Mosses and lichens thriving on our managed grouse moors!

Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group

On a short stroll the other day one of our supporters took these frosty morning pictures on a moor in the Dales. Multiple species of mosses carpeting the moor interspersed with cowberry and bilberry, soft rushes, heather, fungi and ferns. There are around thirty species of sphagnums on our moorlands plus other mosses that make up this diverse collection of moisture retaining flora.

Mosses are unlike vascular plants. They lack the features (xylem and phloem tubes) to pump water and food around their structure. Instead they are reliant on the atmosphere around them to function. Mosses can shut down in drought conditions then spring back to fully functioning life when rain falls or damp weather returns.

Mosses (and related liverworts) spread by spores. They do not produce seeds or root systems like plants. Mosses are a critical component of the moorland ecosystem as they not only help hold water in the uplands but they also provide habitat for invertebrates, nematodes and other species at the bottom end of the food chain. Mosses also build peat and lock in carbon by preventing vegetation from fully decomposing. This process is slow but very important. Healthy moors have mixed habitats with good areas of sphagnum and other mosses.

These pictures show just how diverse and vibrant our managed moors should be. Lichens are fascinating organisms. They are neither plant, moss, liverwort or fungi. They are a complex composite usually of algae and fungus but sometimes bacteria too. These elements all coexist in a sort of mutual marriage of convenience. They are very good indicators of air quality and they can tell us a lot about the atmosphere.

These photos show an abundance of lichens flourishing on a grouse moor. Experts can age certain lichens by size and definition and we know that some of these lichens are hundreds of years old. Rotational cool burning of heather has had no impact on these sensitive organisms thus demonstrating that prescribed fires as carried out by moor keepers do not pollute the air.

The moor managers and keepers are proud of the biodiversity that exists on our moors. These photographs help showcase just how bountiful our managed moors really are and that the management is delivering a rich mosaic of diversity for multiple species.