Vascular plant reproduction, establishment, and growth and the effects of cryptogamic crusts within a polar desert ecosystem, Devon Island, N.W.T., Canada

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Botany
• Main Authors: Bliss, L C, Gold, W G
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1999
• Subjects: Devon Island; Draba corymbosa; Papaver radicatum; polar desert
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/b99-031; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/b99-031

Most of the ice-free lands within the Canadian High Arctic are classified as polar desert (44%) or semidesert (49%). Much of this desert landscape supports no more than 6-10 vascular species that provide 1-3% cover and cryptogamic organisms that occupy 0-5% cover on the soil surface. The barrenness of these lands results from a short growing season and low summer temperatures that limit plant growth and the production of viable seeds. Limited areas have a 50-80% cover of cryptogamic crust and an 8-12% cover of vascular plants. These are areas in which surfaces remain moist for considerable periods in summer from snowflush waters. Where such cryptogamic soil crusts develop, they play a central role in soil development and nitrogen fixation. The two major components of this study were (i) an examination of fundamental reproductive, establishment, and growth characteristics of polar desert plants in the field and (ii) the relationship of these characteristics to environmental conditions in areas with and without cryptogamic crusts. Summer conditions during the study ranged from unusually warm (1991; 252 degree-days) to unusually cool (1992; 123 degree-days) with two average years (1994 and 1995; 172 and 166 degree-days, respectively). Differences in reproduction and establishment among these summers included (i) higher germination ability of seeds produced in the warm summer (1991) compared with more average summers (1994 and 1995) and (ii) significant seedling occurrence only in the average summers of 1994 and 1995. Seedling densities were much higher at crusted (206 seedlings/m 2 ) than noncrusted sites (26 seedlings/m 2 ). In both sites, root elongation of seedlings and older plants were significantly greater than shoot elongation, yet in established plants, shoot biomass was much greater than root biomass (root/shoot ratios from 0.1 to 0.3). Reproductive attributes varied among the species examined. Saxifraga caespitosa L. produced much smaller seeds then Draba corymbosa R. Br. ex DC. and Papaver radicatum ...