probability of finding more species. Because of this 

 phenomenon, future work should survey entire moonwort 

 communities rather than focusing on individual species. Sites 

 are likely to host more than one species of concern, and may 

 harbour undescribed species. 



The feasability of broad range, species (or genus) 

 specific, surveys for such inconspicuous plants may be 

 questioned. However, the success of this project, resulting 

 in tripling the known populations of B. paradoxum on the 

 Deer lodge National Forest, speaks highly for this approach. 

 If these plants are not deliberately sought, then populations 

 and even new species are likely to go undetected. The 

 required intensity of searching is not easily integrated with 

 more general botanical surveys, where moonworts, if 

 encountered at all, are usually found only on lunch break. 



Windy Ridge is a superlative site which deserves to be 

 preserved. It has significant scientific, aesthetic, and 

 conservation values, both as Botrychium habitat and as a rare 

 example of a pristine, montane grassland. The large and 

 diverse moonwort community provides research opportunities 

 which were not available before. Genetic studies of 

 Botrychium have been hampered in the past because of a 

 shortage of plant material (Lesica and Ahlenslager 1993) . The 

 gametophytes of these species have rarely been seen, and the 

 assumed mycorrhizal relationships remain for the most part 

 undocumented. Windy Ridge could serve as an outdoor 

 laboratory for future Botrychium research, and for ecological 

 studies of native grassland ecosystems in general. 



11 



