Community Ecology
• primary communities
• wetland and peatland
communities
• swamp and upland
communities
PRIMARY COMMUNITIES
• rock type
• slope and aspect
• size and shape
2149A
• 65N_, 100 m2
•amygdaloidal basalt breccia
2149B
•C 20%
•overhanging mixed forest
• 50NW, 150 m2
•amygdaloidal basalt breccia
•C 50%
•shrubs on talus and overhanging mixed forest
WETLANDS and
PEATLANDS
• water chemistry
• hydrology
• shade
eutrophic
bog
saline marsh
freshwater
marsh or
shallow open
water
transitional
fen
poor
fen int. rich extreme
rich fen
wooded fen
alkalinity and pH, base cations (Ca, Mg, ...),
water flow, groundwater influence
water-level fluctuations
tidal
marsh
1
2
0
1
0
0
8
0
N
=
4
1
8
numberofplts
6
0
4
0
2
0
0
.1
.7
.0
.3
.6
.9
.2
.5
.8
.4
.7
.3
.6
.9
.2
.5
-3
-4
-4
-4
-4
-5
-5
-5
-6
-6
-7.0
-7
-7
-7
-8
-8
.5
.8
.1
.4
.7
.0
.3
.6
.9-6
.2
.5
.8
.1
.4
.7
.0
.3
3
3
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
6
6
6
7
7
7
8
8
p
H
c
l
a
s
s
e
s
Peatlands of the Chippewa National Forest
Environmental Gradients, pH
all peatlands
acidic
circumneutral
oligotrophic
transitional
bogs
poor fens
forested bogs
open bogs
for. poor fens
open poor fens
swamps
rich fens
conifer swamps
hardwood swp
tamarack swp
white-cedar swp
black-ash swp
shrub swp
sedge meadows
wet meadows
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
pH
6.5
7.0
7.5
8.0
8.5
9
8
7
6
5
4
2
0
2
5
3
0
k
m
pH
3
0
5
1
0
1
5
d
i
s
t
a
n
c
e
f
r
o
m
w
e
s
t
e
n
d
o
f
w
e
s
t
e
r
n
w
a
t
e
r
t
r
a
c
k
8
7
6
5
4
3
0
2
0
0
4
0
0
6
0
0
8
0
0
m
pH = 3.8
pH = 6.5
BOG
BOG
FEN
peat
water table
till
bedrock
Surface-flow
Hypothesis
Groundwater
Hypothesis
100
-1
Calcium (mg L )
80
60
40
20
0
3
4
5
6
pH
7
8
TAS
FPF
WCS
BAS
FBG
AWS
OPF
OBG
TFN
WMD
SMD
?
?
possible autogenic pathway
allogenic influence (fire, beaver, disease)
input from upland (paludification)
low energy
high energy
?
SWAMP and UPLAND
COMMUNITIES
• substrate-types availability
• utilization
• growth-form differentiation
3rd step: point-intercept data
on bryophyte species
is used to calculate
growth-form differentiation
2nd step: ocular cover per
substrate is estimated
1st step: line-intercept data to
obtain substrate availability
ignored, <15 cm DBH
ignored, <15 cm DBH
ignored, larger tree equidistant
ignored, <15 cm DBH
ignored, larger tree equidistant
ignored, line needs to go forward
aquatic
littoral
splashed by waves
ALW
rheophytic, mineral
ARM
ARO
rheophytic
rheophytic, organic
stagnant
aquatic, attached
aquatic, floating
ASA
ASF
tropohydrophytic
tropohydrophytic, mineral
tropohydrophytic, organic
ATM
ATO
aquatic
littoral
terrestrial
rheophytic
splashed by waves
ALW
rheophytic, mineral ARM
mineral
rheophytic, organic ARO
stagnant
TMR
ASA
ASF
sand (0.05-2.0 mm) TMS
ATMclay or silt (<0.05 mm) TMC
ATO
gravel or rock (>2 mm)
aquatic, attached
aquatic, floating
tropohydrophytic
tropohydrophytic, mineral
tropohydrophytic, organic
organic
litter
humus
TOL
TOH
aquatic
terrestrial
littoral
splashed by waves
ALW
mineral
TMR
sand (0.05-2.0 mm) TMS
clay or silt (<0.05 mm) TMC
gravel or rock (>2 mm)
rheophytic
rheophytic, mineral
rheophytic, organic
semi-terrestrial
ARM
ARO
organic
stagnant
aquatic, attached
aquatic, floating
peatlands
tropohydrophytic
tropohydrophytic, mineral
tropohydrophytic, organic
litter
ASA
ASF
ATM
ATO
humus
on peat
