L. Lőkös szerk.: Studia Botanica Hungarica 27-28. 1996-97 (Budapest, 1978)

Nagy, János; Figeczky, Gábor: Decay of peat moss cushions on the Lake Bence-tó in the northern part of the Great Hungarian Plain

corded during each observation: two characteristic, possibly perpendicular length and direction of the chosen Sphagnum cushions, the ratio of Sphagnum species to each other. RESULTS Out of the 25 investigated cushions 9 died between 8 September, 1994 and 1 September, 1996, which was 36% of the investigated cushions (Fig. 2). The two Sphagnum species occurring here decayed at appr. the same ratio. Out of the 7 Sphagnum fimbriatum cushions 5, of the 4 S. squarrosum cushions 3, while of the 14 mixed cushions 1 died (Fig. 3). No tendency was recognized in the changes of the relative cover percentage of the two peat moss species, it is 1.6 in average (S. fimbriatum IS. squarrosum) (Fig. 4). After calculating the average size of the 9 cushions died in the year they were last alive, we can say that the critical cushion size on this lake was 31 cm x 29 cm. Smaller cushions than this had much less chance to survive as the size decreased, while larger ones had much more chance as the size increased on the lake Bence-tó. living cushions 1.09.1996 (64%) Fig. 2. The percentage of the died Sphagnum cushions