Disturbance Response of Old Growth Bryophytes: A Dual Approach

这个项目支持休假活动，以启动一个新的研究方向，并加强博士未来的研究能力。这项关于太平洋西北部苔藓植物的项目补充和扩展了她在东部苔藓方面的专业知识。这些研究将1)提供信息以促进对沿海森林中常见和稀有苔藓植物生殖生态学的了解，2)为进一步研究附生苔藓群落的种群生物学提供一个框架，3)直接应用于老生长林的保护。西方对太平洋西北地区苔藓植物的科学知识基本上是分类学的，很少有关于种群生态学或苔藓对人为干扰的响应的数据。直到20年前开始收获苔藓用于花卉栽培之前，苔藓一直不被认为是一种可开发的资源，几乎没有受到科学的关注。该地区传统土著人民的情况正好相反，对他们来说，苔藓植物长期以来一直是土著自给自足经济的一部分。土著密集利用的历史以及鼓励密切关注生物群落的文化传统都表明，可能存在大量关于苔藓植物的传统土著知识。因此，在科学调查的同时，我计划评估关于苔藓植物对特定类型的生境改变/干扰的响应的传统生态知识(TEK)的程度。在学术界，使用TEK和科学工具的双重方法在很大程度上是未知的，而NSF-MCAA对探索可行性的支持对这种二元方法的发展至关重要。我将利用一整年的假期，与俄勒冈州立大学S植物学和植物病理学系的布鲁斯·麦库恩博士和同事们合作，进行野外、实验室和人种学研究。俄亥俄州立大学也是西北传统生态知识研究所的所在地，该研究所由朱迪思·韦尔贡博士领导，与该地区的美洲原住民部落一起在生态恢复方面进行了广泛的工作。研究涉及三种互补的科学和TEK方法，以解决苔藓保护生物学和可持续利用的潜力：1)定量描述被指定为“调查和管理”物种的繁殖生活史，与来自类似生境的无处不在物种的对照组的属性进行对比；2)扩散的实地和实验评估，以及“调查和管理”受开发物种的成功，3)探索当地土著人民的TEK水平，这可能是古老森林苔藓生境要求和收获后干扰反应的具体情况，并可能为物种生物学和养护提供见解。

0101616KimmererThis project supports sabbatical activities to initiate a new research direction and strengthen future research capability for Dr. Kimmerer. This project on the bryophytes of the Pacific Northwest complements and extends her expertise on Eastern mosses. These studies will 1) provide information to advance understanding of the reproductive ecology of common and rare bryophytes in coastal forests, 2) provide a framework for further studies of the population biology of epiphytic moss communities, and 3) have direct application to conservation in old growth forests.Western scientific knowledge of bryophytes in the Pacific Northwest is largely taxonomic in nature, with little data on population ecology or on moss response to anthropogenic disturbance. Until the harvest of bryophytes for floriculture began 20 years ago, bryophytes were not considered an exploitable resource and received little scientific attention. The reverse is true among the traditional native peoples of the region, for whom bryophytes have long been part of the indigenous subsistence economy. Both the history of intensive indigenous use, as well as cultural traditions that encourage close attention to biotic communities, suggest that there may be a significant body of traditional indigenous knowledge concerning bryophytes. Therefore, in parallel to the scientific investigations, I plan to evaluate the extent of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) concerning bryophyte response to a specific type of habitat alteration/disturbance, i.e., moss harvesting.The use of dual approaches of TEK and scientific tools is largely unknown in the academic community and support from the NSF-MCAA to explore feasibility is critical to development of this dualistic approach. I will use a full-year sabbatical leave to undertake field, laboratory and ethnographic research in collabroation with Dr. Bruce McCune and colleagues in Oregon State University (OSU)'s Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. OSU is also home to the Northwest Traditional Ecological Knowledge Institute, directed by Dr. Judith Vergun, who works extensively in ecological restoration with Native American tribes in the region.The research involves three complementary scientific and TEK approaches to questions of moss conservation biology and the potential for sustainable use:1) Quantitative description of reproductive life histories of mosses designated as "survey and manage" species, versus attributes of a control group of ubiquitous species from similar habitats.2) Field and experimental assessments of dispersal and establishment success of "survey and manage" species subject to exploitation, versus success of the ubiquitous epiphytic species.3) Exploration of TEK levels held by local indigenous people that might be specific to the habitat requirements and post-harvest disturbance response of old-growth forest mosses and might offer insights into species biology and conservation.