Abstract Detail

Bryological and Lichenological Section/ABLS

Noell, Nastassja [1], Allen, Jessica [2], O'Quinn, Robin [3], Hollinger, Jason [4].

Lichens of the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge: A Lichen Inventory in the Channeled Scablands of Eastern Washington State.

The Channeled Scablands in Eastern Washington State are a globally unique landscape, where deep troughs of thriving wetlands, vernal pools, sagebrush steppe, mima mounds, arid Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests, and Aspen (Populus tremuloides) groves intersect to produce an unusually complex mosaic of habitats in a relatively small space. Such abundance of different habitats and microclimates results in a high diversity of birds and plants, and very likely hosts unique lichen communities. Despite the ubiquity of lichens in Eastern Washington, and especially the Channeled Scablands, very little literature exists on its lichen flora. To advance our knowledge of lichen diversity in this region, we conducted a lichen inventory at the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (TNWR), located 20 miles west of Spokane, Washington, in the heart of the Eastern section of the Channeled Scablands. Although an inventory of TNWR was initiated in 1966 by Eastern Washington University lichenologist H.R. Simms, his preliminary checklist was never published and consisted of only a small portion of the lichen species on the refuge. We began a thorough survey in 2010 to build on Simms early work using two approaches: 1) habitat specific inventories, where we collected all species found within a 120 ft radius circular plot within a typical habitat type (i.e., Ponderosa Pine woodland, Aspen woodland, etc.), and 2) intuitive search surveys, where specific areas notable for a unique set of conditions were preferentially surveyed for potentially rare species. These survey methods have resulted in a much better sampling of the existing diversity and have led to a significant increase in the number of species recorded for the refuge and an increased sampling of the morphological and ecological variability of common species. Our research has added to our knowledge and understanding of lichen species diversity in this overlooked region of North America.

Broader Impacts:

Related Links:
Lichens of the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge

1 - The Evergreen State College, The Natural History Collection, 2700 Evergreen Pkwy NW , Olympia, WA, 98505, USA
2 - The New York Botanical Garden, Institute of Systematic Botany, Bronx, NY, 10458-5126, USA
3 - Eastern Washington University, Biology 234-C Science Building, Cheney, WA, 99004-2440, USA
4 - 11034 White Oak Road, Waynesville, NC , 28785, USA

Keywords:
lichens
Inventory
Channeled Scablands (Washington, USA).

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: P
Location: Grand Salon A - D/Riverside Hilton
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2013
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PBR006
Abstract ID:905
Candidate for Awards:None