Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 07/18/2010 - 11:33
Forums
Tundra Plants in a Changing Climate

Hey there Keri. You know my love of native plants and I am familiar with many arctic species. In particular what species will you be looking at? Be careful, the Bear Hunter will not be there to watch your back. Have fun!!!!

Mon, 07/19/2010 - 23:23

Keri Rodgers

Hey, back at you. Unfortunately, I don't have your name....so dear mystery guest,We're studying over 100 different species of plants, both vascular and nonvascular that include grasses, sedges, rushes, mosses, lichens, and forbs.
According to Rob and Kelsey, three of the "biggies" are:
1. Cassiope tetragona (Arctic Heather): a little green evergreen shrub
2. Salix rotundifolia (Round Leaf Willow): a little deciduous shrub
3. Carex aquatilis (Water Sedge): widespread and common grass-like species throughout North America
These are all important because they are food bases for a lot of herbivores. They were also picked because they are circumpolar, meaning that they are common in a lot of areas within the Arctic Circle and its likely that you'd like them in North America, Siberia, etc.