THE VEGETATION AND FLORA OF AUYUITTOQ NATIONAL PARK RESERVE, BAFFIN ISLAND ;JAMES E. HINES AND STEVE MOORE DEPARTMENT OF RENEWABLE RESOURCES GOVERNMENT OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES YELLOWKNIFE I NORTHWEST TERRITORIES I XlA 2L9 1988 A project completed under contract to Environment Canada, Canadian Parks Service, Prairie and Northern Region, Winnipeg, Manitoba. 0 ~tona Renewable Resources File Report No. 74 Renewabl• R•sources ~ Government of tha N p .0. Box l 310 Ya\lowknif e, NT XlA 2L9 ii! ABSTRACT The purposes of this investigation were to describe the flora and major types of plant communities present in Auyuittuq National Park Reserve, Baffin Island, and to evaluate factors influencing the distribution of the local vegetation. Six major types of plant communities were recognized based on detailed descriptions of the physical environment, flora, and ground cover of shrubs, herbs, bryophytes, ·and lichens at 100 sites. Three highly interrelated variables (elevation, soil moisture, and texture of surficial deposits) seemed to be important in determining the distribution and abundance of plant communities. Continuous vegetation developed mainly at low elevations on mesic to wet, fine-textured deposits. Wet tundra, characterized by abundant cover of shrubs, grasses, sedges, and forbs, occurred most frequently on wet, fine-textured marine and fluvial sediments. Dwarf shrub-qram.inoid comm.unities were comprised of abundant shrubs, grasses, sedges and forbs and were found most frequently below elevations of 400 m on mesic till or colluvial deposits. Dwarf shrub comm.unities were characterized by abundant dwarf shrub and lichen cover. They developed at similar elevations and on similar types of surficial deposits as dwarf-shrub graminoid communities. On average, the soil texture appeared to be somewhat coarser and the moisture conditions drier than in the dwarf shrub-graminoid communities. High elevation barrens prevailed under a broad range of moisture regimes and on a variety of surficial deposits at elevations 600 m or more above sea level. Lichens were dominant at high elevations whereas the cover of vascular plants was sparse and relatively low in diversity. Early successional comm.unities (which, if left undisturbed, would eventually support wet tundra, dwarf shrub-graminoid, or dwarf shrub communities) had a sparse cover of herbaceous plants and little shrub, moss, or lichen cover. Seashore communities featured a sparse cover of salt-tolerant herbs. Lists of the 93 species of vascular plants, 61 bryophytes, and 70 lichens collected in the Park are provided. The list of vascular species is annotated with regard to the relative abundance, environmental preferences, and geographic distribution of each species. The general distribution of continuous plant cover and local variations in the diversity of vascular plants are discussed. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRA.CT. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • iii LIST OF FIGURES. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • vii LIST OF TABLE'S. .. .. .. .. .. .. ix INTRODUCTION •••••••••••• .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. l Previous studies •• .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 1 THE STUDY AREA: AUYUITTUQ NATIONAL PARK RESERVE ••• .. .. 5 Climate .......................................... 7 Physiography and Geology •••••••••••••••••••••••••• 8 Soils . ........................................... 16 ·Permafrost and Periglacial Phenomena. .. 18 METHODS • •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• .. .. .. 19 RESULTS •••..•••••••.•••••..••••••••.•••••••.•..••••.•... 22 General Factors Influencing the Distribution and of Diversity of Vegetation •••••••• .. .. 22 Description of Plant Communities ••••.•••.•.••••••• 27 Wet Tundra . •••••••.••••••.•••.•...• 27 Dwarf Shrub-graminoid CoID:munity ••.••••.•. .. 40 Dwarf Shrub Community ••••••••••••.•• .. .. 41 High Elevation Barrens ••••••••••••••••••••••••• 43 Early successional Communities •••.•••••••••• 44 Seashore Comm.unity •••••••••••.•••••.•• . 45 Local Geographic Variations in Flora and Vegetation . ................................... 46 Species Accounts: Vascular Plants •••.•.•.••••••••• 49 Geographical Affinities of the Vascular Flora ••••• 64 Lichens and Bryophytes ••••••••••••••••••••••••••.• 64 DISCUSSION . •.•.......•.••••.••••••••.•.• . .. 66 Vegetation Distribution ••••••••••• . .. .. 66 Vegetation Classification ••••••• . .. .. 68 Local Geographic Variations in Flora and Vegetation . ................................... 70 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ••. .. .. 73 LIT~TURE CITED. • . • • . • . • • . • • • . • • . • . • 7 5 vi APPENDIX l. Environmental and biotic characteristics ot 100 sites chosen for detailed veqetation analysis, Auyuittuq National Park Reserve, 1986 - 87 ••••••••••••••••••••• Bl APPENDIX 2. Lichens collected in Auyuittuq National Park Reserve in 1986 - 87 •••.