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Vegetation and Production Ecology of an Alaskan Arctic Tundra pp 269–298Cite as

Primary Production Processes in Arctic Bryophytes at Barrow, Alaska

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Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 29))

Abstract

Mosses represent an important growth form in arctic areas where they contribute significantly to the production, biomass, and cover (Wielgolaski, 1972; Webber, 1974, 1978; Rastorfer, 1978). For example, bryophytes comprise 91% of the aboveground biomass in a sedge-moss meadow in Western Taimyr, and an average of 38% of the aboveground biomass for all IBP tundra sites reported by Wielgolaski (1972). In drier tundra areas, however, moss cover drops substantially (Wielgolaski and Webber, 1973). Despite their high levels of cover and biomass, aboveground productivity in arctic bryophytes is generally considerably lower than in vascular plants. Wielgolaski (1972) reports a range of aboveground production for bryophytes from 1 to 50 g dry wt m-2 yr -1 for numerous IBP tundra sites. This compares to values of 9 to 382 g dry wt m-2 yr-1 for vascular plants. In select antarctic areas, however, production of bryophytes may reach 1000 g dry wt m-2 yr-1 (Clarke et al., 1971).

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Authors
  1. W. C. Oechel
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  2. B. Sveinbjörnsson
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Larry L. Tieszen

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© 1978 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

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Oechel, W.C., Sveinbjörnsson, B. (1978). Primary Production Processes in Arctic Bryophytes at Barrow, Alaska. In: Tieszen, L.L. (eds) Vegetation and Production Ecology of an Alaskan Arctic Tundra. Ecological Studies, vol 29. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-6307-4_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-6307-4_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-6309-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-6307-4

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