The focus of future research should be drawn toward understanding the interplay between various signaling pathways and how ROS, redox, and hormonal balance changes in space and time. Translating this knowledge from model species to crop plants will help in the development of new drought-resistant crop species with high yields. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 00, 000-000.

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Questions: Sphagnum fuscum (Schimp.) Klinggr. is a characteristic species of the later stages of mire development. It is hypothesized that competition limits its success in earlier successional stages where higher mineral nutrient availability and wetter conditions favour species with a higher production rate and, therefore, a stronger ability to compete. We aim to quantify the importance of different site factors and the effect of neighbouring plants on the performance of S. fuscum.Location: A mire chronosequence from a land uplift coast towards inland on the Finnish side of Bothnia Bay, Baltic Sea. Methods:We transplanted S. fuscum to seven sites along a mire chronosequence for a period of two growing seasons. Neighbouring plants were removed from half of the locations/transplants. We measured several growth-related parameters, such as rate of photosynthesis, chlorophyll fluorescence (F v /F m ) and abundance of mosses.Results: Sphagnum fuscum samples did not survive in the recently exposed sandy shore stage and in fen flarks with extensive sedge cover. Photosynthesis and abundance of transplanted S. fuscum were highest in the wet meadows, the stages that immediately follow the sandy shore stage. Photosynthetic rate and F v /F m were low in the late succession bog site compared to the younger successional sites. The occurrence of neighbouring plants decreased the abundance of the transplanted mosses but improved the physiological state. The impact was similar throughout the successional chronosequence. Conclusions:The site factors favourable for rapid Sphagnum growth in general also favoured S. fuscum. The low photosynthesis, respiration and F v /F m of intact S. fuscum growing in its natural habitat compared to the surviving transplants in the younger sites suggests that in order to occur in its natural habitat, S. fuscum needs to allocate resources for photoprotective mechanisms. Our results indicate that under better environmental conditions, these resources can be allocated to the photosynthetic apparatus to increase growth.

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