•••••••••••••••• 87 APPENDIX 3. Bryophytes collected in Auyuittuq National Park Reserve in 1986 - 87 •••••••••• 91 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. The location of Auyuittuq National Park Reserv-e. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 6 Figure 2. Mean daily temperatures for 5 weather stations in the vicinity of Auyuittuq National Park Reserve •••••••••••••••••••••••• 9 Figure 3. ·Monthly rainfall, snowfall, and total precipitation for 5 weather stations in the vicinity of Auyuittuq National Park Reserv-e • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • lo Figure 4. The general distribution of continuous vegetation in Auyuittuq National Park Reserve. Sites where vegetation was sampled in 1986 and 1987 are indicated ••••••• 23 Figure s. The influence of moisture on the distribution of 5 plant communities in Auyuittuq National Park Reserve ••••.••••.•••• 37 Figure 6. The influence of elevation on the distribution of 5 plant communities in Auyuittuq National Park Reserve •••••••••••.•• 38. Figure 7. The influence of surficial deposits on the distribution of 5 plant communities in Auyuittuq National Park Reserve •.••••••••• 39 Figure a. The influence of topography, surficial deposits, and other environmental factors on the distribution of 5 plant communities in Auyuittuq National Park Reserve. 67 ix LIST OF TABLES 'rabl.e 1. The correlation between plant cover and elevation, soil moisture, and texture of surficial deposits. Correlation coefficients marked with asterisks are statistically significant (~ < 0.05) •••••••••••• 25 Table 2. The mean canopy cover (± SE) of different vegetation strata in 5 plant communities, Auyuittuq National Park Rese-rv-e. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 2 8 Table 3. The frequency (%) of different vascular plants in 5 plant communities, Auyuittuq National Park Reserve •••••••••••••••••••••••••• 29 Table 4. The total and average number of vascular plant species found in 5 plant communities, . Auyuittuq National Park Reserve •.••.••••••••••••• 34 Table 5. Characteristic lichens found in 6 plant communities, Auyuittuq National Park Reserve •••• 35 Table 6. Characteristic bryophytes found in 6 plant communities, Auyuittuq National Park Reserve . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 36 Table 7. Diversity of vascular plants in 4 geographic areas, Auyuittuq National Park Reserv'e • • • • . • • • • • • • • . • . • . • • . • • . • • • • • • 4 7 Table a. Number of species of vascular plants by family for Auyuittuq National Park Reserve ·•• > • • • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 5 o Table 9. Geographic affinity of vascular plants found in Auyuittuq National Park Reserve ••••••• 65 l INTRODUCTION This report summarizes botanical investigations undertaken as· part of a natural resource inventory of Auyuittuq National Park Reserve, Baffin Island, in 1986 and 1987. It is· intended to provide background information that can be used in interpretive programs and the conservation and management of plant communities and wildlife habitat in the Park. Major objectives are to describe the plant communities present, analyze the effects of various environmental factors on the distribution and abundance of vegetation, and provide an annotated listing of the vascular flora. In addition, checklists of bryophyte and lichen floras are provided and some areas of possible botanical significance are identified. Previous Studies The history of botanical collecting in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago has been summarized by Polunin '(1940), Baird and Robinson (1945), Porsild (1957), Porsild and Cody (1980), Soper and Powell (1985), and others. Cumberland Peninsula, on which Auyuittuq National Park Reserve is located, has been the site of several previous botanical studies of varying intensity and thoroughness. From 1934 to 1936, N.A. Polunin (1940, 1947, 1948) accompanied the Canadian Eastern Arctic patrol ship and described the flora 2 and vegetation in the vicinity of several settlements, including Panqnirtung (located about 25 km south of the ~resent Park). In 1953, the Penny Highlands of Cumberland Peninsula were the focus of the second Baird Expedition, organized by the-Arctic Institute, to collect information in a variety of scientific disciplines. Accompanying the expedition was F.H. Schwarzenbach, a swiss botanist from the University of Zurich. His undated report, translated into English in 1975, provides a wealth of information on the vascular plants of the area and the effects of environmental factors, such as elevation, on plant distribution. To our knowledge, little or no botanical research