@article{Sołtys-Lelek_Caputa_2021, title={The influence of solar radiation on selected physiological processes of mosses in karst conditions of the spring niches of the Ojców National Park (Southern Poland)}, volume={6}, url={https://aupcstudianaturae.up.krakow.pl/article/view/8298}, DOI={10.24917/25438832.6.8}, abstractNote={<p>The availability of light is one of the most important environmental factors influencing the floristic diversity of spring niches, especially in the specific conditions of deep, karst valleys occurring in the Ojców National Park (southern Poland). The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of solar radiation reaching the karst spring niches, on selected physiological parameters of the spring mosses: <em>Cratoneuron filicinum</em> (Hedw.) Spruce (obligatory krenophyte) and <em>Brachythecium rivulare</em> Schimp. (facultative krenophyte). The five karst spring niches (4 in the Prądnik Valley, 1 in the Sąspowska Valley) were selected for the plant material collection, in which two of the moss species tested occurred simultaneously. On sunny days, measurements of total and reflected radiation as well as the radiation balance in the full spectrum range over the vegetation were made. The temperature was measured for air, water, and on the surface and inside the plants. The collected biological material was subjected to laboratory analysis. Fresh mass of moss gametophytes was significantly the highest from plants growing on stand 5 (intermediate values of light and temperature parameters), and the lowest from mosses on stands 1 and 2 (including lowest air temperatures). Dry mass varied depending on the species and stand. The percentage of water in <em>B. rivulare</em> was highest in plants from  stand 4 (highest air and water temperature), and in <em>C. filicinum</em> from stand 5. Significantly the lowest values of this parameter were found for plants growing in stand 2 (lowest temperature of water). The electrolytes leakage from moss cells was specific and depended on the species. The greatest destabilisation of cell membranes was demonstrated in plants harvested from stands 1 and 2, where it was the coldest. The fluorescence of chlorophyll <em>a</em> varied depending on the moss species and the habitat of spring niches. This paper, presenting of preliminary results, is a kind of introduction to wider research in this topic.</p>}, journal={Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis Studia Naturae}, author={Sołtys-Lelek, Anna and Caputa, Zbigniew}, year={2021}, month={Nov.}, pages={127–145} }