Some Microclimatic Characteristics of Habitats of Endemic and Disjunct Bryophytes in the Southern Blue Ridge
Billings WD and Anderson LE. 1966. Some Microclimatic Characteristics of Habitats of Endemic and Disjunct Bryophytes in the Southern Blue Ridge. The Bryologist. 69(1):76-95
Precipitation and maximum and minimum temperatures (air and bryophyte layer) were measured for six-month periods for two and one-half years in the gorge region of the southern Blue Ridge notable for its rich bryophytic flora with many endemics and disjunct species with tropical affinities. Stations were maintained both in and outside the gorges. The region receives high precipitation (85-100 inches per year) which is very reliable from year to year. There is some indication that the highest rainfall is at the heads of the gorges near the top of the lower escarpment (2,500-3,000 feet elevation). Both air and bryophyte temperatures in the gorges were more moderate than those outside. High temperatures never occurred within the gorges, and the gorge bryophyte habitats never dried out as did the bryophyte habitats on the ridges and in the valleys below. This mild, wet mountain environment is unique in eastern North America. It is postulated that the endemic and disjunct "tropical" bryophytes remained in the gorges in relatively mild and moist microenvironments during the whole of the Pleistocene.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Billings, W; Anderson, Lewis
- Units
- BLRI
- Keywords
- Plant Studies