| Abstract Detail
Bryological and Lichenological Section/ABLS Graves, Camille [1], Eppley, Sarah [2]. Spatial Analysis of bryophytes growing in geothermal vents. In plant communities, distributions can be influenced by heterogeneity in the environment or by interspecific competition. Here, using spatial analysis, we examine how abiotic and biotic factors influence species distributions in a geothermal bryophyte system. In the field, we measured chlorophyll fluorescence, as a measure of stress response, and a suite of abiotic factors for five bryophytes species, and we used a spatial autoregression model to determine the impact of these factors on species distributions. We developed a methodology for measuring relative growth rates in bryophytes using ArcMaps, collecting data on relative growth rates and growth patterns in all five bryophyte species. We found that humidity, light and temperature were the most influential abiotic factors influence distributions in these geothermal bryophytes, and plants found in the most extreme environments have significantly lower relative growth rates than plants found in mesic sites, suggesting that there is a trade-off between stress tolerance and growth. We discuss our results with respect to previous work on distribution drivers in other high stress plant systems.
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1 - Portland State University, Biology, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR, 97207-0751, United States
2 - Portland State University, Biology Department, Po Box 751, Portland, Oregon, 97207-0751, USA
Keywords:
Bryophyte
GIS
ecology
Ceratodon purpureus
Campylopus introflexus
Aulconium paluste.
Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for BSA Sections
Session: P1
Location: Event Tent/Cliff Lodge
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2009
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: P1BL015
Abstract ID:344 |
