Forest Sciences Commons^™

Hylocomium Splendens: Microhabitat Selection And Potential Role In Forest Succession, Anna Marchand, Carrie Woods

Summer Research

Fallen logs play an essential role in the temperate rainforest ecosystem by providing a safe site for tree establishment, with seedling abundance being much greater on nurse logs than on the ground. This disparity is likely due to differences in competition with bryophytes between microsites. Hylocomium splendens, a moss that dominates the forest floor of temperate rainforests, could potentially inhibit tree seedling growth, but little is known about its microhabitat distribution. We found that stairstep moss grows more abundantly in areas of high canopy openness, and that nurse logs have lower canopy openness in comparison to the forest floor. Fittingly, …