 From Barrens and Bogs to Gardens PDF from the presentation Some Related Links & LitPosted at www.versicolor.ca/rhodo on Nov 4, 2020.Additions on Nov 10, 2020
The links below are to items pertaining to barrens in NS which have been researched intensively only within the last 20 years. Information/research on bogs is very extensive and goes back much further and, except for the NS Museum document cited above, is not included here. During the Q&A, mention was made of the "Red Bog Orchids". SAND BARRENSAn analysis of the vascular flora of Annapolis heathlandsCarbyn, S., P. M. Catling, S. P. Vander Kloet, and S. Basquill. 2006. Canadian Field-Naturalist 120(3): 351362. "A description and analysis of the vascular plant composition of heathlands in the Annapolis valley were undertaken to provide a basis for biodiversity preservation within a system of protected sites." PDFavailable here Sand Barrens in Nova Scotia by Thomas L.H. Martin 2012. Blomidon Naturalists Society Newsletter 39(3): 35-39 Annapolis Sand Barrens Web page On Clean Annapolis River Project This barren N.S. ecosystem is a rare biodiversity hotspot. Scientists want to preserve it Moira Donovan · CBC News · Posted: Aug 22, 2020 COASTAL BARRENSCoastal Barrens Research in Nova ScotiaSlide Presenatation by Jeremy Lundholm and Caitlin Porter (St. Mary's University) to MTRI, 2013 This barren N.S. ecosystem is a rare biodiversity hotspot. Scientists want to preserve it Moira Donovan · CBC News · Posted: Aug 22, 2020 Report on the Ecological Importance of Owls Head Crown land Jeremy Lundholm, PhD & Caitlin Porter, MSc St. Mary's University, Halifax, NS, March 23, 2020 Species richness, abundance, rarity and environmental gradients in coastal barren vegetation Erica C. Oberndorfer & Jeremy T. Lundholm, 2008. Biodiversity and Conservation 18(6):1523-1553. "We recorded 173 species (105 vascular, 41 macrolichen, 27 moss), including six provincially rare vascular species found predominantly in nearshore areas with high levels of substrate salt and nutrients, variable substrate depth, and short vegetation" PDF avilable here Coastal Barrens of Nova Scotia J. Lundholm, with help from E. Oberndorfer and S. Burley. Overview of research in the Lundholm Lab, the documented is dated 2016. "We have been working on coastal barrens in Nova Scotia since 2004. Coastal barrens occur mainly along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, but are isolated from one another by forested habitats and by development. I was surprised to find almost nothing published about these habitats when I relocated from Ontario, so our lab began the first quantitative descriptions of coastal barrens in Nova Scotia (Oberndorfer and Lundholm 2009). This "paper" summarizes what we know about the ecology and natural history of this habitat." Habitat provisioning of wild bee pollinators on Nova Scotia heathlands Emily Walker & Jeremy Lundholm, 2017. NSHCF16-06 Final Report. Prepared for Nova Scotia Habitat Conservation Fund (Contributions from Hunters and Trappers) Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division, Kentville, Nova Scotia Fig 1 shows distribution of natural heathland habitat in NS Saxicolous Lichens on a Nova Scotian Coastal Barren AM MacDonald, JT Lundholm, SR Clayden Northeastern Naturalist 18 (4), 475-488. PDF available Here Phenotypic and genotypic differentiation of Vaccinium vitis-idaea between coastal barrens and forests in Nova Scotia, Canada JL Balsdon, TW Smith, JT Lundholm Botany 89 (3), 147-155 PDF availableHere Environmental predictors of forest expansion on open coastal barrens ST Burley, JT Lundholm Biodiversity and Conservation 19, 3269-3285 PDF available Here Floristic Survey of Canso Coastal Barrens Wilderness Area David Garbary, Ricardo Scrosati and Barry Taylor 2006. Nova Scotia Environment and Labour Technical Note. 5 pages with lists of species and photos. Part A on Marine Plant and Animal Communities PART B Terrestrial Flora ) Save Owls Head Park The Save Little Harbour/Owls Head Nova Scotia from Becoming Golf Courses Facebook group is a grassroots movement of over 3000 concerned citizens and scientists, passionate about saving the ecologically significant property known as Owls Head Provincial Park. In March of 2019, the Nova Scotia government secretly removed Owls Head Park Reserve from the pending protection list..." Classification of dwarf heath plant communities on the coastal barrens of Nova Scotia Caitlin Porter, 2013. MSc thesis, St. Mary's University. 140 pages "Nova Scotia's coastal barrens are comprised predominantly of heathlands, a globally threatened community type. Coastal barrens provide habitat for a number of nationally rare species. Despite their ecological and cultural importance, Nova Scotia's coastal barrens are poorly described. My objectives were to classify and describe coastal dwarf heath plant communities and to quantify environmental factors that explain variation in their composition, diversity, and distribution. " JACK PINE-BROOM CROWBERRY FIRE BARRENSA Rare, Fire-Dependent Pine Barrens at the Wildland-Urban Interface of Halifax, Nova ScotiaNick Hill and David Patriquin. 