Floristic and Environmental Variation of Pyrogenic Pinelands of - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Floristic and Environmental Variation of Pyrogenic Pinelands of Florida

AND Biodiversity in Florida Conservation Susan Carr, PhD May 19, 2017

TOPICS

• 1. Florida pineland communities: classification

and variation

• 2. Environmental factors: Local and Regional
• 3. Biodiversity and Conservation

> 3500 plant taxa in Florida > 250 taxa endemic to Florida (11%) Many species restricted distributions Large Climate gradient

FLORIDA Plant Biodiversity

Annual precipitation

> 64” < 50”

Florida Pinelands (Longleaf) Savannas and Woodlands

Very high small scale plant diversity > 40 species / 1 m2 > 100 species / 0.5 acre Broad range of moisture conditions Mostly grasses, sedges (Poaceae, Cyperaceae) Forbs (Asteraceae, Fabaceae) Biodiversity in the Ground Cover!

Florida Pinelands: Pyrogenic! Fire maintained Historic regimes: 2-3/decade

Fire suppression

No fire = succession to hardwood forests High  Low Diversity

Today: Drastic reduction in Longleaf Pine extent: Land conversion and fire suppression

Historic Range Longleaf Current Range Longleaf (FNAI)

PART 1: Floristic classification 1) Community associations of fire-maintained pinelands Quantitative, Floristic assemblages 2) Identify characteristic and diagnostic species, soil features

A Plant Community is a group of populations that coexist in space and time and interact directly or indirectly Inventory Target for restoration Understand biodiversity patterns/landscape diversity

Physiographic landforms of Florida

(modified from Puri and Vernon 1964) Highlands Ridges, Uplands, Slopes Lowlands, Gaps, Valleys, Plains Physiographic Landforms

First: Partitioning Florida for sampling

Ecoregions: Stratified site selection

29 22

Ecoregions sampled Plot locations (293) 2-4 Natural Areas/Region

SITE SELECTION: Natural Areas

• Intact topographic-

moisture gradients

• No recent ground

disturbance

• Absence of invasive

species

• Presence of native
• verstory and ground cover

vegetation

• Recent fire (w/in 5 years)
• History of frequent fire

(preferred)

Plot Locations

Vegetation Sampling: CVS methodology

100 m2 10 m2 1 m2 0.1 m2 50 m 20 m

One 1000 m2 plot, series of nested subplots Record all vascular plant taxa; covers All woody stems

Soil Sampling Soil Nutrient Soil texture Landform & Topography

RESULTS: 1007 species total: 677 after deletion of infrequent 293 plots, 103 “Sites”, scattered over 20 ecoregions Most represented: Grasses, Composites, Legumes, Cyperaceae

Restricted Range Species: Classification of types

Carphephorus carnosus Carphephorus psuedoliatris Liatris pauciflora Liatris elegans Liatris provincialis Liatris provincialis Liatris gracilis

Peninsula (endemic) Peninsula No classification Panhandle (endemic) North Florida Panhandle

~100 Restricted Range and Endemic taxa: 1/7 of Total Species

Community Classification Results: 16 Associations

Peninsula Xeric Sandhills (22) Panhandle Xeric Sandhills (31) North Florida Sandhills (31) North Florida Rich Woodlands (11) Panhandle Longleaf Pine Clayhills (14) Panhandle Silty Woodlands (22) Xeric-Mesic Flatwoods (36) North Florida Mesic Flatwoods (30) Central Florida Mesic Flatwoods/Dry Prairies (22) Marginal Prairies (11) Peninsula Wet Flatwoods/Prairies (16) Calcareous Wet Flatwoods (4) North Florida Shrubby Wet Flatwoods (15) Upper Panhandle Wet Flatwoods (7) Panhandle Wet Flatwoods/Prairies (16) Panhandle Seepage Slopes (5) DRY UPLANDS

WETLANDS MESIC FLATWOODS

Series Association

* *

Peninsula Xeric Sandhills

(FNAI Sandhill)

