Botanical Research in Alaska— Steere 107 



questions of permafrost, since the dry mat in summer serves 

 as excellent insulation, yet when frozen radiates heat effectively. 

 The generally undrained condition of much of Alaska is caused 

 in large part by accumulations of Sphagnum, which holds an 

 enormous amount of water and prevents runoff of surface 

 water. Even on fairly steep hillsides, drainage is sluggish if 

 Sphagnum is present. It may seem odd for a bryologist to 

 recommend that some chemical means be sought for the eradi- 

 cation of Sphagnum, and that much research on this problem 

 is indicated. The presence of a truly arctic element in the 

 Alaskan moss flora is of real significance, especially since many 

 of the species are larger in size than the temperate representa- 

 tives of the same genus, indicating complete adjustment to the 

 arctic habitat and perhaps reflecting an increase in chromosome 

 number. Mosses and liverworts present especially favorable 

 genetical material, since the conspicuous plant is gametophytic 

 or haploid tissue. Any mutation, whether recessive or domi- 

 nant, will be expressed at once in the phenotype, since it can- 

 not be masked by the presence of an allemorphic gene. These 

 will serve as examples of the more significant research problems 

 presented by bryophytes, to be multiplied many times if all 

 groups of cryptogams are taken into consideration. I have 

 pointed out elsewhere that the field of bryology is an almost 

 unstudied one in the whole of Arctic America, even though the 

 bryophytes form an impressive part of the vegetation, both in 

 number of species and in number of individuals. 



We have every reason to be grateful for this opportunity to 

 begin cooperative discussions on the problems of Alaskan 

 botany, even if all the objectives set for us are not fulfilled. It 

 is my most sincere hope that future conferences of this sort 

 may be arranged at regular intervals in order that reports of 

 progress may be made upon current research, and that new 

 problems may be discussed. The most serious problem facing 

 past and present botanical investigators in Alaska has been and 

 still is the lack of coordination between researches in the first 

 place and between publications in the second place. This lack 

 of coordination and integration may be attributed rather 



