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This project is a pilot study to assess the viability of transplantation as a technique to establish reindeer lichens on reclaimed areas of oil sands surface mines in the Athabasca region of Alberta. There were two components to this study: a) a lichen transplant trial, where I investigated which commonly available substrates found in reclaimed forest sites would promote the best lichen fragment survival and vigour for a lichen ‘seeding’ program; and b) a diversity assessment of the reclaimed site to compare the existing cryptogam community with the expected community for the target ecosite based on published descriptions from the surrounding native forests and documented chronosequences for terrestrial lichen communities. In July 2009, Cladonia mitis was transplanted into 54 plots on three sites that were planted with jack pine or spruce 12 or 24 years ago, respectively, on the Suncor Millenium/Steepbank Mine (Suncor Mine). This trial was designed to investigate possible short-term indicators of successful lichen establishment and the effect of substrate (moss, litter, or soil) on the establishment of transplanted lichen thallus fragments. The indicators of lichen establishment evaluated were vigour, movement from plots, photographic areal cover, and microscopic growth (hyphal growth, annual growth and lateral branching). After two growing seasons, the effect of substrate on lichen transplant survival varied by site; there was no significant difference in lichen fragment retention in plots by substrate on the 24-year old sites, but median fragment retention was significantly higher on moss and litter substrates than soil on the 12-year old site. There was also no significant difference in fragment vigour between substrates on each site, except on the south-facing 24-year-old forest site where average vigour was significantly higher on moss plots than on soil plots. Photographic areal measurement is not recommended as a short-term lichen establishment monitoring tool for transplanted fragments based on the difficulties encountered using the method for this trial. Forty-one percent of the fragments collected for microscopic assessment after the first growing season had grown hyphae, 23 percent of the fragments collected during September 2009 and September 2010 had formed apothecia, and 31 percent of the fragments collected in September 2010 had grown lateral branches. The results of the biodiversity assessment were compared with the successional communities previously described for spruce- and pine-lichen boreal forests. There were no lichens found on the 12-year-old site, though the cup lichens were common to abundant on the 24-year-old sites, which is consistent with the cryptogammic community expected for a regenerating natural site of that age. Cladonia mitis was also present but rare to uncommon on the 24-year-old site, while Cladonia stellaris, Cladonia rangiferina and Cladonia stygia that, together with C. mitis, are indicative of the al and c1 ecosites of the Central Mixedwood Boreal forest, were not present. / Graduate

How long has the extant flora been present in the Antarctic? Glaciological reconstructions propose that most areas in Antarctica were covered by thick ice sheets throughout the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ~22-18 kya) as well as previous glaciations, suggesting terrestrial life must have been extremely limited during these periods. In contrast, recent biogeographic and genetic studies support most extant groups of Antarctic terrestrial fauna having survived past glaciations in situ. However, studies on the origin and age of the Antarctic flora remain sparse. Applying population genetic, phylogeographic and divergence time analyses I assessed the global biogeography, origin and age of several abundant Antarctic moss species, including: four Polytrichaceae mosses, characterised by having bipolar distributions, the most common (~45% of species) distribution pattern amongst Antarctic mosses; the globally widespread moss Ceratodon purpureus; the bank-forming moss Chorisodontium aciphyllum, also known for its old sub-fossils in Antarctica and long-term viability from revival experiments; and, lastly, the genus Schistidium, the most species-rich moss genus in Antarctica, including many endemic species. Genetic analyses revealed evidence of long-term (multi-million year) survival of plants in Antarctica (several species of Schistidium, Ceratodon purpureus, and possibly Polytrichum juniperinum). However, evidence for a likely more recent (< 100 ky) arrival of Chorisodontium aciphyllum was also found. Some species revealed multiple separate dispersal events to the Antarctic, suggesting the region may be less isolated for spore-dispersed organisms than previously thought. Evidence for increased genetic diversity in the northern maritime Antarctic compared to other regions point at it including potential refugial areas. Furthermore, genetic patterns revealed geographic features that enable and limit the connectivity of bryophytes globally as well as in Antarctica. This study suggests that, despite the harsh polar climate during glaciation periods, many bryophytes have had a much longer presence in Antarctica than previously thought.