Start |Grid View | Author Index | View Uploaded Presentations | Meeting Information

Cordilleran Section - 119th Annual Meeting - 2023

Paper No. 9-19
Presentation Time: 8:00 AM-6:00 PM

EFFECTS OF LITHOLOGY ON PLANT COMMUNITIES IN THE WESTERN SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS


RENS, Matthew Leigh, Department of Earth Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, 1006 Webb Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, PARKYN, Ryan Michael, Department of Geological Sciences, California State University Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330 and PUTNAM, Roger, Physical Sciences Department, Truckee Meadows Community College, 7000 Dandini Boulevard, Reno, NV 89512

This study investigated whether lithology impacts plant communities in the Santa Monica Mountains, contrasting the Miocene Conejo Volcanic and Topanga Formations. Two field sites were selected using QGIS to find regions with similar aspect, slope, and elevation, yet different bedrock. Rock samples collected from the two localities were analyzed in thin section using petrographic microscopes to assess mineralogy. Line transects 50 meters in length were taken to record plant species abundance. Greater biodiversity was found on igneous bedrock, contrary to the results of prior studies. Differences in mineralogy, phosphorus content, soil pH, and density and porosity of bedrock may contribute to variations in species diversity.

Session No. 9--Booth# 56

T30. Undergraduate Research (Posters)
Wednesday, 17 May 2023: 8:00 AM-6:00 PM
Cargo Room (The Whitney Peak Hotel)
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 55, No. 4
doi: 10.1130/abs/2023CD-387362
© Copyright 2023 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.
Back to: T30. Undergraduate Research (Posters)
<< Previous Abstract | Next Abstract >>