The flora of Cunningham Inlet, Somerset Island, Nunavut: history, analysis, and new collections of vascular plants, mosses, lichens, and algae

Abstract

New collections of vascular plants, bryophytes, lichen, and algae are reported for Cunningham Inlet on the north coast of Somerset Island, Nunavut. This list of 48 species of vascular plants, 13 bryophytes, 10 lichens, and five algae includes 136 specimens collected in 2013 and 39 previously unreported specimens from the National Herbarium of Canada at the Canadian Museum of Nature (CAN), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Vascular Plant Herbarium (DAO), and University of Alberta (ALTA). Ten vascular plants from previous collecting in 1958 are re-reported here to give a comprehensive account of the vascular plant flora of the region. Two vascular plants are recorded for the first time for Somerset Island: Smooth Draba (Draba glabella Pursh) and Edlund’s Fescue (Festuca edlundiae S. G. Aiken, Consaul & Lefkovitch).

Vascular plant biodiversity of the lower Coppermine River valley and vicinity (Nunavut, Canada): an annotated checklist of an Arctic flora

“…We made numerous collections of this common species throughout the study area. It is widespread throughout the Canadian Arctic ( Porsild & Cody, 1980 ; Cody, Scotter & Zoltai, 1989 ; Korol, 1992 ; Cody, Reading & Line, 2003 ; Aiken et al, 2007 ; Saarela et al, 2013a ), but there is a conspicuous gap in the central Canadian Arctic islands; the gap, however, is partially closed by a recent report from Somerset Island ( Sokoloff, 2015 ). Taxonomy follows Al-Shehbaz, Windham & Elven (2010) and Elven et al (2011) .…”

Peer Review #1 of "Vascular plant biodiversity of the lower Coppermine River valley and vicinity (Nunavut, Canada): an annotated checklist of an Arctic flora (v0.1)"

“…We made numerous collections of this common species throughout the study area. It is widespread throughout the Canadian Arctic , but there is a conspicuous gap in the central Canadian Arctic islands; the gap, however, is partially closed by a recent report from Somerset Island (Sokoloff, 2015). Taxonomy follows Al-Shehbaz et al (2010b) and .…”

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

“…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.…”