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

The Arctic ecozone is undergoing a rapid transformation in response to climate change. Establishing a baseline of current Arctic biodiversity is necessary to be able to track changes in species diversity and distribution over time. Here, we report a vascular plant floristic study of Katannilik Territorial Park, Kimmirut and vicinity within Circumpolar Arctic Bioclimate Subzone D on southern Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. We compiled a dataset of 1596 collections gathered in the study area throughout the last century, including 838 we made in 2012. The vascular flora comprises 35 families, 98 genera, 211 species, two nothospecies and seven infraspecific taxa. We newly recorded 51 taxa in 22 families in the study area: Erigeroneriocephalus, Taraxacumholmenianum (Asteraceae), Drabaarctica, D.fladnizensis, D.lactea (Brassicaceae), Campanularotundifolia (Campanulaceae), Arenarialongipedunculata, Honckenyapeploidessubsp.diffusa, Sabulinarossii, Sileneuralensissubsp.uralensis, Viscariaalpina (Caryophyllaceae), Carexbrunnescenssubsp.brunnescens, C.krausei, C.microglochin, C.subspathacea, C.williamsii, Eriophorumscheuchzerisubsp.arcticum (Cyperaceae), Andromedapolifolia, Orthiliasecundasubsp.obtusata (Ericaceae), Oxytropispodocarpa (Fabaceae), Luzulagroenlandica (Juncaceae), Triglochinpalustris (Juncaginaceae), Utriculariaochroleuca (Lentibulariaceae), Huperziacontinentalis (Lycopodiaceae), Montiafontana (Montiaceae), Corallorhizatrifida, Platantheraobtusatasubsp.obtusata (Orchidaceae), Hippurislanceolata, H.vulgaris, Plantagomaritima (Plantaginaceae), Calamagrostisneglectasubsp.groenlandica, C.purpurascens, Festucaproliferavar.lasiolepis, F.rubrasubsp.rubra, F.rubrasubsp.arctica, Hordeumjubatumsubsp.jubatum, Leymusmollissubsp.mollis, L.mollissubsp.villosissimus, Puccinelliavaginata (Poaceae), Primulaegaliksensis (Primulaceae), Cryptogrammastelleri (Pteridaceae), Coptidium×spitsbergense (Ranunculaceae), Potentillacrantzii, P.hyparcticasubsp.hyparctica, Rubuschamaemorus, Sibbaldiaprocumbens (Rosaceae), Salixfuscescens (Salicaceae), Micranthesfoliolosa, M.nivalis, M.tenuis (Saxifragaceae) and Woodsiaalpina (Woodsiaceae). We recorded 196 taxa in Katannilik Territorial Park (191 species, three infraspecific taxa and two nothospecies); 145 of these taxa are first records for the park. We recorded 170 taxa in Kimmirut and vicinity (166 species, three infraspecific taxa and one nothospecies) in Kimmirut and vicinity; 15 of these taxa are first records for Kimmirut and vicinity. All study area species are native, except two grasses that grew in Kimmirut: F.rubrasubsp.rubra, which may have been seeded and Hordeumjubatumsubsp.jubatum, of unknown origin. We summarize the distribution on Baffin Island for each taxon recorded in the study area, including several unpublished southern Baffin Island records.

Additions to the "Martian Flora": new botanical records from the Mars Desert Research Station, Utah.

The Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) is a Mars-simulation campus set in a Martian planetary analogue in southern Utah. Despite a long history of astrobiology research, collections-based taxonomic inventories of the macro-level biodiversity around the station are relatively new. This study serves to add to the initial vascular plant list published for the station in 2016, where 39 species were recorded for MDRS. Here we report 40 new species, two new taxa recorded only to genus and two species re-identified from our 2016 fieldwork, bringing the total number of taxa in the "Martian" flora to 79 species and two taxa recorded to genus.

Vascular plants of Victoria Island (Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada): a specimen-based study of an Arctic flora.

