Press: 195-223. [7198]
2. Arnell, H. W. 1905. Phaenological observations of mosses. Bryologist. 8: 41-44. [18664]
3. Barclay-Estrup, P.; Rinne, R. J. K. 1978. Lead and zinc accumulation in two feather mosses. Oikos. 30(1): 106-108. [18665]
4. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p. [434]
5. Binkley, Dan; Graham, Rob. 1981. Biomass, production, and nutrient cycling of mosses in an old-growth Douglas-fir forest. Ecology. 62(5): 1387-1389. [8177]
6. Bland, John H. 1971. Forests of Lilliput. The realm of mosses and lichens. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 210 p. [18663]
7. Busby, J. R.; Bliss, L. C.; Hamilton, C. D. 1978. Microclimate control of growth rates and habitats of the boreal forest mosses, Tomenthypnum nitens and Hylocomium splendens. Ecological Monographs. 48(2): 95-110. [18666]
8. Chapman, Clara J.; Sanborn, Ethel I. 1941. Moss flora of the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Oregon State Monographs. Studies in Botany No. 4. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University. 72 p. [18661]
9. Conard, Henry S. 1956. How to know the mosses and liverworts. Dubuque, IA: Wm.C. Brown Company Publishers. 226 p. [9927]
10. Corns, I. G. W.; Annas, R. M. 1986. Field guide to forest ecosystems of west-central Alberta. Edmonton, AB: Canadian Forestry Service, Northern Forestry Centre. 251 p. [8998]
11. Evans, Kevin E.; Kershaw, G. Peter. 1989. Prod. of agronomic & native plants under various fertil & seed applicat rates on a simulated transport corridor, Ft. Norman, Northwest Terr.. In: Walker, D. G.; Powter, C. B.; Pole, M. W., compilers. Reclamation, a global perspective: Proceedings of the conference; 1989 August 27-31; Calgary, AB. Edmonton, AB: Alberta Land Conservation and Reclamation Council: 279-287. [14352]
12. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
13. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others]. 1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
14. Grout, A. J. 1932. Moss flora of North America, north of Mexico. Vol. 3. Part 3. New York: The author. 277 p. [18657]
15. Hanley, Thomas A.; Robbins, Charles T.; Spalinger, Donald E. 1989. Forest habitats and the nutritional ecology of Sitka black-tailed deer: a research synthesis with implications for forest management. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-230. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 52 p. [7509]
16. Ireland, R. R. 1982. Moss flora of the Maritime Provinces. Publications in Botany No. 13. [Ottawa, ON]: National Museum of Natural Sciences. 738 p. [18662]
17. Johnson, E. A. 1981. Vegetation organization and dynamics of lichen woodland communities in the Northwest Territories, Canada. Ecology. 62(1): 200-215. [19244]
18. Klinka, K.; Krajina, V. J.; Ceska, A.; Scagel, A. M. 1989. Indicator plants of coastal British Columbia. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia Press. 288 p. [10703]
19. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York: American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
20. Lesquereux, Leo; James, Thomas P. 1884. Manual of the mosses of North America. Boston, MA: S.E. Cassino & Co. 447 p. [18656]
21. Lewis, M. 1981. Human uses of bryophytes. I. Use of mosses for chinking log structures in Alaska. Bryologist. 84(4): 571-572. [18659]
22. Miller, Donald R. 1976. Taiga winter range relationships and diet. Canadian Wildlife Service Rep. Series No. 36. Ottawa, ON: Environment Canada, Wildlife Service. 42 p. (Biology of the Kaminuriak population of barren-ground caribou; pt 3) [13007]
23. Norum, Rodney A. 1982. Predicting wildfire behavior in black spruce forests in Alaska. Res. Note PNW-401. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Fire, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 10 p. [10463]
24. Norum, Rodney A. 1983. Wind adjustment factors for predicting fire behavior in three fuel types in Alaska. Res. Pap. PNW-309. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 5 p. [14618]
25. Richardson, D. H. 1981. The biology of mosses. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications. 220 p. [18658]
26. Stanek, Walter. 1980. Vegetation types and environmental factors associated with Foothills Gas Pipeline route, Yukon Territory. BC-X-205. Victoria, BC: Environment Canada, Canadian Forestry Service, Pacific Forest Research Centre. 48 p. [16527]
27. Tamm, C. O. 1964. Growth of Hylocomium splendens in relation to tree canopy. Bryologist. 67: 423-426. [18660]
28. Viereck, Leslie A. 1970. Forest succession and soil development adjacent to the Chena River in interior Alaska. Arctic and Alpine Research. 2(1): 1-26. [12466]
29. Viereck, Leslie A. 1989. Flood-plain succession and vegetation classification in interior Alaska. In: Ferguson, Dennis E.; Morgan, Penelope; Johnson, Frederic D., compilers. Proceedings--land classifications based on vegetation: applications for resource management; 1987 November 17-19; Moscow, ID. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-257. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station: 197-203. [6959]
30. Viereck, L. A.; Dyrness, C. T. 1979. Ecological effects of the Wickersham Dome Fire near Fairbanks, Alaska. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-90. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 71 p. [6392]
31. Viereck, L. A.; Dyrness, C. T.; Batten, A. R.; Wenzlick, K. J. 1992. The Alaska vegetation classification. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-286. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 278 p. [2431]
32. Viereck, Leslie A.; Schandelmeier, Linda A. 1980. Effects of fire in Alaska and adjacent Canada--a literature review. BLM-Alaska Tech. Rep. 6. Anchorage, AK: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Mangement, Alaska State Office. 124 p. [7075]
33. Foote, M. Joan. 1983. Classification, description, and dynamics of plant communities after fire in the taiga of interior Alaska. Res. Pap. PNW-307. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. 108 p. [7080]
34. Longton, R. E.; Greene, S. W. 1969. The growth and reproductive cycle of Pleurozium scriberi (Brid.) Mitt. Annals of Botany. 33: 83-105. [28340]
35. Damman, A. W. H. 1964. Some forest types of central Newfoundland and their relation to environmental factors. Forest Science Monograph 8. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 62 p. [14281]
36. Meades, W. J.; Roberts, B. A. 1992. A review of forest site classification activities in Newfoundland and Labrador. Forestry Chronicle. 68(1): 25-33. [19262]
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