IDENTIFYING BROAD-SCALE ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS OF ANEMONE AMERICANA, CONOPHOLIS AMERICANA AND GOODYERA PUBESCENS IN NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA

Abstract

The forest understory is the most biodiverse vegetation layer in temperate forests and it plays a major role in nutrient cycles, energy flow and succession following disturbance. It is often marginalized in research in favour of studying more charismatic canopy species despite its roles in a forest ecosystem and its importance in supporting many forest plants at risk of extinction. Global biodiversity is declining and plant communities are facing greater threats because of human activity. Despite the urgency, many rare plants have not been studied in enough detail to have a sufficient understanding of the factors causing their rarity, including a basic understanding of their habitat requirements. Our work tackled this problem by investigating the habitat of three rare forest plant species, Anemone americana, Conopholis americana and Goodyera pubescens in Nova Scotia, Canada.