The Corticolous Communities of Lichens and Bryophytes in the Upland Forests of Northern Wisconsin

The plant ecologists at the University of Wisconsin have for several years been working toward the goal of a broad synthetic treatment of the vegetation of the state. Many stands have been studied throughout Wisconsin and the data collected by all workers who study themi are on permanent file. The aim of the present study is to describe the corticolous (bark-inhabiting) vegetation of the forests of the upland of northern Wisconsin. In view of the general program, this study is concentrated upon those aspects of the corticolous vegetation which will contribute most to the ultimate synthetic study of the whole vegetation; namely, the interrelationships of the bark vegetation and the relationships of the bark vegetation to the arboreal vegetation. Minor idiosyncrasies of particular corticolous species, of intense interest to students of the eryptogamns but froml which few broad generalizations might be drawn, cannot be dwelt upon. The corticolous communities in northern Wisconsin include lichens, bryophytes, algae, and fungi but no phanelro-allls. In this study only the lichens and the bryophytes, by far the miost conspicuous and most illporItant p)rllt of tihe b)aIk vegetation. have been i(Io0ISi Sile ticn.