BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report
Bartramia halleriana
Haller's apple moss
| Scientific Name: | Bartramia halleriana |
|---|---|
| English Name: | Haller's apple moss |
| Provincial Status Summary | |
| Status: | S2S3 |
| Date Status Assigned: | April 30, 2024 |
| Date Last Reviewed: | April 30, 2024 |
| Reasons: | Bartramia halleriana occurs in low numbers in the province with about 264 individuals in nine occurrences. Following the original inventory, six new populations were discovered in 2004/05, suggesting the potential for still additional occurrences. Suitable habitat is common and is not directly exploited for commercial/industrial purposes. Three populations, one of which occurs within a protected area, are potentially threatened by development. |
| Range | |
| Range Extent: | D = 1,000-5,000 square km |
| Range Extent Comments: | Belland (2001) reported less than 1 square km as the extent of the occurrence for this species, but more sites were identified during field work in 2004/05, after the COSEWIC status report was published. In 2007, the areal extent of all known sites calculated using GIS tools was ca. 4500 square kilometres. |
| Area of Occupancy (km2): | AC = 1-5 |
| Area of Occupancy Comments: | Belland (2001) reported less than 1 square km. This estimate is in agreement with the total area reported for populations surveyed in 2004/05 which amounted to approximately 10,000 square m. |
| Occurrences & Population | |
| Number of Occurrences: | B = 6 - 20 |
| Comments: | Nine verified extant occurrences in British Columbia. |
| Number of Occurrences with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | C = 4 - 12 |
| Comments: | Bartramia halleriana may be viable in BC. It regularly produces spores and is likely not limited by its dispersal ability (Belland 2001). The population at Avola was not found in 2001 or 2005. |
| Number of Occurrences Appropriately Protected & Managed: | B = 1 - 3 |
| Comments: | One occurrence is located within Mount Robson Provincial Park. However, it is in the middle of the Transmountain Pipeline Anchor Loop project. The project manager has been informed about the population, which lies within the currently flagged right-of-way and plans are underway to move the alignment and minimise the effects of construction (P. Achuff, pers. comm. 2007). The Fraser River locality is close to, but falls outside of Mount Robson PP. |
| Population Size: | C = 250 - 1,000 individuals |
| Comments: | Approximately 264 individuals (or tufts) were located in 2005 (P. Achuff, pers. comm). The cliff and talus slope habitats suitable for this species are exceedingly common in mountain areas (Belland, 2001) and there may be more populations than are currently known. |
| Threats (to population, occurrences, or area affected) | |
| Degree of Threat: | Localized substantial threat |
| Comments: | The population within Mount Robson Provincial Park (EO #4) might be impacted by the Transmountain Pipeline Project. However, the environmental monitor on the project is aware of the location of Bartramia halleriana, and they plan to avoid it by shifting the pipeline path and minimizing any indirect impacts (W. Van Velzen, pers. comm. 2007). A substantial localized threat but with unknown immediacy still exists in two locations. Excavation, possibly for preliminary prospecting for building stone is also underway about 50 m from the population at Hugh Allen Creek, at Kilometre 2.5 (EO #2). It is not known whether the location of Bartramia halleriana is known to the land owners and/or excavators, or whether operations are likely to harm plants. No plans for mitigation are known. The population at Avola, which Belland (2001) describes as potentially threatened by mining for aggregate and/or by highway expansion was not found in 2001 and 2005. |
| Trend (in population, range, area occupied, and/or condition of occurrences) | |
| Short-Term Trend: | U = Unknown |
| Comments: | Population trends are unknown, but the habitat is exceedingly common and is not directly exploited for commercial or industrial purposes (Belland, 2001). However, collateral damage from adjacent development activities could result in some negative short-term trends. |
| Long-Term Trend: | U = Unknown |
| Other Factors | |
| Intrinsic Vulnerability: | U=Unknown |
| Comments: | This species does not appear to be limited by its dispersal ability (Belland 2001). It does not appear to be vulnerable, but this needs to be confirmed with more research. The most plausible explanation for the species' rarity is competition from Bartramia pomiformis, which grows in similar habitats (Belland 2001). |
| Environmental Specificity: | B=Narrow. Specialist or community with key requirements common. |
| Comments: | The cliffs, crevices, and ledges and stablized talus slopes that B. halleriana occupies are exceedingly common in mountainous areas within its range, but shade, siliceous rock and high humidity are additional requirements (R. Belland pers. comm. 2009). |
| Other Rank Considerations: | |
| Information Gaps | |
| Research Needs: | |
| Inventory Needs: | Further search effort is needed to confirm the distribution of this species in BC. Belland (2001) states that the species may not be well-collected because of confusion with B. pomiformis which it closely resembles. However, no misidentifications were discovered during a review of collections undertaken during the revision of the genus Bartramia (Belland 2001). Because suitable habitat is common and the species does not appear to be limited by dispersal ability (Belland 2001), Bartramia halleriana is expected to occur in other locations. |
| Stewardship | |
| Protection: | |
| Management: | |
| Version | |
| Author: | Donovan, M. |
| Date: | August 28, 2007 |
| References | |
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Belland, R. 2001. COSEWIC status report on Haller's Apple Moss Bartramia halleriana in Canada. Comm. on the Status of Endangered Wildl. in Can. Ottawa. 1-17 pp.
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for information on how the CDC determines conservation status ranks. For global conservation status reports and ranks, please visit the NatureServe website http://www.natureserve.org/.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2007. Conservation Status Report: Bartramia halleriana. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 13, 2026).