Microbial diversity associated with Sphagnum mosses

Bryophytes belong to the phylogenetically oldest land plants. The bryophyte genus Sphagnum is the dominant component of the mire and bog vegetation, which are of high importance for our world climate. Recently, it was shown that Sphagnum mosses are colonized in high abundances with special microbial communities, which fulfil important functions for the moss plantlets as well as for the whole bog ecosystem. However, data obtained resulted in a lot of new scientific questions; which are the objective of the current project. The major aim of this project was to illuminate the biodiversity and ecological characteristics of the Sphagnum-associated microbiome as a bio-resource.