PDF 320KB - Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team

RARE BRYOPHYTES OF GARRY OAK ECOSYSTEMS
Terry McIntosh, PhD
Consultant
Recent studies of bryophytes in Garry oak and related ecosystems not
only have been critical in better defining population and other
attributes of known rare species but also have increased the known
regional diversity of this group of plants. At least 18 dry coastal
mosses are listed by BC’s Conservation Data Centre and 3 are listed
on SARA (Species at Risk Act) and COSEWIC (Committee on the
Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada). A number of others, as well
as a few liverworts, deserve a conservation listing at some point.
Population, distribution, and threat attributes have become much
better understood for a number of rare species, in particular rigid
apple moss (Bartramia stricta). Although only one new population of
rigid apple moss has been observed recently, even with more-intense
inventory, it has been found to be significantly more common and
widespread at known sites than previously documented. Results of
these studies indicate that inventory remains an important aspect of
biodiversity studies in this rich and threatened ecosystem.
Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team – Research Colloquium 2010 Page 9