Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve

20 Jul, 03 AM - 22 Jul, 09 AM

Climate change in the coming decades poses immediate challenges to the native flora of the redwood forest ecosystem as temperatures increase and soil moisture declines. In preliminary studies, we have found that the soil moisture availability decreases with distance and elevation from a riparian zone. The aim of this research is to understand how variation in water availability affects the morphology, physiology, population density and reproductive strategy of dominant redwood understory ferns. Specifically, the research will examine key, broadly distributed fern species including Polystichum munitum, Pteridium aquilinum, Woodwardia fimbriata and Adiantum aleuticum. Not only are these ferns the most abundant plants in the redwood understory, but their reliance on water makes them ideal indicators of redwood ecosystem health. Our goal is to examine variation in the overall performance and abundance of these taxa not only within watershed communities, but also on a latitudinal scale, since the coastal California precipitation gradient controls vegetation patterns in the redwood forest ecosystem. A mechanistic understanding of the physiological and reproductive limits of key redwood understory taxa such as ferns will inform future decisions regarding the management and conservation of redwood forests, particularly as water resources become increasingly scarce.

Visit #28856 @Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve

Approved

Under Project # 25270 | Research

Effect of Riparian Moisture Gradient on Understory Fern Physiology

research_scientist - University of California, Santa Cruz

Reservation Members(s)

Christopher Rico Jul 20 - 22, 2012 (3 days)
Group of 2 Research Scientist/Post Doc Jul 20 - 22, 2012 (3 days)

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