Preliminary Checklist of the Terrestrial Flora and Fauna of Fern Cave National Wildlife Refuge ______________________________________________ Prepared for: United States Fish & Wildlife Service Prepared by: J. Kevin England, MAT David Richardson, MS Completed: as of 22 Sep 2019 All rights reserved. Phone: 256-565-4933 Email:
[email protected] Flora & Fauna of FCNWR2 ABSTRACT I.) Total Biodiversity Data The main objective of this study was to inventory and document the total biodiversity of terrestrial habitats located at Fern Cave National Wildlife Refuge (FCNWR). Table 1. Total Biodiversity of Fern Cave National Wildlife Refuge, Jackson Co., AL, USA Level of Classification Families Genera Species Lichens and Allied Fungi 14 21 28 Bryophytes (Bryophyta, Anthocerotophyta, Marchantiophyta) 7 9 9 Vascular Plants (Tracheophytes) 76 138 176 Insects (Class Insecta) 9 9 9 Centipedes (Class Chilopoda) 1 1 1 Millipedes (Class Diplopoda) 2 3 3 Amphibians (Class Amphibia) 3 4 5 Reptiles (Class Reptilia) 2 3 3 Birds (Class Aves) 1 1 1 Mammals (Class Mammalia) 2 2 2 Total 117 191 237 II. Vascular Flora (Appendix 3) Methods and Materials To compile a thorough vascular flora survey, several examples of different plant communities at numerous sites were visited and sampled during the study. Approximately 45 minutes was spent documenting community structure at each site. Lastly, all habitats, ecological systems, and plant associations found within the property boundaries were defined based on floristic content, soil characteristics (soil maps) and other abiotic factors. Flora & Fauna of FCNWR3 The most commonly used texts for specimen identification in this study were Flora of North America (1993+), Mohr (1901), Radford et al.