MILLER, DONNA H.*, HARVEY A. MILLER, SHILOH JONES,, AND PAUL SPARKMAN. Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of West Alabama, Livingston, AL 35470. - Bryophytes of the Alabama Black Belt chalklands.
The Alabama Black Belt parallels the southern edge of the Fall Line
Hills and is characterized by Cretaceous chalk exposures sometimes
overlain by a shallow layer of alluvial loams. Chalk exposures vary
from nearly level surfaces to perpendicular bluffs of different
directional orientation. Flat to sloping chalk soil areas are
characterized by Virginia red cedar and grasslands. Steep sided
gullies are more mesic and support hardwoods. Bryophytes collected
from Black Belt sites have yielded many new county records reflecting
mostly the lack of previous collecting. When compared to the
bryophytes reported from European, especially Great Britain, chalk
areas, species parallels were noted as well as many generic
congruities. Although diversity is not so great as occurs in the
geologically diverse mountainous areas in the northern part of the
state, the flora is clearly rich as well as reflecting the uniqueness
of this physiographic province.
Key words: Alabama bryophytes, Black Belt bryophytes, chalkland mosses and liverworts