Ecology and Conservation of Garry Oak — Abstract of Paper


Historical Jigsaw Puzzles: Piecing Together the Understory of Garry Oak (Quercus garryana) Ecosystems and the Implications for Restoration
Carrina Maslovat¹


Ecosystem restoration requires a set of reference vegetation conditions which are difficult to find for Garry oak ecosystems in Canada because contemporary sites have been drastically altered. A survey of historical information provides only limited clues about the original understory vegetation. Although there is considerable variation in the soils, climate and successional status of current ecosystems, an exploration of the ecology of contemporary, native grass species existing in association with Garry oaks can point to which species may have been adapted to the historical disturbance regimes of pre-European contact ecosystems. Both California oatgrass (Danthonia californica) and Stipa sp., such as Lemmon’s needle grass (Stipa lemmonii), have ecological characteristics that suggest they are adapted to the disturbance regimes of fire and camas digging. These characteristics include dormancy, hygroscopic awns and self-pollinated cleistogenes.