Last updated: November 29, 2024
Article
Species Inventories Reveal the Lichens and Bryophytes of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
At Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, a species inventory has helped staff uncover the wide diversity of lichens and bryophytes in the park—information critical for future management decisions.
The area where the park is located has experienced significant ecological degradation since Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery wintered over at this site near the mouth of the Columbia River in 1805–1806. Park staff are developing a plan that will help restore the park’s degraded prairies, wetlands, dunes, and coastal forests. To better tailor this ongoing restoration effort, they needed to know more about the species that reside in the park, including bryophytes and lichens.
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Big Diversity at a Small Scale
Lewis and Clark National Historical Park spans an array of habitats, including willow swamps, dune ridges, pine forests, and native prairies. Many native species of bryophytes and lichens are specialized to thrive in these diverse ecosystems. Bryophytes are a group of plants that include mosses, liverworts, and hornworts—all united by their lack of a vascular system, the circulatory tissues that trees and other vascular plants use to transport water internally. Lichens are complex life forms consisting of a partnership between a fungus and one or more species of algae, bacteria, and sometimes other organisms that work together to survive. Bryophytes and lichens provide crucial ecosystem services, such as water regulation and nutrient cycling. But often, little is known about them.
Only one brief inventory of lichens had previously been conducted in the park, and no bryophyte inventories had ever been attempted. So scientists from the National Park Service’s Inventory & Monitoring Division arranged for an inventory of bryophytes and lichens in the Yeon property of the park. The primary goal was to capture the complete “who’s who” of lichen and bryophyte species in this section of the park. A secondary focus was to document any rare species encountered. In particular, researchers hoped to find the very rare lichen, Pannaria rubiginosa, previously recorded in the park.
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What did they find?
Surveyors recorded species presence and abundance across various surfaces within each habitat type. The resulting inventories, conducted in 2021 and 2022, documented 65 lichen species and 46 bryophyte species. Nineteen of these lichen species had never been previously recorded in the Yeon property. Noteworthy discoveries included four lichen species flagged as rare or imperiled, including Cetrelia cetrarioides, Peltigera hymenina, Usnea rubicunda, and the target species, P. rubiginosa, and one species classified as vulnerable, Sticta limbata. Additionally, the invasive moss Campylopus introflexus was identified throughout the property, information important for park staff who manage invasive species.
With this comprehensive inventory, park managers possess a deeper understanding of the unique lichen and bryophyte communities in the Yeon property, allowing for informed restoration strategies and inspiring future research.
Interested in learning more? Discover fun lichen facts or view this project's final products!