SUMMARY: Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) and heather (Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull) are important upland species which often grow in close proximity in the UK. The effects of factorial treatments of elevated atmospheric CO₂ (539 μmol mol⁻¹ as opposed to ambient atmospheric CO₂ concentrations of 355 μmol mol⁻¹), added N (50 kg N ha⁻¹ as NH₄NO₃) and added P (20 kg P ha⁻¹ as NaH₂PO₄) on the performance of these two species were studied under controlled environmental conditions using container‐grown plants. Plants grown and measured at high CO₂ had higher rates of net photosynthesis than those grown and measured in ambient CO₂. This increase was greater in heather than in bracken and resulted in a large stimulation of growth in the former. In bracken there was no significant change in plant size or phenology. The increase in biomass of heather in high CO₂ was greatest in the absence of added nutrients and lowest when both N and P were supplied. The growth and photosynthesis of both plants responded positively to the supply of P alone or P with N (in both CO₂ atmospheres), but there was little response to N alone. The implications of these findings for bracken and heather growing in the field under conditions of an elevated CO₂ atmosphere and greater nutrient availability are discussed.

There is a growing demand for a supply of Sphagnum to re-introduce to degraded peatlands. However, available supplies of Sphagnum of the desired species are often limited. We describe the propagation of Sphagnum from vegetative material in sterile tissue culture and the introduction of juvenile mosses into the field. Sphagnum produced in the laboratory in three different forms (beads, gel and plugs) was introduced to different peatland surfaces on upland degraded blanket bog and lowland cut-over peatland in northern England. On degraded blanket bog, the establishment of mixed-species Sphagnum plugs was typically 99 % while the survival of beads was much lower, ranging from little above zero on bare eroding peat to a maximum of 12 % on stabilised peat surfaces. On lowland cut-over peatland, all trials took place on peat with an expanding cover of Eriophorum angustifolium and tested Sphagnum gel as well as beads and plugs. This work showed that survival and establishment of plugs was high (99 %) and greater than for beads. Sphagnum gel reached a cover of 95 % in two years. The vegetative micropropagation of Sphagnum offers an effective source of Sphagnum for re-introduction to degraded peatlands.

Smartphones are handheld computers and multichannel communication devices that carry an array of sensors and can link with specialist external devices. These powerful tools have an established role in biological recording and ecological surveying. The ability to geolocate accurately is frequently essential to ecological fieldwork. This field study aimed to test the performance of a compact/handheld surveyor‐grade GNSS receiver, functioning as an external sensor, compared to smartphones' inbuilt GNSS receivers and a standard‐grade external GNSS receiver. We devised a series of survey protocols to test the horizontal accuracy of GNSS receivers in static and dynamic scenarios typical of ecology fieldwork, estimating the horizontal distance of GNSS measurements under ‘open sky’ conditions from a base station geolocated with centimetre accuracy. Protocols were designed to test the capabilities of GNSS receivers; the absolute horizontal accuracy and precision in static surveys and performance in dynamic surveys, walking a transect with frequent changes of direction, or roaming across the survey area, requiring the GNSS to rapidly re‐establish a position fix. In all survey protocols, the surveyor‐grade GNSS performed significantly better with lower horizontal distance estimates at the 50th centile and more consistent performance at the 95th centile than the other GNSS receivers, giving median distance estimates of 0.5–1.1 m. The median horizontal accuracy of inbuilt GNSS receivers in this trial was 0.9–3.4 m under ‘open sky’ conditions. Practical implication: The smartphone GNSS receivers that we tested were accurate to within a few meters. Linking the smartphone with a moderately priced compact/handheld external GNSS receiver significantly improved performance.

The rapid, effective restoration of degraded peatlands is urgently needed to reduce their current high levels of carbon loss. The re-introduction of Sphagnum moss, along with re-wetting, is key to returning carbon sequestration and retention capabilities to northern degraded bogs. Micropropagated Sphagnum has already been applied in large quantities, and more is planned, for restoration projects in Britain and parts of Europe. A comparison with wild-sourced Sphagnum material is therefore pertinent to demonstrate its safety and suitability for wide-scale application. Six Sphagnum species of both micropropagated and wild-sourced origin were assessed for photosynthetic capacity, nutrient content, form parity, chlorocyst size, and chloroplast numbers. Micropropagated Sphagnum had significantly higher light-saturated photosynthesis (P_max) rates, little color expression, an open growth habit, greater chloroplast numbers, and more numerous, smaller shoot apices than wild-sourced Sphagnum. Higher P_max rates were associated with a lower bulk density and higher tissue nutrient concentrations. Potentially, greater chloroplast numbers in micropropagated Sphagnum facilitate higher photosynthesis rates, driving rapid growth in early-stage plants, particularly in optimum moisture conditions. Micropropagated Sphagnum can be used confidently, propagated in large quantities, and will likely establish well on application to sites where re-wetting has already occurred, therefore making it highly beneficial for the restoration of degraded bogs.

Peatland is a biotope of international importance because of its unique flora and fauna and, when in good condition, the potential for globally significant carbon sequestration and storage. Chat Moss is a peatland on the edge of the Greater Manchester conurbation in the north-west of England, and the largest of a system of peatlands along the Mersey Valley. Peatland habitat on Chat Moss has been decimated over the past 200–300 years. However, it is now the site of a landscape scale ecosystem restoration programme. This investigation was conducted using historical written accounts, maps and biological recordings, supplemented by modern studies to examine the evidence for the original extent, landscape and species of the Chat Moss ecosystem, and define the mechanisms and timeframe of anthropogenic impacts on the landscape and ecology. The cartographic evidence shows that the maximum extent of Chat Moss was 36 square kilometres. Land use change with drainage, peat cutting and conversion to agriculture was most rapid between 1779 and 1897, resulting in complete loss of primaeval peatland habitat and associated flora and fauna by the middle of the 20th century. Chat Moss is located at the epicentre of the Industrial Revolution. During the 1800s Merseyside and south Lancashire were one of the UK’s largest generators of sulphur pollution due to unregulated chemical works employing the Leblanc alkali process. The resulting acid rain (HCl, SO2, H2S) contributed to the habitat degradation and loss of Sphagnum moss on the neighbouring lowland peatlands. Having a clear understanding of an ecosystem’s baseline condition, as well as the factors responsible for habitat degradation, is essential for informing habitat restoration efforts and species reintroduction programmes.