https://meep-lab.com/tag/coastal-ecosystems/Coastal EcosystemsWowchemy (https://wowchemy.com)en-ushttps://meep-lab.com/media/logo.svghttps://meep-lab.com/tag/coastal-ecosystems/https://meep-lab.com/ongoing/fog/Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000https://meep-lab.com/ongoing/fog/<p>Atmospheric moisture can be an important water source for mosses, lichens, and other poikilohydric organisms, especially in habitats where rainfall is strongly seasonal. This project examines how fog, marine-layer exposure, and fine-scale microclimate variation shape epiphytic cryptogams and their associated microbial communities. We are interested in whether visible patterns of moss and lichen occurrence reflect underlying changes in morphology, reproduction, chemistry, and host-associated microbiomes. Using field surveys, microclimate monitoring, trait measurements, molecular identification, and microbial community data, this work explores how coastal-to-inland variation affects cryptogam performance and symbiosis. A major goal is to understand how non-rainfall water inputs influence small but ecologically important organisms that live at the boundary between plants, atmosphere, and microbial life. This work connects to broader questions about how changing coastal fog regimes may affect biodiversity, organismal function, and microbial associations in moisture-sensitive communities.</p>