Journal of Student Research 2023

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

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Analysis Plant species found at the Devil’s Punchbowl were assigned to vascular plant communities using the Wisconsin’s Natural Communities working list (WDNR 2022). Mosses were assigned to typical microhabitats using McKnight et al. (2013). By sorting out these species, we were able to determine which Wisconsin natural community types are present in the Devil’s Punchbowl. Coefficient of conservatism (C of C) and native or non-native status was determined by using the Online Virtual Flora of Wisconsin (Wisconsin State Herbarium, 2022) or the Michigan Flora website (University of Michigan, 2022). C of C measures how faithful a species is to their natural plant community. Plant values range from 0-10 and differ regionally due to vegetation having different impacts in locations. Coefficients with a value of 0 show that a species is “weedy” and shows no specificity of habitat preference. A value of 10 means that the species can only be found within their natural plant community and never outside of it. They are sensitive to even the mildest forms of habitat degradation (Rooney and Rogers, 2002). Results Eight ecological communities from the Wisconsin Natural Communities list (WDNR, 2022) are present in the Devil’s Punchbowl (Table 1). The most common communities at the site were northern and southern mesic forests. The least common natural community was a dry prairie. Since the larger prairie was originally planted, it had characteristics of a mesic, sand, and dry prairie along with surrogate grassland.

# of plants from Devil's Punchbowl in the plant community description

Community Type

Northern Mesic Forest Southern Mesic Forest Northern Dry-Mesic Forest Southern Dry-Mesic Forest Central Sands Pine-Oak Forest

12 12 10

9 9 7 6 6 6 5 3

Dry Cliff

Mesic Prairie Sand Prairie Moist Cliff Dry Prairie Surrogate Grassland

Table 1. Dominant plant communities found based upon the number of plants in common with the Natural Plant Communities of Wisconsin working list description (WDNR 2022).2023).

78.9% of the vascular species were native, and 6.7% were invasive or aggressive (Table 2). The highest coefficient of conservatism observed was 9 for Chrysosplenium americanum Schwein. ex Hook., Polypodium virginianum L. , and Symphyotrichum prenanthoides (Muhl. ex Willd.) G.L. Nesom. Forty-six species had a coefficient of conservatism of zero (Appendix 2). Of the 206 different species found, the average coefficient of conservatism was 3.80. Excluding non-native and invasive species, the average coefficient of conservatism is 4.70. We also found 12