Data from: Recreational trails reduce lichen and bryophyte diversity and the occurrence of rare species
Data files
Abstract
Increasing recreational use of natural areas may pose a threat to biodiversity, particularly in sensitive high-elevation ecosystems. Lichens and bryophytes (collectively termed cryptogams here) contribute substantially to biodiversity in almost all terrestrial ecosystems, but their response to disturbance from recreation has rarely been studied.
We inventoried lichen and bryophyte communities and analyzed impacts of disturbance and environmental variables at four study areas in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, USA. The study areas ranged from low-elevation, wet temperate forests to alpine environments and adjacent subalpine forests.
We sampled cryptogam communities using both 1 x 1 meter quadrats as well as larger, circular, fixed-area plots. For both the quadrats and the plots, data on species composition and environmental variables we measured are included in separate files. We also include a data file of functional traits for cryptogams we encountered.
Large, high-quality cryptogam community datasets are rare, and these data may be useful for further analyses.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.sn02v6xkj
Description of the data and file structure
We inventoried lichen and bryophyte communities and analyzed impacts of disturbance and environmental variables at four study areas in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, USA. The study areas ranged from low-elevation, wet temperate forests to alpine environments and adjacent subalpine forests.
We used two main sampling approaches:
1. Belt transects were placed at random points along trails, and were used to quantify how far visitor use impacts extend beyond trails themselves in heavy-use corridors in the Park; quadrats were sampled along each transect.
2. Randomly and intuitively located plots documented cryptogam diversity and composition and provided insights into environmental drivers of cryptogam communities. Quadrats were also nested within plots.
Files and variables
File: pev.csv
Description: This file contains environmental data collected in random and intuitive plots.
Variables
| Variable name | Variable description |
|---|---|
| StartDateTime | Date and time survey was begun (in GMT) |
| ptid | Unique idenitifer for each plot |
| AREA | Which of the four study areas plot was located in |
| ASPECT | Topographic aspect in degrees |
| SLOPE | Topographic slope in % |
| BARESOILCOVER | % cover of bare soil within plot |
| STABLEROCKCOVER | % cover of stable rock in plot |
| UNSTABLEROCKCOVER | % cover of unstable rock in plot |
| LANDSCAPEHYRDOLOGYINDEX | Dryness of the plot, as estimated using four-point scale (see paper) |
| PrecentOpenWater | % of plot covered by open water |
| TRAMPLINGSEVERRITYINDEX | Degree of observed trampling impact, as estimated on a fourt-point scale (see paper) |
| HumanOther | Cause of trampling, as inferred in the field, when possible |
| TotalTreeCover | Total % aerial cover of trees, as estimated in the field |
| TotalShrubCover | Total % aerial cover of shrubs, as estimated in the field |
| TotaForbCover | Total % aerial cover of forbs, as estimated in the field |
| TotalGraminoidCover | Total % aerial cover of graminoids, as estimated in the field |
| Comments | Miscellaneous comments and notes from the field |
File: pnv.csv
Description: This file contains data on cryptogam taxa that were found in random and intuitive plots.
Variables
| Variable name | Variable description |
|---|---|
| ptid | Unique idenitifer for each plot |
| final_name | Scientific name of cryptogam taxon |
| CryptogamAbundanceRank | Abundance of cryptogam taxon on five-point scale (see accompanying paper) |
| type | Type of cryptogam (lichen, moss or hepatic) |
File: qev.csv
Description: This file contains environmental data collected in quadrats (on transects and in plots)
Variables
| Variable name | Variable description |
|---|---|
| StartDateTime | Date and time survey was begun (in GMT) |
| uid | Unique idenitifer for each quadrat |
| QuadratType | Type of sampling unit quadrat is associated with: Full transect, radial transect, or plot |
| ptid | Unique identifier for associated transect or plot |
| area | Which of the four study areas quadrat was located in |
| Azimuth | Aspect to which transect is aligned (for quadrats on transects only) |
| SLOPE | Topographic slope in % |
| ASPECT | Topographic aspect in degrees |
| BARESOILCOVER | % cover of bare soil in quadrat |
| STABLEROCKCOVER | % cover of stable rock in quadrat |
| UNSTABLEROCKCOVER | % cover of unstable rock in quadrat |
| LANDSCAPEHYRDOLOGYINDEX | Dryness of the plot, as estimated using four-point scale (see paper) |
| TRAMPLINGSEVERRITYINDEX | Degree of observed trampling impact, as estimated on a fourt-point scale (see paper) |
| HumanOther | Cause of trampling, as inferred in the field, when possible |
| TotalTreeCover | Total % aerial cover of trees, as estimated in the field |
| TotalShrubCover | Total % aerial cover of shrubs, as estimated in the field |
| TotaForbCover | Total % aerial cover of forbs, as estimated in the field |
| TotalGraminoidCover | Total % aerial cover of graminoids, as estimated in the field |
| Comments | Miscellaneous comments and notes from the field |
| qid | Identifier of quadrat's position within transect or plot |
| heatload | Topographic heat load; higher values represent warmer topographic microclimates (see paper) |
| TSI | Degree of observed trampling impact, as estimated on a fourt-point scale (see paper) |
| lhi | Dryness of the plot, as estimated using four-point scale (see paper) |
| veg | Vegetation type (alpine or montane forest) |
| nvrich | Richness of cryptogam taxa |
| M | Richness of mosses |
| H | Richness of hepatics |
| L | Richness of lichens |
| total_rock | Total rock cover (sum of stable and unstable rock cover) |
| master_dist | Distance in meters from nearest trail or social trail (using field estimates when available, and otherwise calculated using mapping software) |
File: qnv.csv
Description: This file contains data on cryptogam taxa that were found in quadrats (on transects and in plots)
Variables
| Variable name | Variable description |
|---|---|
| uid | Unique idenitifer for each quadrat |
| final_name | Scientific name of cryptogam taxon |
| type | Type of cryptogam (lichen, moss or hepatic) |
| CryptogamPercentCover | % aerial cover of the cryptogam taxon |
File: trait.csv
Description: This file contains data on characterics of cryptogam taxa encountered
Variables
| Variable name | Variable description |
|---|---|
| Species | Scientific name of cryptogam taxon |
| Type | Type of taxon (H=hepatic, L=lichen, M=moss) |
| G-rank | Estimated global conservation rank based on number of known collections only, roughly following Natureserve protocols (1=G1-critically imperilled, 2=G2-imperilled, 3=G3-vulnerable, 4=G4-apparently secure, 5=G5-secure) |
| S-rank | Estimated State conservation rank based on number of known collections only, roughly following Natureserve protocols (1=S1-critically imperilled, 2=S2-imperilled, 3=S3-vulnerable, 4=S4-apparently secure, 5=S5-secure) |
| Morphogroup | Morphological group (ac=acrocarpus moss, ca=calicioid lichen, cr=crustose lichen, fo=foliose lichen, fr=fruticose lichen, le=leafy liverwort, sp=sphagnum moss, sq=squamulose lichen, th=thalloid liverwort) |
| Substrate | Typical substrate where taxon occurs (B=bark, M=moss, S=soil, W=wood) |
| Photobiont | Type of photobiont for lichens only (G=green algae, C=cyanobacteria, T=tripartite) |
| Late snow melt associate | Whether taxon is associated with moisture produced by late-melting summer snow |
| target | Whether the taxon was considered a target taxon (e.g., rare taxon of conservation concern) for the purposes of this study |