In agreement with our hypothesis, increase in biomass and CO 2 exchange rate of Sphagnum mosses decreased along the successional gradient, following the tactics of more intensely studied vascular plants. We quantified the rates of increase in biomass and length of different Sphagnum species in relation to their CO 2 assimilation rates, their photosynthetic light reaction efficiencies, and their physiological states, as measured by the chlorophyll fluorescence method.
To address this hypothesis, we studied links between the growth and related ecophysiological processes of Sphagnum mosses from a time-since-initiation chronosequence of five wetlands. We hypothesized that moss species follow the known vascular plant growth strategy along the successional gradient (i.e., decrease in production and maximal photosynthesis while succession proceeds). Their ecophysiology is known to be related to the water level, but very little is currently known about the successional trend in Sphagnum. Sphagnum mosses are widespread in areas where mires exist and constitute a globally important carbon sink.
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