Re-evaluation of the Pteridophyte Flora of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park
Cox P. 2016. Re-evaluation of the Pteridophyte Flora of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park
Through 2008, over 140 miles of 68 trails have been mapped for ferns using volunteers. In 2009, some of the first trails inventoried in 2001 will be revisited to determine if there are any detectible changes. Christmas fern is the commonest fern in the park, but is not found at the highest elevations. New York fern is the second commonest and there is a large drop off in abundance after that. Of the 65 species of fern documented in the park, 37 have been detected during this project. Most data has been entered into the ATBI database. In 2009, Eight of the 14 trails surveyed in 2001 were resurveyed. The fern diversity for Sweat Heifer Trail in 2009 was 90.2% similar to the 2001 survey. Other similarity indices are as follows: Curry Mt (89.7%), Cucumber Gap (89.6%), Meigs Creek (89%), Big Creek (82.5%), Baxter Creek (77.7%), Thomas Divide (72.1%) and Road Prong (62.4%). Last trail was surveyed at Greenbrier in 2013.
- Type
- Generic Dataset
- Authors
- Cox, Patricia
- Date of Issue
- 2016-10-11
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- APHN, Appalachian Highlands Network, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, GRSM, GRSM Permitted Study ID: GRSM-00180, SER, Southeast Region
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Forest/Woodland Communities