Ecohydrological controls on lichen and moss CO2 exchange in rock barrens turtle nesting habitat

Lichens and mosses are among the first organisms to colonize the open bedrock of eastern Georgian Bay, Ontario making them essential for primary soil formation and ecosystem succession, while also providing nesting habitat for turtle species‐at‐risk. However, the slow growing nature of lichen and mo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecohydrology 2021-01, Vol.14 (1), p.n/a
Main Authors: Hudson, Danielle T., Markle, Chantel E., Harris, Lorna I., Moore, Paul A., Waddington, James M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic plants
Bedrock
Carbon dioxide
Cladonia
Climate change
Ecohydrology
Environmental changes
Exchanging
Habitats
Lichens
Mosses
Nesting
Polytrichum
productivity
rock barrens
Rocks
Soil
Soil formation
Soil moisture
Soil surfaces
Soil temperature
turtle habitat
turtle nesting
Turtles
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Summary:Lichens and mosses are among the first organisms to colonize the open bedrock of eastern Georgian Bay, Ontario making them essential for primary soil formation and ecosystem succession, while also providing nesting habitat for turtle species‐at‐risk. However, the slow growing nature of lichen and moss makes them vulnerable to ecohydrological stresses caused by climate and land‐use change. In order to better understand how lichen and moss will respond to stressors, we examined which ecohydrological factors (e.g., near‐surface soil moisture and temperature) control the CO2 exchange of lichen (Cladonia spp.) and moss (Polytrichum spp.) on rock barrens, and the time of year growth primarily occurs. Net ecosystem productivity (NEP) was significantly greater in the wet period of the growing season than the dry, with an estimated difference of 0.7 μmol m−2 s−1 for lichen, 2.9 μmol m−2 s−1 for moss, and 2.5 μmol m−2 s−1 for a moss and lichen mix. These findings indicate that the wet portions of the growing season are critical for growth, while lichen and moss have little to no productivity during the dry period. Our results indicate that near‐surface soil moisture is an indicator of the CO2 exchange of lichen and moss, and this relationship varies among cover types. For the geographical regions where warm, dry conditions are expected to increase in duration and frequency with climate change, lichen and moss NEP will likely decrease, thus limiting the long‐term availability of nesting habitat for turtle species‐at‐risk.
ISSN:1936-0584
1936-0592
DOI:10.1002/eco.2255