Double tracked dispersal strategy in SplachnaceaeDoppelte Ausbreitungsstrategie bei Splachnaceae

Abstract

Some species of Splachnaceae smell like berries when the spores are already ripe but the capsules still closed. It is supposed that this is a way to attract animals to eat the capsules, so that the spores reach suitable substrates directly with the faeces. This first strategy is little known, as the smell can be observed for a short time only. The second strategy, attraction of dung flies by dung smell of the open capsules, which transport the spores from one dunghill to another, is well-known.