Schreber's Big Red Stem Moss

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Plant / associate
fruitbody of Entoloma argenteostriatum is associated with live Pleurozium schreberi

More info for the terms: cover, forest, prescribed fire

Twenty-four years after a fire in a northern Swedish forest, Schreber's big red stem moss was still very rare in the severely burned areas [32].  The percent cover values of Schreber's big red stem moss in a jack pine (Pinus banksiana)-black spruce forest in northeastern Minnesota at different intervals after fire were as follows [1]: Years after fire 1-4 5 10 15 20 30 50 80 Cover (%) 0 1 2 3 3 3 9 5 For information on prescribed fire and postfire response of many plant species, including common liverwort, see Hamilton's Research Papers (Hamilton 2006a, Hamilton 2006b) and this Research Project Summary:

• Forest floor and plant responses to experimental fires in an Alaskan black spruce/feather moss community

Schreber's big red stem moss
feather moss
red-stemmed feather moss
Schreber's moss

Schreber's big red stem moss is a perennial, relatively large, robust moss with a weave growth form.  It is usually prostrate or partly erect, freely branched, and grows in mats rather than tufts [24].  The stems are 2.4 to 4.5 inches (6-15 cm) long, and the leaves loosely imbricate [16].

More info for the term: association

Schreber's big red stem moss is a widespread and common moss ranging from Greenland to Alaska south (principally in uplands) to North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, South Dakota, Colorado and west to Washington, California and Oregon.  It also is found in South America, Europe, and Asia [16,35]. It occurs in the Cordilleran Ranges and southward to Costa Rica, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, and Patagonia [35].  Schreber's big red stem moss is new to Mexico, where it has been found on the Cofre de Perote Volcano [18]. Distribution of Schreber's big red stem moss. Map from Flora of North America: Map courtesy of the Flora of North America Association [38] [210, March 23].

More info for the term: fire regime

Schreber's big red stem 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 [34].  When they do burn, the moss/lichen layer provide the major source of fuels.  These fuels take only minutes to reach equilibrium moisture content when the relative humidity changes; therefore, they are very flammable [36]. 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".

More info for the terms: bog, fern, mesic, peat

Schreber's big red stem moss often occurs in closed to semi-open coniferous forests predominantly in boreal and cool temperate climates.  It also occurs in damp woods, swamps, or margins of bogs.  Although Schreber's big red stem moss is most abundant in old, closed, mesic stands, it is also found in dry, nutrient-poor, open, black spruce-lichen stands in suitable areas at the base of birch (Betula spp.) and black spruce [19,21,35].  In Alabama, Schreber's big red stem moss is found growing abundantly on a large soil island over granite beneath Georgia oak (Quercus georgiana) [35]. Soils:  Schreber's big red stem moss occurs on humus and exposed mineral soil and coarse fragments or rocks [21].  It is often abundant on nitrogen-poor, acidic soils throughout much of its range and is sometimes used as an indicator of acidic soils [24,35].  The pH at one Schreber moss site is 5.7 [35].  Soil textures range from course to fine sand, loam, or clay-loam [17].  It normally does not grow on calcareous soils [2]. Plant associates:  Schreber's big red stem moss is often associated with the following species:  mountain fern moss (Hylocomium splendens), salal (Gaultheria shallon), big huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum), pachistima (Pachistima myrsinites), queencup beadlily (Clintonia uniflora), ptilium (Ptilium crista-castrensis), Labrador-tea, mountain cranberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea minus), bog blueberry, black crowberry (Empetrum nigra), and peat mosses (Sphagnum spp.) [12,21].

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

     1  Jack pine
     5  Balsam fir
    12  Black spruce
    13  Black spruce - tamarack
    18  Paper 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
   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

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

   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

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the terms: bog, forest

   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
   K095  Great Lakes pine forest
   K096  Northeastern spruce - fir forest
   K097  Southeastern spruce - fir forest
   K107  Northern hardwoods - fir forest
   K108  Northern hardwoods - spruce forest

Schreber's big red stem moss is generally killed by fire because it often lacks connection with the substrate [31,32].  Some moss species can survive on burned sites as fragments in the soil [1].

More info for the terms: bog, codominant, cover, forest, succession, taiga

Schreber's big red stem moss typically occurs as a dominant or codominant ground
cover in stands dominated by white spruce (Picea glauca) or black
spruce (P. mariana).  The black spruce-Schreber's big red stem moss forest community
described by Foster [13] is the most widespread vegetation type in
southern Labrador and occupies a wide range of sites from poorly drained
outwash plains to convex slopes and hill crests.  In the black spruce/
bog blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum)-bog Labrador tea (Ledum
groenlandicum)/Schreber's big red stem moss community type described by Foote [12],
Schreber's big red stem moss commonly covers about half of the forest floor.
Published classification schemes identifying Schreber's big red stem moss as a
ground cover dominant or codominant are as follows:

Some forest types of central Newfoundland and their relation to
  environmental factors [7].
Forest community types of west-central Alberta in relation to selected
  environmental factors [6].
Classification, description, and dynamics of plant communities after
  fire in the taiga of interior Alaska [12].
A review of forest site classification activities in Newfoundland and
  Labrador [25].
Preliminary classification of forest vegetation of the Kenai Peninsula,
  Alaska [28].
Vegetation types and environmental factors associated with foothills gas
  pipeline route, Yukon Territory [30].
Flood-plain succession and vegetation classification in interior Alaska [33].