Victoria Island in Canada's western Arctic is the eighth largest island in the world and the second largest in Canada. Here, we report the results of a floristic study of vascular plant diversity of Victoria Island. The study is based on a specimen-based dataset comprising 7031 unique collections from the island, including some 2870 new collections gathered between 2008 and 2019 by the authors and nearly 1000 specimens variously gathered by N. Polunin (in 1947), M. Oldenburg (1940s-1950s) and S. Edlund (1980s) that, until recently, were part of the unprocessed backlog of the National Herbarium of Canada and unavailable to researchers. Results are presented in an annotated checklist, including keys and distribution maps for all taxa, citation of specimens, comments on taxonomy, distribution and the history of documentation of taxa across the island, and photographs for a subset of taxa. The vascular plant flora of Victoria Island comprises 38 families, 108 genera, 272 species, and 17 additional taxa. Of the 289 taxa known on the island, 237 are recorded from the Northwest Territories portion of the island and 277 from the Nunavut part. Thirty-nine taxa are known on the island from a single collection, seven from two collections and three from three collections. Twenty-one taxa in eight families are newly recorded for the flora of Victoria Island: Artemisia tilesii, Senecio lugens, Taraxacum scopulorum (Asteraceae); Crucihimalaya bursifolia, Draba fladnizensis, D. juvenilis, D. pilosa, D. simmonsii (Brassicaceae); Carex bigelowii subsp. bigelowii, Eriophorum russeolum subsp. albidum (Cyperaceae); Anthoxanthum monticola subsp. monticola, Bromus pumpellianus, Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. cespitosa, D. sukatschewii, Festuca rubra subsp. rubra, Lolium perenne, Poa pratensis subsp. pratensis (Poaceae); Stuckenia filiformis (Potamogetonaceae); Potentilla × prostrata (Rosaceae); Galium aparine (Rubiaceae); and Salix ovalifolia var. ovalifolia (Salicaceae). Eight of these are new to the flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago: Senecio lugens, Draba juvenilis, D. pilosa, Anthoxanthum monticola subsp. monticola, Bromus pumpellianus, Deschampsia cespitosa subsp. cespitosa, Poa pratensis subsp. pratensis and Salix ovalifolia var. ovalifolia. One of these, Galium aparine, is newly recorded for the flora of Nunavut. Four first records for Victoria Island are introduced plants discovered in Cambridge Bay in 2017: three grasses (Festuca rubra subsp. rubra, Lolium perenne, and Poa pratensis subsp. pratensis) and Galium aparine. One taxon, Juncus arcticus subsp. arcticus, is newly recorded from the Northwest Territories. Of the general areas on Victoria Island that have been botanically explored the most, the greatest diversity of vascular plants is recorded in Ulukhaktok (194 taxa) and the next most diverse area is Cambridge Bay (183 taxa). The floristic data presented here represent a new baseline on which continued exploration of the vascular flora of Victoria Island - particularly the numerous areas of the island that remain unexplored or poorly explored botanically - will build.

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

The Coppermine River in western Nunavut is one of Canada's great Arctic rivers, yet its vascular plant flora is poorly known. Here, we report the results of a floristic inventory of the lower Coppermine River valley and vicinity, including Kugluk (Bloody Falls) Territorial Park and the hamlet of Kugluktuk. The study area is approximately 1,200 km2, extending from the forest-tundra south of the treeline to the Arctic coast. Vascular plant floristic data are based on a review of all previous collections from the area and more than 1,200 new collections made in 2014. Results are presented in an annotated checklist, including citation of all specimens examined, comments on taxonomy and distribution, and photographs for a subset of taxa. The vascular plant flora comprises 300 species (311 taxa), a 36.6% increase from the 190 species documented by previous collections made in the area over the last century, and is considerably more diverse than other local floras on mainland Nunavut. We document 207 taxa for Kugluk (Bloody Falls) Territorial Park, an important protected area for plants on mainland Nunavut. A total of 190 taxa are newly recorded for the study area. Of these, 14 taxa (13 species and one additional variety) are newly recorded for Nunavut (Allium schoenoprasum, Carex capitata, Draba lonchocarpa, Eremogone capillaris subsp. capillaris, Sabulina elegans, Eleocharis quinqueflora, Epilobium cf. anagallidifolium, Botrychium neolunaria, Botrychium tunux, Festuca altaica, Polygonum aviculare, Salix ovalifolia var. arctolitoralis, Salix ovalifolia var. ovalifolia and Stuckenia pectinata), seven species are newly recorded for mainland Nunavut (Carex gynocrates, Carex livida, Cryptogramma stelleri, Draba simmonsii, Festuca viviparoidea subsp. viviparoidea, Juncus alpinoarticulatus subsp. americanus and Salix pseudomyrsinites) and 56 range extensions are reported. The psbA-trnH and rbcL DNA sequence data were used to help identify the three Botrychium taxa recorded in the study area. Three new combinations are proposed: Petasites frigidus subsp. sagittatus (Banks ex Pursh) Saarela, Carex petricosa subsp. misandroides (Fernald) Saarela and Carex simpliciuscula subsp. subholarctica (T. V. Egorova) Saarela.

