摘要：The Red River Gorge of Kentucky is the only known location of the threatened plant species Solidago albopilosa . We conducted a preliminary assessment of microclimatic and pedological variables within the rock shelters in which the species is endemic to determine which variables are significantly different from the surrounding environment and to estimate future viability of the sites. Significant differences found between the inside of the rock shelters and the surrounding environment suggests that S. albopilosa resides in Red River Gorge rock shelters that are significantly cooler and more humid. Furthermore, the distribution of the shelter aspects suggest that S. albopilosa prefers Easterly or Northerly facing shelters that receive minimal direct sunlight and only do so when the air temperature is close to its lowest point within a 24 hour period. No significant differences were found among the soil macronutrients that we tested and soil pH. We intend to conduct further long-term microclimate research of the shelters to determine what factors are involved in the presence or non-presence of S. albopilosa .
