BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Tortula ruralis | Twisted Moss 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Tortula ruralis is a short, erect moss that forms fairly large, loose to
dense tufts.  Stems are usually dichotomously branched and stand 0.4 to
1.6 inches (1-4 cm) high.  The conspicuous gametophyte is anchored to
the soil by rhizoids [10,18,24].  Tortula ruralis undergoes marked
morphological and color changes between wet and dry states.  When wet,
leaves are not twisted around the stem, and it is bright green.  When
dry, leaves twist around the stem, and it is red-brown in color
[10,33,40].  It is generally a xerophytic moss, and is highly drought and
dessication tolerant [13,21,33].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
NO-ENTRY


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Tortula ruralis is dioecious, and undergoes a distinct annual
reproductive cycle [8,33,40].  It also spreads vegetatively by forming
gemmae.  When gemmae detach and disperse to favorable sites, a new
gametophyte is formed [24].  Tortula ruralis spororphytes probably
also spread by fragmentation.


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Tortula ruralis is found in a wide range of sites including, but not
limited to, sandy lake shores, rock, nunataks, and hummocks
[5,18,19,20,24].  It grows on rocks and soils of many types, but they
are most often calcareous [10,40].  Moisture regimes where T. ruralis
occurs vary from arid and semiarid to mesic, and it is found from low to
high elevations [16,35,39].  On Ellesmere Island, Northwest Territories,
T. ruralis is found on high arctic uplands from sea level to 3,300 feet
(1,000 m) elevation [5].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Facultative Seral Species

In western Montana, T. ruralis is part of the moss mats that invade
interstices between rocks on talus slides.  They play an important part
in talus succession.  The moss mats eventually form a carpet over the
rocks, stabilizing the talus formation.  The talus then colonized by higher
plants [31].  In sagebrush-steppe types in western Colorado, Bonham [4]
classifies T. ruralis as a stress-tolerant ruderal.

Tortula ruralis tolerates full sun to full shade [16,35].  It is
abundant in climax grasslands [22,23,25,26].  It is also found in climax
grand fir (Abies grandis)/queencup beadlily (Clintonia uniflora)
habitats in the Swan Valley, Montana [30].  Members of the T. ruralis
complex form climax moss associations in central Idaho forests [39].

Tortula ruralis had the following relative abundance and cover
percentage during successive stages of recovery from grazing in
Canyonlands National Park, Utah (first samples were taken 5 years
after grazing pressure had been eliminated) [25]:

              Year Sampled      Relative Abundance           Cover
______________________________________________________________(%)________
Ungrazed         1967                 9130                   18.0
Grazed           1967                  660                    1.35
Grazed           1977                 6900                    4.0


In Camp Floyd State Park, Utah, T. ruralis constituted 0.3 and 6.1
percent of the cover in areas not grazed for 7 and 20 years,
respectively [22].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
In New Mexico, twisted moss branches appear in mid-winter, lengthen
slowly through the spring, and rapidly through the summer.
Fertilization takes place in early winter.  Female gametophytes occur
from December to June but male gametophytes are rarely observed [33].

Related categories for Species: Tortula ruralis | Twisted Moss