Colin Purrington@ReedLindwurm Per this article Splachnum ampullaceum has photosynthetic plastids ... but there's no mention of photosynthetic rate relative to other mosses. I'm assuming the moss gets nutrients from insects but carbohydrates from photosynthesis. From the paper it seems that the color is from an overproduction of yellow and red pigments (attractive to insects), and perhaps that masks the presence of chlorophylls. Amazing family. #moss #insects #dung #bryophyte #nature #splachnaceae #entomophily #botany https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4346412/
Structural changes in plastids of developing Splachnum ampullaceum sporophytes and relationship to odour production
Many mosses of the family Splachnaceae are entomophilous and rely on flies for spore dispersal. Splachnum ampullaceum produces a yellow- or pink-coloured hypophysis that releases volatile compounds, attracting flies to the mature moss. The biosynthetic ...