<p><strong>Vascular plant biodiversity of Dorset and Mallik islands, Nunavut, Canada: an annotated checklist of a middle Arctic flora in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago</strong></p>

Abstract

Establishing a baseline of current Arctic vascular plant diversity and distribution is critical, given the rapid and major environmental changes occurring in the Arctic ecozone in response to climate change. Here, we report the results of a floristic study of vascular plant diversity of Dorset and Mallik islands in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Nunavut, Canada. These two small islands lie off the coast of the Foxe Peninsula of southwestern Baffin Island, and they are part of the Circumpolar Arctic bioclimate Subzone C. The hamlet of Kinngait (formerly Cape Dorset) is located on Dorset Island, and Nunavut’s Mallikjuak Territorial Park encompasses all of Mallik Island. The study is based on a specimen-based dataset comprising 876 unique collections from the two islands gathered over the last century, including 268 new ones collected in 2015. Results are presented in an annotated checklist. The vascular plant flora of the study area comprises 26 families, 71 genera, 150 species and three infraspecific taxa; 139 species are recorded on Dorset Island and 102 on Mallik Island. Eleven taxa are newly recorded from the study area in six families: Carex rupestris, Eriophorum scheuchzeri subsp. scheuchzeri, E. triste (Cyperaceae); Diapensia lapponica (Diapensiaceae); Equisetum arvense subsp. alpestre (Equisetaceae); Oxytropis deflexa var. foliolosa (Fabaceae); Potentilla arenosa subsp. arenosa, P. hyparctica subsp. hyparctica (Rosaceae); Antennaria friesiana subsp. friesiana, Askellia pygmaea, and Taraxacum phymatocarpum (Asteraceae).

Vascular plant biodiversity of Katannilik Territorial Park, Kimmirut and vicinity on Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada: an annotated checklist of an Arctic flora

“…Neither of these collectors comprehensively surveyed the region’s flora, which we aimed to do. The discovery of many new floristic records in the study area is consistent with the results of comprehensive floristic surveys we have conducted elsewhere in the Canadian Arctic ( Saarela et al 2013 ; Gillespie et al 2015 ; Saarela et al 2017 , 2020a , 2020b ). The current study and our previous studies demonstrate that we still have much to learn about the Canadian Arctic vascular flora’s diversity and distribution.…”

“… colpodea (Th.Fr.) Tzvelev [Foxe Peninsula near Bird [Wildbird] Islands, Nettilling Lake, Taverner Bay] and Taraxacum phymatocarpum J.Vahl [Mallik Island, north-western Foxe Peninsula] ( Aiken et al 2007 ; Saarela et al 2020a ). Some species are more widespread, known from scattered sites across southern Baffin Island, but not recorded within the study area.…”

“… phaeocephalum (Rupr.) Hämet-Ahti ( Aiken et al 2007 ; Saarela et al 2020a ). Finally, a few species not known in the study area are recorded elsewhere on southern Baffin Island primarily east to northeast of the study area.…”

“…Vascular plant floristic studies in the Canadian Arctic demonstrate we have much to learn about the flora’s current composition and distribution. For example, recent studies have expanded species’ known ranges in the Arctic and documented new species records for local study areas, islands, broader regions and territories ( Saarela et al 2012 , 2013 , 2017 , 2020a , b ; Gillespie et al 2015 ; Sokoloff 2015 ; Desjardins et al 2021 ). Floristic studies like these generate biodiversity knowledge that provides information for biogeographical, ecological, taxonomic, evolutionary and related research.…”

“…Many of these collections have been mentioned, mapped or both in Canadian Arctic floras ( Polunin 1940 ; Porsild 1957 , 1964 ; Porsild and Cody 1980 ; Aiken et al 2007 ). Comprehensive collection-based floristic inventories, however, have been published for only a few local Baffin Island areas: Iqaluit (formerly Frobisher Bay) ( Calder 1951 ), Ogac Lake on Frobisher Bay’s south side ( McLaren 1964 ), the Penny Highlands on Cumberland Peninsula ( Schwarzenbach 2010 ) and Dorset and Mallik islands along the southern Foxe Peninsula ( Saarela et al 2020a ). Here, we report the results of a study of the vascular plants of Katannilik Territorial Park, Kimmirut and vicinity, based on historical and contemporary collections.…”