The Coastal Plain Floristic Element in Michigan
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Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 4-1974 The Coastal Plain Floristic Element in Michigan Gary J. Pierce Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Botany Commons Recommended Citation Pierce, Gary J., "The Coastal Plain Floristic Element in Michigan" (1974). Master's Theses. 2585. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/2585 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE COASTAL PLAIN FLORISTIC ELEMENT IN MICHIGAN by Gary J. Pierce A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Master of Arts Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan April 1974 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank my committee members Dr. Richard Brewer and Dr. Leo Vanderbeek for valuable suggestions in the preparation of this manuscript. Special thanks are extended to Dr. Richard Pippen for valuable assistance and encouragement throughout my stay at Western Michigan University and particularly during the course of my research and the preparation of this paper. Through his help my stay was not only a valuable experience but a pleasant one as well. Thanks are also due to curators at the various herbaria who have so kindly allowed me to examine specimens. Especially helpful was Dr. E. G. Voss who made some critical suggestions during the early stages of my work and who allowed me to examine his personal notes on Coastal Plain species in Michigan and herbarium records gathered for the writing of the Michigan Flora. Field work for this study was made possible through a Grant- in-aid of Research from the Society of the Sigma Xi. Gary J. Pierce ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INFORMATION TO USERS This material was produced from a microfilm copy of the original document. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the original submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or patterns which may appear on this reproduction. 1.The sign or "target" for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is "Missing Page(s)". 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TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION ................................................. 1 The Coastal Plain and Its F l o r a ........................... 1 Disjunctions of the Coastal Plain Flora .............. 3 METHODS ..................................................... 4 HISTORICAL AND LITERATURE REVIEW ............................. 10 Reports of Coastal Plain Plants in the M i d w e s t ........................................... 10 Explanation of the P h e n o m e n o n .............................. 14 Criticisim of the Explanations..................... 16 Other Hypotheses............................................. 20 LIMITATION OF THE P R O B L E M ..................................... 28 Definition of Coastal Plain Disjunct ........................ 28 Distribution of Five Coastal Plain Disjuncts ................ 33 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ......................................... 35 Surface Geology ............................................. 35 H a b i t a t ................................................... 36 Uniformity of features at Coastal Plain disjunct sites ........................................... 36 Salient features of Coastal Plain disjunct locations ....................................... 37 Discussion of specific Coastal Plain disjunct sites ........................................... 55 DISPERSAL POTENTIAL OF COASTAL PLAIN DISJUNCTS ................ 80 AN ORDINATION OF COMMUNITIES WITH COASTAL PLAIN DISJUNCTS ................................................... 83 iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. 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PAGE CONCLUSIONS................................................... 93 Ecological Relations ....................................... 93 Origin in the M i d w e s t ....................................... 94 Persistence in the M i d w e s t ................................. 95 APPENDIX 1: SOURCES FOR DISTRIBUTION DATA OF COASTAL PLAIN DISJUNCTS.................................................... 97 Eleocharis melanocarpa ..................................... 97 Representative specimens ................................. 97 Literature sources ..................................... 98 Fuirena pumila ............................................. 100 Representative specimens ................................ 100 Literature sources ....................................... 101 Psilocarya scirpoides ....................................... 103 Representative specimens ................................ 103 Literature sources ..................................... 104 Rhynchospora macrostachya ................................... 106 Representative specimens ................................ 106 Literature sources ....................................... 107 Scleria reticularis ....................................... 110 Representative specimens ............................... 110 Literature sources ..................................... 110 APPENDIX 2: DATA FOR ORDINATION ............................ 112 BASIC Computer P r o g r a m ................................... 112 Species List for Ordination................................ 114 REFERENCES CITED ............................................. 115 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. L IS T OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Locations, topography, and elevation of collection s i t e s .................. .......................... 5 2. Coastal Plain species in Michigan......... ............ 11 3. Distribution of Coastal Plain species listed by P e a t t i e............................................. 18 4. Soil on which Coastal Plain disjuncts arefound .... 41 5. Soil pH of collection s i t e s ........................... 52 6. Species limited by the tension z o n e ................... 54 7. Coastal Plain species in common between Cape Cod and the Mi d w e s t ..................................... 79 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1. Map of Eleocharis melanocarpa......................... 22 2. Map of Fuirena p u m i l a ................................. 23 3 • Map of Psilocarya s c i r p o i d e s ......................... 24 4. Map of Rhynchospora m a c r o s t a c h y a ..................... 25 5. Map of Scleria r e t i c u l a r i s ........................... 26 6. Peaty shore in Merrill Township, Newaygo County .... 44 7. Peaty bottom of "East Beltline Pond" ................. 45 8. Peaty shore in Holton Township, Muskegon County .... 46 9. Sandy shore of Daggett L a k e ........................... 47 10. Sandy shore of Mud L a k e ............................... 48 11. Sand dunes around Arbutus L a k e ....................... 50 12. Sketch map of Crooked L a k e ........................... 56 13. Sedge peat flat on Crooked L a k e ....................... 59 14. Peaty flat on east shore of Crooked L a k e ............. 60 15. Dense cover on a sedge peat f l a t ....................