Sediment-moss interactions on a temperate glacier: Falljökull, Iceland

Full text of this article can be found at: http://www.igsoc.org/annals/ Copyright IGS. DOI: 10.3189/172756408784700734We present the results of preliminary investigations of globular moss growth on the surface of Falljökull, a temperate outlet glacier of the Vatnajökull ice cap, southern Iceland. Supraglacial debris has provided a basis for moss colonization, and several large (>500 m2) patches of moss growth (Racomitrium spp.) are observed on the surface of the glacier. Each area of moss-colonized supraglacial debris shows a downslope increase in sphericity and moss cushion size and a decrease in percentage surface coverage of moss-colonized and bare clasts. It is suggested that moss growth on supraglacial debris allows preferential downslope movement of clasts through an associated increase in both overall mass and sphericity. Thermal insulation by moss cushions protects the underlying ice surface from melt, and the resulting ice pedestals assist in downslope sliding and toppling of moss cushions. The morphology and life cycle of supraglacial globular mosses is therefore not only closely linked to the presence and distribution of supraglacial debris, but also appears to assist in limited down-glacier transport of this debris. This research highlights both the dynamic nature of the interaction of mosses with supraglacial sedimentary systems and the need for a detailed consideration of their role within the wider glacial ecosystem.Peer reviewe

Reliability of AMS 14C dates of moss temper preserved in Neolithic pottery from the Scheldt river valley (Belgium)

Direct dates of pottery obtained from food crusts or other organic residues on the vessel surfaces can be affected by a reservoir effect and/or an old wood effect and therefore be unreliable. Hence, there is a need for alternative ways to directly date pottery. Moss is used as temper by several cultural groups of the late 6th to early 4th millennium cal BC in northwestern Europe. After the pottery is fired, charred moss remains are often preserved in the clay, so that relatively short-lived plant material with a direct chronological link to the pottery and human occupation is available for radiocarbon (C-14) dating. In this study, charred moss temper is extracted for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) C-14 dating from pottery of the Swifterbant Culture and Spiere group in the Scheldt river valley (Belgium). The moss dates are then compared to reference dates of organic macro-remains from the same sites and food crust dates with or without a reservoir effect of the same pottery. Eleven out of 13 moss dates are in line with the expected pottery age. The paired dates of moss temper and food crusts from the same potsherds confirm a freshwater reservoir effect (FRE) for the latter. We conclude that moss temper has great potential as a sample material for direct pottery dating. However, more research on the extraction and pretreatment of moss temper as well as on the reliability of moss dates is necessary in the future

Alumni Profile

Feature about a Linfield alumnus or alumna. In this issue, Patricia Moss ’85: Moss Combines Banking, Service

New records of Thailand mosses collected from Chiang Mai Province

Seven new moss records are reported for Thailand moss flora, namely Anacamptodon latidens, Fissidens beckettii, Fissidens bryoides var. esquirolii, Fissidens bryoides var. schmidii, Fissidens flabellulus, Fissidens guangdongensis, and Weissia platystegia. Anacamptodon is a new generic record for Indochina. Anacamptodon latidens, Fissidens bryoides var. esquirolii, Fissidens bryoides var. schmidii, Fissidens flabellulus, and Fissidens guangdongensis are also new records for the Indochinese moss flora

Two new records of Syrrhopodon (Calymperaceae, Musci) in SE Asia

Syrrhopodon mammillosus Müll. Hal. is newly recorded for the Philippine moss flora, and Syrrhopodon katemensis (Zant.) L.T. Ellis is newly recorded for the moss flora of Borneo

Bronze Age moss fibre garments from Scotland – the jury’s out

In the light of recent discoveries of early to middle Bronze Age burials with mats and fibrous material in Scotland, for example at Langwell farm and Forteviot, it was deemed timely to re-evaluate earlier finds of this period, several of which were discovered and initially reported on nearly a century ago. As part of this research it was noted that three Bronze Age finds from the old literature were reported as clothing or shrouds made of hair moss (Polytrichum commune). Three of these are reassessed here, with a detailed re-examination of the “hair moss apron” from North Cairn Farm. Technological analysis of this find showed no evidence for the twining previously reported and SEM fibre analysis shows that it is unlikely to be hair moss or indeed Bronze Age. However, there is other evidence for hair moss artefacts from other British Bronze Age and Roman contexts. These suggest it is possible that hair moss fibre was used in Scotland in the Bronze Age, but that the North Cairn Farm fibrous object should no longer be considered among this evidence

A small collection of bryophytes from Ethiopia

6 liverwort taxa and 21 moss taxa were collected at or near Lalibela, Wolo Province, Ethiopia, on 1-2 March 1997, of which 12 moss taxa are new to the country

Extreme southern locations for moss sporophytes in Antarctica

Abundant immature sporophytes of the moss Pottia heimii are reported from the Lower Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys and from Cape Chocolate, Victoria Land. These finds extend the reported southern limit for the occurrence of abundant moss sporophytes to 77° 55′S

The mossflora of Xishuangbanna, Southern Yunnan, China

This is the first contribution on the moss flora of Xishuangbanna, southern Yunnan Province, one of the main tropical areas in China. This rich moss flora shows a similarity to that of Southeast Asia and the Himalayas

A comparison of the moss floras of Chile and New Zealand

Chile and New Zealand share a common stock of 181 species of mosses in 94 genera and 34 families. This number counts for 23.3% of the Chilean and 34.6% of the New Zealand moss flora. If only species with austral distribution are taken into account, the number is reduced to 113 species in common, which is 14.5% of the Chilean and 21.6% of the New Zealand moss flora. This correlation is interpreted in terms of long distance dispersal resp. the common phytogeographical background of both countries as parts of the palaoaustral floristic region and compared with disjunct moss floras of other continents as well as the presently available molecular data