Studies on lichen-dominated systems. VII. Interaction of the general lichen–heath with edaphic factors

Abstract

The patterns of variation in vegetation and the more apparent environmental parameters within and between the ridges of a recently formed Hudson Bay coastal raised-beach system 1.5 km wide are presented and analyzed using principle-component analysis and correlation coefficients. Previous research in the area did not detect such patterns within the general lichen–heath.There is a marked developmental sequence from the coast inland, involving increases in the soil moisture content and the peat-layer thickness, but variations independent of any age sequence occur on an intraridge basis. Relationships are drawn between these variations and the biomass or cover of nine important species.