Occurrence of Sphagnum moss in the sublittoral of several small oligotrophic lakes in Galloway, Southwest Scotland

Abstract Comparison between historical and contemporary aquatic macrophyte data indicates that since 1905 Sphagnum moss has become established in the sublittoral of several oligotrophic lakes (lochs) in Galloway, southwest Scotland. This floristic change is broadly similar to that reported from some recently acidified lakes in Scandinavia and The Netherlands. It is possible that catchment afforestation and associated preparatory ploughing in particular, may encourage the establishment of sublittoral Sphagnum and consequently influence floristic changes in acidifying lakes.