INTRODUCTION 



Moonworts f Botrvchium subgenus Botrvchium ) are a group of 

 small, nonvascular plants in the Family Ophioglossaceae with a 

 center of distribution in western North America (Wagner et al. 

 1984) . Plants consist of a single frond divided into a sterile, 

 leaf-like segment below a fertile, spore-bearing segment. Many 

 of the species are difficult to find and are considered rare 

 (Lellinger 1985) . Among these is B^ paradoxum , a candidate for 

 listing as a threatened or endangered species by the U.S. Fish 

 and Wildlife Service. This plant is currently known from a 

 handful of sites in Alberta, Montana and Utah (Wagner and Wagner 

 1981, Lellinger 1985, W.H. Wagner pers. com.). This species is 

 unusual in that the sterile segment of the frond is replaced by a 

 second fertile segment. 



In Montana and Alberta B^ paradoxum has often been found 

 growing with other species of moonworts, and the question of 

 whether B^ paradoxum is a good species or simply an unusual form 

 of other more common species has been raised. In Waterton Park, 

 Alberta, B^ paradoxum occurs with B^ hesperium and their putative 

 hybrid B^ X watertonense . Analysis of flavonoid chemistry 

 between B_^ paradoxum and B^ hesperium was performed and nearly 

 half (9) of the 20 compounds examined were unique to one of the 

 two species (Wagner et al. 1984) . These results support the 

 contention that B,^. paradoxum is a valid species but are not 

 entirely convincing because the distribution of secondary 

 metabolites such as flavonoids in tissues may be partially under 

 environmental or developmental rather than strictly genetic 

 controls. More powerful molecular techniques such as isozyme 

 electrophoresis and DNA analysis have not yet been performed 

 because of the difficulty in obtaining material (W. Hauk pers. 

 com.). Direct observation of many individuals over a period of 

 years will help to determine whether B_^ paradoxum is a stable 

 genetic species or merely an aberrant phenotype of another 

 species. 



Due to their small size and rarity, relatively little is 

 known about the life history and ecology of moonworts. Lellinger 

 (1985) states that moderate disturbance such as grazing seems to 

 favor their establishment and continued survival. It is not 

 known how long-lived the plants are or whether or not they 

 produce a frond each year. Wagner (pers. com.) suggests that 

 some populations may be ephemeral while others may persist for 

 centuries. Observation of individual plants through time will 

 help to answer these questions. 



The purpose of our study is to track morphological 

 characters of individual moonwort plants over a period of many 

 years in order to: (1) determine basic life history and 

 population parameters such as average life expectancy and mean 

 age for B^ paradoxum and B^ hesperium and (2) gather evidence to 



