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Abstract Detail



Bryological and Lichenological Section/ABLS

Fisher, Kirsten [1], Sanchez, Janet [2].

Examining the effects of environmental change on moss species composition and distribution in the western San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California.

In the face of ongoing climate change, plant species distributions are expected to shift poleward and to higher elevations to track suitable environments. While a significant body of research now provides evidence for these shifts in vascular plant distributions, relatively little information exists on the responses of non vascular plants, such as mosses, to climate change, particularly in the chaparral of California. This study compared surveys of the mosses of the San Dimas Experimental Forest, Los Angeles County, CA that were made in 1975-1978 and 2011- 2012, to determine whether any changes in moss species composition and distribution have occurred over the last three decades. We found that the distribution of xeric species expanded to higher elevations and that xeric species diversity increased, while the distribution of hydric, mesic, and corticolous species expanded to both higher and lower elevations and mesic species diversity decreased in response to changes in climate and pollution. Overall, the results of this study highlight the importance of considering species’ habitat preferences and small-scale habitat variation when predicting moss distributional responses to environmental change.

Broader Impacts:


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1 - CSU Los Angeles, Biological Sciences, 5151 State University Dr, Los Angeles, CA, 90032, USA
2 - CSU Los Angeles, 5151 State University Dr, Los Angeles, CA, 90032, USA

Keywords:
Moss
Floristic Study
Climate Change
Los Angeles, CA.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 23
Location: Ascot/Riverside Hilton
Date: Tuesday, July 30th, 2013
Time: 11:15 AM
Number: 23009
Abstract ID:726
Candidate for Awards:None


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