These deep-water mosses (top) are from Lake Wakatipu in Otago. They belong to a fairly rare group known as deep-water bryophytes (mosses and liverworts). In New Zealand they are found in a small number of South Island clear water lakes, including Wakatipu, where they can grow at depths of 60 metres.
Mary de Winton (lower image) takes a sample of bryophytes from around 40 metres deep in Lake Wakatipu.
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NIWA – National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
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