Lichen Monitoring in Gates of the Arctic National Park

Project ID: J8W07100007

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Partner Institution: Oregon State University

Fiscal Year: 2010

Initial Funding: $85,992

Total Funding: $120,720

Project Type: Research

Project Disciplines: Biological

National Park: Gates of the Arctic

Principal Investigator: McCune, Bruce

Agreement Technical Representative: Dalle-Molle, Lois

Abstract: Lichen abundance and community composition are important components of vegetation monitoring in the
Arctic Inventory and Monitoring Network (ARCN). Comprehensive lichen inventories that comprise the baseline data for long-term monitoring have been completed for 4 of the 5 National Park Service units in ARCN, with Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (GAAR) remaining; 2 of these existing inventories were by prior CESU agreements with Oregon State University. The purpose of this task agreement is to finish the acquisition of baseline data by performing an analogous baseline study for GAAR. The sampling methods to be used will follow closely the methods used in the prior study. Products will include a set of permanently marked plots suitable for long-term monitoring, a database containing all information gathered by field sampling, and a report describing theadditions that this sampling has made to our knowledge of ARCN lichen communities.