Abstract

Aquatic liverworts are important primary producers in environments that do not contain many autochthonous sources of organic matter. They also retain nutrients that would otherwise be lost to the current and contribute to the structural integrity of the mats of vascular plants and bryophytes on the boulders they inhabit. Disturbance plays a crucial role in the life cycle of aquatic liverworts, with the frequency and type of disturbance critical to their survival success. Conocephalum conicum (Snakeskin liverwort) is a thallose liverwort that grows throughout North America and is most commonly found in streams and rivers in mountainous environments. There is virtually no published literature on this species, despite its widespread occurrence. My objectives were to determine the habitat attributes of Conocephalum conicum in three western North Carolina streams (Flat Creek, Corner Rock Creek and Staire Creek). I sampled a 3/4 mile stretch of each stream by randomly selecting patches of liverwort growing on boulders. For each patch, I measured distance and DBH of closest understory and canopy species, along with the aspect of the slope. The horizontal spread of each patch was traced with tracing paper, and a leaf area meter was used to quantify the area of the tracing. For each patch of liverwort, a nearby random boulder was selected, and the same habitat characteristics were measured. Paired t-tests were used to compare habitat variables for boulders with and without liverwort were different. Based on my observations, C. conicum was most abundant in Corner Rock Creek and least abundant in Staire Creek. Average patch area of C. conicum was largest in Flat Creek (696cm2) and smallest in Staire Creek (408cm2). All boulders with C. conicum supported other bryophytes. Boulders with and without C. conicum differed only in Flat Creek for: understory distance (p= 0.04) and azimuth (p= 0.017). This study provides a better understanding of this species and the niche it occupies in mountain streams.

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