Sphagnum erect, leafy, branched gametophyte with chlorophyllose cells and hyaline cells. This stage dominates the environment where "Sphagnum" grows, obliterating and burying the protonema and eventually building up into layers of dead moss called peat. Carpets of living "Sphagnum" may be attacked by various fungi, and one fungus that is also a mushroom, "Sphagnurus paluster", produces conspicuous dead patches. When this fungus and other agarics attack the protonema, "Sphagnum" is induced to produce nonphotosynthetic gemmae that can survive the fungal attack and months later germinate to produce new protonema and leafy gametophytes. It is unknown whether the leafy stage can produce
Bryocella elongata "Terriglobus" and 92.2–92.3% similarity to the type strains of "Telmatobacter bradus" and "Acidobacterium capsulatum". "Bryocella elongata" is an aerobic chemo-organotroph. The growth substrates are sugars and heteropolysaccharides of plant and microbial origin (pectin, lichenan, fucoidan, gellan gum). Type strain "Bryocella elongata" SN10(T) was isolated from a methanotrophic enrichment culture obtained from an acidic "Sphagnum" peat. "Bryocella elongata" is not capable of growth on C(1) compounds, but it can develop in co-culture with exopolysaccharide-producing methanotrophs by utilization of their capsular material. "Bryocella elongata" is an acidophilic, mesophilic bacterium capable of growth at pH 3.2–6.6 (optimum at pH 4.7–5.2) and at 6–32