A Look into Moss Distribution with Regard to Competition and Moisture in the Subalpine Realm Benjamin Wilkins Vegetation Ecology EBIO 4100572 Summer 2014 Mountain Research Station University of Colorado Boulder ID: 597795
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Bryophyte ClubA Look into Moss Distribution with Regard to Competition and Moisture in the Subalpine Realm
Benjamin Wilkins
Vegetation Ecology
EBIO 4100-572 Summer 2014
Mountain Research Station, University of Colorado, BoulderSlide2
Moss: What, Where and Why?
Embryophytes lacking true vascular tissue (lignin, xylem tracheids, vessels)
Liverworts, Hornworts, Mosses (Bryophyta)
(Troitsky, et al., 2007)North side of the tree?Dry Moss? Sonoran (Nash et al., 1977)Slide3
Ecological Perspective
Further understanding of bryophyte distribution
Spitsberg, Svalbard, Norway
Glacial Retreat, low soil nutrients Moraine env. where competion was low (Minami et al., 1996)Adaptations to freezing – lowering vol. 80% (Lenné et al., 2010)
Climate change – increasing importance - conservation and desertification
This area – both extremes
Interesting microsite distributionSlide4
Hypothesis
The big question: Why can moss grow in some areas, but not others?
H0: Moss will tend to grow in soil that is either too wet or too dry for other plant life to propagate.
H1: There is no connection between moss presence and the distribution of other vegetation.Slide5
Methods - My Sites
Summit County – Riparian area and Subalpine Forest
Zone – 13S 408668mE, 4373505mN
Elevation – 2,923m
Boulder County – Como Creek and Elk Meadow
Zone – 13T 453892mE, 4431279mN
Elevation – 2,957m
2
Dry,
2
Wet
156km apartSlide6
Methods
Sampling Design – replication with random sampling
Located 20 areas at each site in which moss (
Mnium arizonicum) is commonRandomly selected 10 areas containing moss from each siteData Recorded Slope, aspect, canopy coverSoil - pH, moisture level, nutrient levels (N,P,K)
Distance to closest vegetation
Indicator of competitionSlide7
Methods - Equipment
Canopy Mirror
Lusterleaf Rapitest Meters®
pHFertility (scale of N,P,K ppm)Moisture (1-5 scale) Slide8
Data Analysis
Accumulated and tested for significance
T-tests, P valuesSlide9
ResultsSlide10
Results
Chi-square (p=0.37)Slide11
Discussion
Agrees with findings
(Minami et al., Nash et al.)
CompetitionMoistureFuture StudiesYear-round life cycle Freezing conditions (Lenné et al.)Climate change and invasives
Further identify/classify competition as native/non-native, etc.
Dynamic nature of realized nicheSlide12
Conclusion
Thrive in wet, nutrient-rich environments
High competition, plenty to go around
Also in dry, nutrient-poor environments due to lessened competition Less H2O and nutrients, but spaced farther apartPlenty o’ moss on the S side…Wet – 170.3 SDry – 113.6 SESlide13
Literature Cited
Troitsky
AV,
Ignatov MS,
Bobrova
VK,
Milyutina
IA (December 2007).
"Contribution of genosystematics to current concepts of phylogeny and classification of bryophytes".
Biochemistry Mosc.
72
(12): 1368–76. Web. http://protein.bio.msu.ru/biokhimiya/contents/v72/full/72121675.
html
Yoshinori Minami, Hiroshi Kanda and Takehiro
Masuzawa. “The Relationship Between Distribution of Bryophytes and Soil Conditions on
Deglaciated
Arctic Terrain in
Ny-Alesund
”.
Poroc
. NIPR
Symp
. Polar Biol., 9, 307-312, 1996.
Web.
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/els/110001026284.pdf?id=ART0001194280&type=pdf&lang=en&host=cinii&order_no=&ppv_type=0&lang_sw=&no=1406149208&cp
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Lenné
, Thomas, Bryant, Gary,
Hocart
, Charles, Huang, Cheng and Ball, Marilyn. “
Freeze avoidance: a dehydrating moss gathers no
ice”.
Plant, Cell &
Environment
, Volume
33, Issue
10, pages 1731–1741, October
2010
. Web
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http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3040.2010.02178.x/
full
Nash, T.H, White, S.L. and Marsh, J.E. “Lichen and Moss Distribution and Biomass in Hot Desert Ecosystems”.
The Bryologist
, Vol. 80, No. 3, Autumn, 1977.
Web.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3242022?seq=
1