2014. Presentation to the Wildland Fire Canada 2014 Conference, Halifax, N.S. Oct 6-9, 2014. "Given the appropriate geology and climate, fire barrens of high ecological integrity require space and fire, making them increasingly threatened systems. The Purcell's Cove Backlands (PCB), approximately 1350 ha on the Halifax south mainland, are an area of rough terrain with shallow soils and outcroppings of hard rock that have remained without roads or significant settlement except at their periphery until recently. There are many trails and several lakes are popular for swimming. There are frequent fires. The 2009 "Spryfield Fire" covered 800 ha and destroyed eight houses on a street recently developed in an area of Jack Pines. In 2013, we surveyed plant communities and wetlands of the Williams Lake Backlands which cover approximately 200 ha within the PCB.* The fire dependent/fire adapted nature of plant species in seven upland vegetation types and carbon dating of charcoal from a Jack Pine Tussock Sedge fen indicate that fires within PCB are part of a long-term fire regime that predates European settlement. One result is the presence of a fire-dependent Jack Pine/Broom Crowberry Barrens community that is nationally unique to Nova Scotia and globally rare. The recent frequency of fire in the PCB appears sufficient to maintain this community. However settlement that impinges on Jack Pine/Broom Crowberry Barrens has involved either their complete destruction or subjected residents to highly elevated fire risk. No further development within the PCB would help to reduce fire threats to habitations, conserve a rare pine barrens and provide several other significant social and ecological benefits." Ecological Assessment of the Plant Communities of the Williams Lake Backlands A REPORT to The Williams Lake Conservation Company by Nick Hill (Fern Hill Institute of Plant Conservation, Berwick, Nova Scotia) & David Patriquin (Professor of Biology, retired, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia) February 12, 2014. 108 pages Celebrating the Broom Crowberry David Patriquin. 2014 AtlanticRhodo 38(4): 10-12 Regeneration of Forest and Barrens after the Spryfield Fire of April 30, 2009 Richard Beazley and David Patriquin. Slideset from presentation to Halifax Field Naturalists, 2012 INLAND ROCK BARRENSNatural History of the Landscapes of the Five Bridge Lakes Wilderness AreaDavid Patriquin 2016. "The Five Bridge Lakes Wilderness Area (FBLWA) is located near Halifax in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. This set of web pages provides an overview of the landscapes of the FBLWA from a natural history perspective. It is essentially a self study module. There are 31 pages." Ecology and Land Use of the Barrens of Western Nova Scotia R. M. Strang, 1972. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 2: 276-290. Classic Paper. "The rocky heathlands of western Nova Scotia cover some 31 000 ha of coarse, bouldery ortstein podzol of granitic origin. The shrubby vegetation, dominated by Gaylussaciabaccata, is closely correlated with topographic position and depth of soil over the impenetrable pan.Pollen analysis suggests that the area has, for many centuries, been a very open woodland and that the present community is a reflection of soil poverty as well as of periodic burning.Because the site is so unproductive it is suggested that wilderness recreation is the best land use." Barrens species in Roof GardensJeremy Lundholm and Co. have conducted a lot of research on this topic. A couple of items:Performance evaluation of native plants suited to extensive green roof conditions in a maritime climate J Scott MacIvor, Jeremy Lundholm, 2011. Ecological Engineering 37: 407-417 Leaf and life history traits predict plant growth in a green roof ecosystem Jeremy Lundholm, Amy Heim, Stephanie Tran, Tyler Smith. 2014. PLoS One 9(6) --------------- SMU THESES RELATED TO COASTAL BARRENSJeremy Lundholm GroupMapping plant communities and understanding the landscape structure of coastal barrens using an unmanned aerial vehicle by Michael Buckland-Nicks. 2018 MSc thesis, Saint Mary's University, Halifax. "Coastal barrens are landscape mosaics - patchworks of plant communities that exist in harsh environmental conditions created by land-sea interactions and shallow soils. Many rare and uncommon species inhabit these ecosystems, making them a high priority for conservation. In Nova Scotia, coastal barrens are abundant along the coastline of the Halifax region. Little is known of the spatial distributions of plant communities that inhabit them and their overall landscape structure. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of a UAV to map plant communities and to quantify the landscape structure of coastal barrens. " Forest expansion into coastal barrens in Nova Scotia, Canada Scott T. Burley, MSc thesis, Saint Mary's University, Halifax. "C o a s t a l b a r r e n s a r e r e l a t i v e l y o p e n a r e a s c o n s i s t i n g o f s p a r s e t r e e c o v e r a n d a r e d o m i n a t e d b y s h r u b b y v e g e t a t i o n , p r i m a r i l y f r o m t h e E r i c a c e a e f a m i l y . T h e s e h a b i t a t s a r e g e n e r a l l y f o u n d w i t h i n a f o r e s t m a t r i x a n d m a y r e p r e s e n t l o n g l i v e d , s t a b l e c o m m u n i t i e s o r e a r l y s u c c e s s i o n a l h a b i t a t s , e v e n t u a l l y g i v i n g w a y t o f o r e s t e x p a n s i o n . I u s e d a e r i a l p h o t o s t o q u a n t i f y t h e a m o u n t o f f o r e s t e n c r o a c h m e n t o v e r t h e l a s t <"7 0 y e a r s a t f i v e m a j o r c o a s t a l b a r r e n s s i t e s a n d u s e d a G I S t o d e r i v e t o p o g r a p h i c a n d o t h e r s p a t i a l p r e d i c t o r s t o c l a s s i f y p e r s i s t e n t c o a s t a l b a r r e n s , p e r s i s t e n t f o r e s t s , a n d b a r r e n s t h a t d e v e l o p e d i n t o f o r e s t s . " Phenotypic and genotypic differentiation of plant populations between coastal barrens and forests in Nova Scotia, Canada Jennifer H. T. Lau, 2009. MSc thesis, Saint Mary's University, Halifax. "Distinct environmental differences between coastal barrens and forests suggest plant species that occur in both habitats may show phenotypic and/or genotypic differences. Maianthemum canadense, Cornus canadensis, Kalmia angustifolia, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, and Gaultheria procumbens showed no consistent differences in leaf thickness, stem thickness or plant height between coastal barrens, nearby forests and inland forests. The lack of relationship was likely because different plant species respond differently to environmental stressors. Soil moisture, average vegetation height and percent illumination were not good predictors of the three phenotypic traits for the five plant species. Amplified fragment length polymorphism method was used to assess the genetic diversity of 85 V. vitis-idaea specimens between the three habitat types. AMOVA revealed that most of the variation (87.8%) was within populations, suggesting gene flow occurs between the three habitat types. Conservation management in Nova Scotia should consider both coastal barrens and forests if development occurs on either habitat." Plant, macrolichen and moss community structure and species richness in the coastal barrens of Nova Scotia Erica C. Oberndorfer, 2006. MSc thesis, Saint Mary's University, Halifax. "Coastal barrens in Nova Scotia are an understudied habitat type characterised by short, predominantly ericaceous vegetation, sparse tree cover, exposed bedrock, areas of bog, and stressful climatic conditions. Six coastal barrens were selected along the Atlantic coast. Twenty 1 x 1 m plots at each site were sampled for vascular plants, macrolichens and mosses, and environmental factors, including substrate nutrient and moisture levels, exposure, and substrate depth. One hundred and seventy-six species were recorded over the 6 sites (105 vascular species, 43 macrolichen species, 28 moss species), 11 of which are provincially rare (S1, S2). Community composition differed among sites, and was related to distance to coast, substrate depth, substrate moisture, and vegetation height. Species richness was influenced by moisture conditions, exposure and substrate depth. Conservation efforts should protect gradients of these environmental factors in order to protect a diversity of plant types, which respond variously to these factors." Trail degradation in Cape Breton Highlands National Park : an ecological approach to vegetation restoration Madeline Jane Clarke, 2020. MSc thesis, Saint Mary's University, Halifax. "Ecotourism and hiking are increasingly popular, but trails can lead to vegetation loss, substrate compaction and erosion. Degradation and failure of vegetation recovery was observed at two closed sections of trails in Cape Breton Highlands National Park (Skyline and Mica Hill). In 2018, when compared to undamaged vegetation, trail conditions had reduced vascular plant cover and substrate nutrients, as well as higher temperature, compaction, moisture, and pH. Additionally, Skyline had no seed bank and Mica Hill's seed bank was a different community. In 2019, five treatments were implemented and monitored at Skyline: topsoil addition with erosion control mats combined with direct seeding and transplanting treatments. When compared to controls, all treatments improved vegetation cover and quality where added topsoil in combination with transplanting and seeding increased improvement. This study provides the basis for a long-term restoration study where further monitoring over many years can elucidate or modify these findings." Classification of dwarf heath plant communities on the coastal barrens of Nova Scotia Caitlin Porter, 2013. MSc thesis, St. Mary's University. 140 pages "Nova Scotia's coastal barrens are comprised predominantly of heathlands, a globally threatened community type. Coastal barrens provide habitat for a number of nationally rare species. Despite their ecological and cultural importance, Nova Scotia's coastal barrens are poorly described. My objectives were to classify and describe coastal dwarf heath plant communities and to quantify environmental factors that explain variation in their composition, diversity, and distribution. " |