peat forming
SPG
SPF
TOL
TOH
aquatic
terrestrial
littoral
epiphytic
splashed by waves
ALW
mineral
TMR
sand (0.05-2.0 mm) TMS
clay or silt (<0.05 mm) TMC
gravel or rock (>2 mm)
rheophytic
corticolous
rheophytic, mineral ARM
rheophytic, organic
ARO
stagnant
ECV
bark, horizontal ECH
twigs ECT
organic
bark,
vertical
litter
aquatic, attached
aquatic, floating
ASA
ASF
tropohydrophytic
tropohydrophytic, mineral
lignicolous
tropohydrophytic, organic
humus
ATM
ATO
ELV
wood, horizontal ELH
wood, vertical
semi-terrestrial
peatlands
epiphyllouson peat SPG
peat forming
SPF
leaves
EPH
TOL
TOH
aquatic
terrestrial
littoral
splashed by waves
ALW
mineral
rheophytic
gravel or rock (>2 mm)
rheophytic, mineral
rheophytic, organic
ARM
ARO
stagnant
sand (0.05-2.0 mm)
clay or silt (<0.05 mm)
TMR
TMS
TMC
organic
aquatic, attached
aquatic, floating
ASA
ASF
litter
humus
TOL
TOH
tropohydrophytic
tropohydrophytic, mineral
tropohydrophytic, organic
ATM
ATO
epiphytic
corticolous
ECV
bark, horizontal ECH
twigs ECT
bark, vertical
semi-terrestrial
peatlands
lignicolous
on peat
peat forming
SPG
SPF
ELV
wood, horizontal ELH
wood, vertical
epiphyllous
leaves
EPH
BryoPie Construction: substrate types
EPH
Epiphytic
ALW
ARM
ELH
ARO
ELV
Aquatic
ASA
ECT
ECH
ASF
ATM
ECV
ATO
SPF
SPG
Semiterrestrial
T MR
T OH
T MS
T OL
T MC
Terrestrial
aquatic
rheophytic
mineral
terrestrial
mineral
rock
semi-terrestrial
peatlands, peat
forming
epiphytic
corticolous
vertical
BryoPie Construction: growth forms
weft
mats
small
cushion
rough
mat
cushions
large
cushion
smooth
mat
short
turf
tall
turf
thalloid mat
dendroid
turf
turfs
carpet
Cushions
Domes, shoots radiating
from central point of origin, branches
similar, growing in same direction as main
shoots. Branching especially from near the
apex of the shoots, thus adding to the size of
the cushion
• Cs Small cushion: short shoots, a few cm at most
• Cl Large cushion: shoots often 1 to several dm tall
large
cushion
Turfs
Upright shoots, plants with
parallel shoots, direction of growth vertical
• Ts Short turf: turfs up to a few cm tall, of erect shoots
with some, usually subapical branching
• Tt Tall turf: turfs of upright shoots up to several dm tall
with some, mostly subapical branching
• Tc Carpet: tall turfs with divergent branches, stems
erect with many clusters of branches
• Td Dendroid: shoots sympodial, first creeping or
stoloniferous, then erect, unbranched below with scale
leaves, normal leaves and/or branches clustered above,
forming a canopy
carpet
Mats
Horizontal stems, plants
forming dense and interwoven mats,
extending horizontally over the substrate
• Mt Thalloid mat: consisting of usually branched thalli
growing closely appressed to the substrate
• Ms Smooth mat: shoots and branches growing appressed
substrate,
often
attached
it by rhizoids
• to
Mrthe Rough
mat:
main
shoots to
adhering
to the substrate,
but branches growing in oblique or vertical directions
• Mw Weft: loose intertwining and straggling shoots and
branches, laterals often ascending and arching
rough
mat
weft
BryoPie Construction:
diagram
1st substrate availability:
color pie sectors
2nd utilization:
shade sectors
3rd growth forms:
hatch sub-sectors
FDn: bedrock-conifer woodland
BryoPie Construction:
examples
WF: black-ash swamp
MHn: mesic mixed hardwood forest
CPn: black-spruce swamp