B. Papp szerk.: Studia Botanica Hungarica 34. 2003 (Budapest, 2003)
Szurdoki, Erzsébet: Peat mosses of North Hungary
cushion, covering 1-1.5 m 2 , is the only Hungarian population that has sporophyte. According to earlier data (BAKALÁR et al. 1975) it lived in Futyó-völgy on acidic soil, but since that time all Sphagna have disappeared from there (SZURDOKI and NAGY 2002) (Table 1). The population in the Zemplén Mts seems to be stable. In overall, S. compactum is very rare, but it will probably thrive in the following decades. CONCLUSIONS The Sphagnum dominated stands and Sphagnum occurrences of North Hungary were thoroughly investigated in the last century. The numerous published data and specimens in herbaria provide good basis for comparison of old and recent distribution of the species. Peat moss occurrences of 18 habitats in North Hungary, which are mostly mires and one is a mountain (Zemplén Mts) have been recently investigated. Of the 17 investigated peat moss species one is a new record (S. riparium) and one (S. teres) has disappeared, while the others are apparently still present in North Hungary. The distribution of all species has changed, some species have disappeared from certain mires (or from other habitats) and established in others. In North Hungary S. fimbriatum become most frequent in the past decade. This is similar to the trend seen in other parts of Hungary, too. The condition of mires and other habitats (fens, forests) has changed in the past decades, and these changes have considerably influenced the fine distribution of the peat mosses. The amount of peat moss species has decreased or increased locally and in extreme cases some species have disappeared. The most Sphagnum species appeared in new locations (while disappear from others), but these dynamics do not necessarily correspond with the general conditions of the mires. S. angustifolium, S. fallax, S. fimbriatum and S. palustre seem to have stable populations and it can be safely stated that they will thrive in the foreseeable future. The rest of the species (S. compactum, S. contortum, S. cuspidatum, S. quinquefarium, S. riparium and S. subsecundum) with only few recently existing populations are very sensitive and their long term survival is doubtful. Although all peat mosses and mires are protected by law in Hungary, their preservation requires more attention and active intervention of conservationists. * * * Acknowledgements - The author wishes to express her thanks to Péter Odor, Zoltán Tóth, Péter Szövényi, Gábor Pelles and Peter Erzberger who took part in the fieldwork. Many thanks are due to
