THE OLDEST PLANTS ON EARTH: WHAT CAN BRYOPHYTES TELL US ABOUT FLUVIAL CONDITIONS?

Bryophytes colonized fluvial ecosystems through several independent lineages of terrestrial species, by a secondary process of colonization and morphological and physiological adaptations. Nowadays, we can find bryophytes from three Divisions thriving in the microhabitats of rivers worldwide, as photosynthetic and poikilohydric organisms, growing as colonial haploid gametophytes, seldom fertile. As primocolonizers, they show extremely specialized niche relationships and their assemblages reflect the ecological context and fluvial integrity through their dependence on flowing water, streambed stability and the geomorphological processes at the segment level and the position of the segment in the longitudinal fluvial axis.
In this seminar, several works using the response of their species, communities, life forms and life strategies along fine-scale fluvial gradients will be presented and the usefulness of bryophyte distribution models will be related with bioindication and monitoring purposes.

Cristiana Vieira has been doing research at the University of Porto, in CIBIO since 2000. Her main interest of research are bryophytes (mosses, liverworts and hornworts), namely their ecology and chorology. She works with information for the Iberian and European Red Lists, and simultaneously, studies the impact of changes in geomorphology, water quality and hydrology of rivers on bryophytic communities to obtain the specialized knowledge for the elaboration of coherent management and requalification plans.