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Distribution and abundance of epiphytic Bryophytes in Pacific Spirit Park Beckett, Kephra; Mikkelsen, Else
Abstract
The diversity and abundance of bryophytes on the north, west, east and south sides of four different species of trees (Douglas-fir, Bigleaf Maple, Western Hemlock and Western Redcedar) are investigated. Sunlight and bark composition are considered as main determining factors of the orientation of moss and liverworts on trees. Since more sunlight hits the southern side of trees it is expected that the north side retains more moisture and therefore has a higher abundance of bryophytes. Abundance is measured by percent cover of a quadrat on each of the four sides of twenty-four trees. Sixteen different species of bryophytes are measured and identified with a dichotomous key. The three coniferous species have similar assortments of bryophyte species while the Bigleaf Maples have a different subset of species. Bigleaf Maples also have the highest average percent coverage of the tree species sampled. It is found that 54% of all surveyed trees, including 67% of all sampled conifers have the largest percent cover on the north facing side. Bigleaf Maple showed no correlation between compass direction and bryophyte coverage. The diversity of bryophytes on the tree species is analyzed using Simpson’s Diversity Index scores. Possible factors influencing the observed patterns of bryophyte distribution, including bark pH, structure, and moisture are discussed.
Item Metadata
Title |
Distribution and abundance of epiphytic Bryophytes in Pacific Spirit Park
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Creator | |
Date Issued |
2015-04
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Description |
The diversity and abundance of bryophytes on the north, west, east and south sides of four
different species of trees (Douglas-fir, Bigleaf Maple, Western Hemlock and Western
Redcedar) are investigated. Sunlight and bark composition are considered as main
determining factors of the orientation of moss and liverworts on trees. Since more sunlight
hits the southern side of trees it is expected that the north side retains more moisture and
therefore has a higher abundance of bryophytes. Abundance is measured by percent cover of
a quadrat on each of the four sides of twenty-four trees. Sixteen different species of
bryophytes are measured and identified with a dichotomous key. The three coniferous species
have similar assortments of bryophyte species while the Bigleaf Maples have a different
subset of species. Bigleaf Maples also have the highest average percent coverage of the tree
species sampled. It is found that 54% of all surveyed trees, including 67% of all sampled
conifers have the largest percent cover on the north facing side. Bigleaf Maple showed no
correlation between compass direction and bryophyte coverage. The diversity of bryophytes
on the tree species is analyzed using Simpson’s Diversity Index scores. Possible factors
influencing the observed patterns of bryophyte distribution, including bark pH, structure, and
moisture are discussed.
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Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
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Series | |
Date Available |
2015-10-24
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0107244
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URI | |
Affiliation | |
Campus | |
Peer Review Status |
Unreviewed
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Scholarly Level |
Undergraduate
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Rights URI | |
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Citations and Data
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada