Journal of Student Research 2023

Rare Vascular and Bryophyte Plant Survey: Diversity within the Devil’s Punchbowl Rare Vascular and Bryophyte Plant Survey: Diversity within the Devil’s Punchbowl

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Britney Serafina Senior, B.S. Environmental Science Faculty Advisor: Dr. Amanda Little

Abstract Rare plant surveys are important for plant species conservation. These types of surveys help with research, monitoring, management, and citizen engagement. Rare species are important due to their impact on the environment, ecosystem functions, and ecosystem services. Since the Devil’s Punchbowl is the most visited nature preserve in Dunn County, it is important to keep a record of the species present in order to document potential species loss. The site was surveyed weekly during the summer of 2022 to identify and document vascular and bryophyte plant species. Of the 206 vascular plant species found at the Devil’s Punchbowl, about 78.9% are native, 6.7% are considered invasive, and 14.4% are classified as a subcategory of native or invasive. The mean coefficient of conservatism (C of C) of all the vascular species was 3.80. We found a total of nine different bryophyte communities within the Devil’s Punchbowl with no rare mosses. The Devil’s Punchbowl is a unique small preserve with a high species density and has many different natural communities within. Despite the lack of rare species, the Devil’s Punchbowl still provides valuable contributions to plant conservation in the area. Introduction Many assume that since rare species consist of small populations, they have no effect on their environment or impact ecosystem functions. However, rare plant species provide a myriad of ecosystem services. Rare species overall can act as indicators of community diversity as they have been associated with different important roles within an ecosystem (Wiegand, 2020). The reasons why rare plant species matter differs due to their capabilities. Some species may directly provide a benefit such as food production, appreciation, or cultural services (Dee, 2019). Additionally, when rare plants provide cultural services, their role becomes more important in a human’s perspective to conserve and protect. They may provide identity, a sense of place, or an iconic symbol in one’s culture (Dee, 2019). Rare species may also have functioning services that their ecosystems rely on, such as carbon storage, nitrogen fixation, and nutrient cycling (Dee, 2019; Wiegand, 2020). If they are the only species within a community that provides these functions, then without them, the health of the neighboring attributes, like soil and biota, may decline. Some rare species have the possibility to modify their local conditions that can benefit provides through species interactions. Mutualisms like plant-soil interactions can be beneficial, but also detrimental to the ecosystem if the mutualistic Keywords: Devil’s Punchbowl, rare plants, bryophytes, plant survey, ferns, diversity