More info for the term: bryophyte

Bryophyte

More info for the term: association

Schreber's big red stem moss is known to efficiently intercept nutrients contained in
precipitation and throughfall.  It therefore can prevent rapid leaching
of nutrients to lower horizons of the soil.  In view of its storage
capacity, the moss carpet can act as a reservoir in which a large
proportion of the potentially available nutrients found in the ecosystem
is sequestered.  However, it has also been recognized that mechanisms
may exist for the transfer of nutrients from the moss carpet to the
trees.  Mycorrhizal roots of some trees grow in close association with
mosses such as Schreber's big red stem moss.  Phosphate (32P) and carbon (14C)
applied to Schreber's big red stem moss shoots were absorbed by mycorrhizal mycelia
and transferred to infected lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) roots and
then to their shoots [4].

In 100-year-old stands of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), artificial acid
rain with a pH of 2.5 to 3.0 caused severe damage to Schreber's big red stem moss
[27].

     AL  AK  AZ  AR  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  TN
     UT  VT  VA  WA  WV  WI  WY  AB  BC  MB
     NB  NF  NT  NS  ON  PE  PQ  SK  YT  MEXICO

More info for the term: fruit

In the past, Schreber's big red stem moss was collected and used to block chinks in the walls of homes in Scandinavia.  It is still used for chinking log homes in Russia.  It was also used for lining fruit and vegetable storage boxes [29]. Schreber's big red stem moss is used as an indicator of heavy metal deposition [11,29].  It is often used in locating pollution sources and determining levels of pollution of heavy metals in the environment.  It 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 [29].

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More info for the term: capsule

The beginning of blooming in mosses occurs when one or two archegonia open.  In North America, Schreber's big red stem moss blooms in August and September [24].  The gametangial develop in spring of the following year.  In Germany, fertilization generally occurs in May, while in Sweden it is delayed until July.  The spores are shed throughout the year following fertilization.  The dates given for capsule dehiscence in three countries are as follows [24]:         Sweden: May         Holland: February to May         Germany: February to March or March to April Capsules may persist on stems for at least twelve months after dehiscing [24].

More info for the term: cover

Schreber's big red stem moss recovery after fire is very slow [32,34].  It is not until favorable edaphic conditions and a closed or nearly closed canopy is established that Schreber's big red stem moss can spread and form a continuous moss cover.  It therefore often takes several decades before Schreber's big red stem moss will recover to prefire densities [32].

More info for the terms: dioecious, phase, severity

Sexual reproduction:  Schreber's big red stem moss is a dioecious, pleurocarpous (producing the sporophytes laterally from short, lateral, specialized branches rather that at the stem tip) moss.  The spores are shed 9 to 12 months after fertilization [24].  The period of gametangial (structure containing the gametes) development in Schreber's big red stem moss is approximately 7 months for archegonia (female gametophyte) and 9 months for antheridia (male gametophtye).  The timing of gametangial development in spring may be influenced by the duration or severity of the winter [24].

Schreber's big red stem moss capsules (A) and spores (B). Wikimedia images By HermannSchachner.

Figure courtesy of Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. Vegetative reproduction:  Schreber's big red stem moss reproduces vegetatively by branching laterally.  The main stems of this moss are perennial and appear to be capable of indefinite growth.  There is a growth resting phase in the winter [24].

More info on this topic.

This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

    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

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More info for the terms: climax, cover, forest, lichens, succession

Obligate Climax Species Schreber's big red stem moss is very shade tolerant and typically occurs in stable late stages of succession.  After the canopy closes, Schreber's big red stem moss will generally form a continuous carpet on the forest floor [5].  Given a shady, humid, high-nutrient environment as is found on the cool, basal slopes of black spruce-white spruce-feather moss stands, Schreber's big red stem moss is a very effective competitor against other species.  It can quickly spread over and eliminate other ground cover such as lichens [19].

Calliergonella schreberi (Brid.) Grout

The scientific name for Schreber's big red stem moss is Pleurozium
schreberi (Brid.) Mitt., J. Linn. [16,24,

Pleurozium schreberi, the red-stemmed feathermoss or Schreber's big red stem moss, is a moss with a loose growth pattern. The root name pleuro comes from the Latin for ribs, possibly describing how the parts branch from the stem.

The species occurs on the floor of the boreal forests of Canada, Scandinavia and northern Russia; an example of this occurrence is within the black spruce/feathermoss climax forest, sometimes having moderately dense overstory canopy and featuring a forest floor of feathermosses including, Hylocomium splendens and Ptilium crista-castrensis.

In a study of the effect of the herbicide Asulam on moss growth, Pleurozium schreberi was shown to have intermediate sensitivity to Asulam exposure.