RESUMO
Bryophytes have been used in many fields, such as landscaping and soil and water conservation. How-ever, few studies focused on moss regeneration and its influencing factors, which retards the application study. Three common desiccation-tolerant mosses (Barbula unguiculata, Didymodon vinealis, and Didymodon tectorum) in the Loess Plateau region were collected across four seasons. We measured vigor index of new shoots, representing vegetative regeneration capacity, and physiological indices, which included the contents of chlorophyll, soluble sugar, soluble protein and malondialdehyde (MDA), to determine seasonal differences in regeneration capacity and physiological characteristics of the three mosses, as well as their relationships. The results showed that, 1) vegetative regeneration of mosses showed significantly seasonal differences. The vigor index of the three mosses in summer were the lowest, averagely decreased by 56.1%, 48.4%, and 10.1% compared with that in autumn, winter, and spring, respectively. The vigor index of the three mosses in the same season showed interannual variation. 2) There were considerable differences in the regeneration capacity of mosses across species. D. tectorum and B. unguiculata had the highest and lowest vigor indices, respectively. In terms of regeneration capacity, B. unguiculata had the largest seasonal and interannual variations. 3) The physiological characteristics of mosses had seaonal variations. The mosses collected in the summer had the highest MDA content but the lowest contents of soluble sugar and soluble protein. 4) Seasonal variations in desiccation-tolerant moss regeneration were mostly due to soluble sugar. Our results showed seasonal variations of vegetative propagation capacity, and highlighted the role of soluble sugar as a critical factor influencing vegetative propagation of mosses. These findings could provide scientific support for moss protection and artificial cultivation.
