Taconite Inlet Project



5. Vegetation

The distribution of vegetation in the Queen Elizabeth Islands is strongly influenced by patterns of summer climate, particularly cloud cover and mean July temperature (Edlund and Alt, 1989). Most vascular plant species are at or near their physiological tolerance limits, especially areas influenced by Arctic Ocean climate, resulting in what Edlund and Alt (1989) term the "harshest regional summer climate in North America". Vegetation zones within the Queen Elizabeth Islands display a complex pattern which broadly follows that of mean July temperature.

By 1971, the moss flora of northern Ellesmere Island had been better studied than "any other area of comparable size in the Canadian Arctic" (Brassard, 1971). Among the sites at which mosses had been collected to that time were Ayles Fjord, Taconite Inlet, Ward Hunt Island and the Marvin Peninsula (most sampling was done in 1969). By 1976, known moss species from northern Ellesmere numbered 166 (Brassard, 1976), thus bryophyte species diversity is probably greater than that of vascular plants (Brassard, 1971). The comprehensive work of Brassard has supported the hypothesis of a Wisconsinan glacial refugium on northern Ellesmere Island. In his glacial history investigation, Lemmen (1989) dated five subfossil bryophyte samples, which provided strong support for the presence of refugia.

At Taconite Inlet, most of the landscape is either devoid of vegetation, or limited to lichens. In the most favorable sites, however, pockets of rich vascular plant assemblages appear to be thriving. These sites were typically sheltered, south-facing slopes with adequate moisture. The major vascular plant species typical of flat, well-drained areas such as the Lake C2 delta, were informally identified as Saxifragia spp., probably oppositifolia (Purple Saxifrage) and Salix arctica (willow). The most favorable sites discussed above also included hummocks of Dryas integrifolia and Cassiope tetragona.


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