Re: Harmonious depredations

[Stanley Friesen <sarima@friesen.net>]

At 10:08 PM 6/8/00 -0400, John Bois wrote:


> On Thu, 8 Jun 2000, Stanley Friesen wrote:
>
> > For that matter, I doubt he has actually *looked* at bracken meadows.  The
> > cover there is at least as good as in grasslands.
>
> Where is there one?

New England and England have them, particularly the latter.

Just watch enough episodes of British shows like Robin Hood and you will 
see a bracken meadow.  There are also photos in some of the better books on 
the ecology of New England and England.

>   Are they in competition with grass?

Not sure.  They are almost grass-free.  They are mostly limited to moist 
openings in moist or wet forest (hence "meadow".  I do not know why these 
particular places are still fern dominated.

>   Are they like
> most fern and need water to fertilize?

Yes, but, like most ferns, it takes very little.  Just a few drops.  The 
gametophyte is quite small.

>   Why aren't there more of
> them?

Don't know.

>   Were they more dominant before grass?

Probablybly.  Certainly fern spores are rather more common in older 
sediments.

I also seem to remember an in-place semi-arid florule from the Late 
Cretaceous preserved by a volcanic event that was dominated by a mixture of 
ferns and brambly bushes (similar to roses).

--------------
May the peace of God be with you.         sarima@ix.netcom.com