The "Martian" flora: new collections of vascular plants, lichens, fungi, algae, and cyanobacteria from the Mars Desert Research Station, Utah.

The Mars Desert Research Station is a Mars analog research site located in the desert outside of Hanksville, Utah, U.S.A. Here we present a preliminary checklist of the vascular plant and lichen flora for the station, based on collections made primarily during a two-week simulated Mars mission in November, 2014. Additionally, we present notes on the endolithic chlorophytes and cyanobacteria, and the identification of a fungal genus also based on these collections. Altogether, we recorded 38 vascular plant species from 14 families, 13 lichen species from seven families, six algae taxa including both chlorophytes and cyanobacteria, and one fungal genus from the station and surrounding area. We discuss this floristic diversity in the context of the ecology of the nearby San Rafael Swell and the desert areas of Wayne and Emery counties in southeastern Utah.

New vascular plant records for the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

The Canadian Arctic Archipelago is a vast region of approximately 1,420,000 km(2), with a flora characterized by low species diversity, low endemicity, and little influence by alien species. New records of vascular plant species are documented here based on recent fieldwork on Victoria and Baffin Islands; additional records based on recent literature sources are mentioned. This paper serves as an update to the 2007 publication Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and brings the total number of vascular plants for the region to 375 species and infraspecific taxa, an increase of 7.7%. Three families (Amaranthaceae, Juncaginaceae, Pteridaceae) and seven genera (Cherleria L., Cryptogramma R. Br., Platanthera Rich., Sabulina Rchb., Suaeda Forssk. ex J.F. Gmel., Triglochin L., Utricularia L.) are added to the flora, and one genus is deleted (Minuartia L.). Five species are first records for Nunavut (Arenarialongipedunculata Hultén, Cryptogrammastelleri (S.G. Gmel.) Prantl, Puccinelliabanksiensis Consaul, Saxifragaeschscholtzii Sternb., Utriculariaochroleuca R.W. Hartm.).

DNA barcoding the Canadian Arctic flora: core plastid barcodes (rbcL + matK) for 490 vascular plant species.

Accurate identification of Arctic plant species is critical for understanding potential climate-induced changes in their diversity and distributions. To facilitate rapid identification we generated DNA barcodes for the core plastid barcode loci (rbcL and matK) for 490 vascular plant species, representing nearly half of the Canadian Arctic flora and 93% of the flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Sequence recovery was higher for rbcL than matK (93% and 81%), and rbcL was easier to recover than matK from herbarium specimens (92% and 77%). Distance-based and sequence-similarity analyses of combined rbcL + matK data discriminate 97% of genera, 56% of species, and 7% of infraspecific taxa. There is a significant negative correlation between the number of species sampled per genus and the percent species resolution per genus. We characterize barcode variation in detail in the ten largest genera sampled (Carex, Draba, Festuca, Pedicularis, Poa, Potentilla, Puccinellia, Ranunculus, Salix, and Saxifraga) in the context of their phylogenetic relationships and taxonomy. Discrimination with the core barcode loci in these genera ranges from 0% in Salix to 85% in Carex. Haplotype variation in multiple genera does not correspond to species boundaries, including Taraxacum, in which the distribution of plastid haplotypes among Arctic species is consistent with plastid variation documented in non-Arctic species. Introgression of Poa glauca plastid DNA into multiple individuals of P. hartzii is problematic for identification of these species with DNA barcodes. Of three supplementary barcode loci (psbA-trnH, psbK-psbI, atpF-atpH) collected for a subset of Poa and Puccinellia species, only atpF-atpH improved discrimination in Puccinellia, compared with rbcL and matK. Variation in matK in Vaccinium uliginosum and rbcL in Saxifraga oppositifolia corresponds to variation in other loci used to characterize the phylogeographic histories of these Arctic-alpine species.