Andersson's arctic moss vs Choke

Arctoa anderssonii compared with Epichloe typhina

Key Differences

Andersson's arctic moss is Endangered while Choke is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Andersson's arctic moss	Choke
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Bryophyta	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)
Order	Dicranales (Dicranales)	Hypocreales (Hypocreales)
Family	Rhabdoweisiaceae	Clavicipitaceae
Genus	Arctoa	Epichloe
Species	Arctoa anderssonii	Epichloe typhina

Conservation Status

Andersson's arctic moss

EN — Endangered

Choke

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Andersson's arctic moss	Choke
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Andersson's arctic moss

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Choke

Habitat

Native to North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in United States.

Andersson's arctic moss

The Andersson's arctic moss (Arctoa anderssonii) is a species in the genus Arctoa. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Choke

Choke (Epichloe typhina) is an endophytic and pathogenic fungus in the family Clavicipitaceae, phylum Ascomycota, that colonises the tissues of various cool-season grasses (Poaceae) across Europe and North America. The name refers to the disease it causes — infected grass tillers are typically 'choked' (prevented from flowering) when the fungus produces a dense, white to cream-coloured, stromata (a compact fungal structure) that surrounds the flowering stem before it can emerge, suppressing seed production. Epichloe species exist along a mutualism-parasitism continuum; some strains are biotrophic endophytes living almost entirely within grass tissues without obvious symptoms and conferring benefits to the host such as increased drought resistance and deterrence of herbivores through alkaloid production, while others — including E. typhina — are more parasitic in nature, sterilising infected host tillers. The fungus spreads via airborne ascospores produced on its stroma that infect new host plants. Related Epichloe/Neotyphodium endophytes are of great practical importance to agriculture as they produce ergot alkaloids and other compounds that can cause toxicosis in livestock grazing infected pasture grasses. As a fungal pathogen/endophyte rather than a wildlife species, it is Not Evaluated by the IUCN.