Bryophyte Ecology in Northern Disturbed Ecosystems

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Since graduate studies, my long-term research program focused on the ecology of Sphagnum species in peatlands, first, as impacted by acid rain (nitrogen deposition) and, lately, understanding their distribution and regeneration niche at early successional stages after disturbance. This topic will remain one main theme of my research programme but other groups of bryophytes such as true mosses (commonly named brown mosses) dominating fens and boreal pioneer upland bryophytes and lichens will also be studied. The general objective of my research program will be to provide essential knowledge about the factors determining the success of establishment of mosses and lichens recolonizing disturbed soils and harsh environments. A focus of study will be on facilitation (how some plants benefit from growing in close association with neighbours) and how this plant-plant interaction relationship can contribute to theoretical plant ecology and improve our predictive ability of successional pathways and trajectory of restoration projects. The program will also address how to use and benefit from mosses and lichens in ecosystem restoration based on an understanding of the factors limiting establishment in spontaneously regenerating sites (post-fire peatlands and abandoned mines) or experimentally in growth chambers, mesocosms in greenhouses (small peatland models) and in field. The effects of water level, nutrient availability, competition, mechanical fragmentation, physiological timing, age of living material and freezing temperature on the establishment of mosses from vegetative fragments will be studied. Specific habitats and disturbances under study will be peatlands degraded by peat extraction exposing acidic or minerotrophic organic soil across Canada (QC, NB and MB); road construction disturbances in alpine uplands in National Parks (QC); ore mining operation disturbances in northern uplands (QC and central BC), fens post-fires (NWT and AB), wetland tundra by herbivory (Nunavut) and Sphagnum peatlands by drainage (QC; simulation of a climate change scenario). For the taxa, emphasis will be given to: 1) main Sphagnum species forming the muskegs of Canada, 2) main true mosses contributing to peat accumulation in fens, 3) pioneer fen species 4) some arctic fen species and 5) some expected biocrust forming moss and lichen species. This research program is the only one in Canada to investigate the functional role of bryophytes and lichens in boreal and arctic non-forested wetlands. The better understanding of those organisms will help towards responsible management a variety of habitats across Canada: cut-over horticultural peatlands, peatlands impacted by oil sands infrastructures, upland habitats impacted by road constructions or mining and arctic tundra wetlands under the stress of herbivory and global warming.