Peninsula Xeric Sandhills Coarse and deep sandy soils, very low silt and

• rganic content

Sandy ridges and sideslopes

Dry

Turkey oak Q. laevis Sand live oak Q. geminata Bluejack oak Q. incana NOT Q. margarettiae Sand Post Oak 15 Indicator Species, 2 range restricted

Aristida condensata

Shirley Denton

Carphephorus corymbosus Asimina incana

Peninsula Xeric Sandhills

Eglin AFB FL051

Panhandle Xeric Sandhills

(FNAI Sandhill) Dry

Panhandle Xeric Sandhills More Species Similar core species Coarse and deep sandy soils, silt content Sandy ridges and sideslopes, broad flats

14 INDICATOR SPECIES 6 range restricted

Turkey oak Q. laevis Sand live oak Q. geminata Bluejack oak Q. incana YES Sand Post Oak Q. margarettiae Dwarf live oak Q. minima Dwarf huckleberry G. dumosa

Rhynchosia cytisoides Pityopsis aspera

Panhandle Xeric Sandhills

North Florida Sandhills

(FNAI Sandhills)

Sandy soils with higher silt content Higher species richness Ridges and Highlands N FL and E Panhandle

North Florida Sandhills Sub-Xeric

Turkey oak Q. laevis Bluejack oak Q. incana

Sand Post Oak Q. margarettiae Many more legumes and forb spp.

North Florida Sandhills

15 INDICATOR SPECIES None range restricted

Dyschoriste oblongifolia Rhynchosia reniformis Desmodium floridanum

North Florida Rich Woodlands

(FNAI Upland LL Pine?) Oleno SP FL151 high surface organic and clay content North Florida Rich Woodlands Sub-Xeric Denser canopies Slash Pine P. elliotii Loblolly Pine P. taeda Sand live oak Q. geminata Hickory Carya spp.

19 INDICATOR SPECIES 9 range restricted Legumes and Grasses

Dichanthelium

• ligosanthes
• var. oligosanthes

Rhynchosia cinerea Ageratina aromatica

Panhandle Longleaf Pine Clayhills

High pH Miocene deposits, fine texture soils The Redhills of Panhandle, West Panhandle

Sub-Xeric

Panhandle Longleaf Pine Clayhills Panhandle Silty Woodlands

Turkey oak Q. laevis Sand Post oak Q. margarettiae Running oak Q. pumila Bluejack oak Q. incana Darrow blueberry Q. darrowi S Red oak Q. falcata Winged sumac R. copallinum

39 INDICATOR SPECIES 10 range restricted Legumes and Grasses Asteraceae

Andropogon gerardii Phlox floridana

ANF FL081

Panhandle Silty Woodlands

Apalachicola embayment many range restricted and endemic species Flatwoods affinities High Silt and Clay Panhandle Silty Woodlands

Mesic

No upland oaks Ilex glabra

• Q. pumila and Q. minima
• S. repens

Upland ground cover spp.

14 INDICATOR SPECIES 8 range restricted Endemics

Baptisia simplicifolia Phoebanthus tenuifolius Symphyotrichum adnatum

Xeric Mesic Flatwoods

FNAI Xeric Flatwoods

Xeric Mesic Flatwoods

Xeric-Mesic Coarse Sediments Dense shrubby groundcover Spodosols Periodic saturation

Saw palmetto Quercus geminata

• Q. myrtifolium
• Q. chapmannii

Lyonia lucida

7 INDICATOR SPECIES 3 range restricted

Solidago odora var. chapmanii Befaria racemose

North FL Mesic Flatwoods

FNAI Mesic Flatwoods Mesic

Poorly drained, low pH Spodosols Seasonal flooding Lowlands and Highlands

Saw palmetto Gallberry Quercus minima 4 INDICATOR SPECIES 2 range restricted

Sporobolus floridanus Kalmia hirsuta

Kissimmee Prairie SP

Central FL Mesic Flatwoods and Prairies

FNAI Mesic Flatwoods and Dry Prairies Poorly drained Lowlands Includes DRY PRAIRIES Low pH Seasonally flooded

Central FL Mesic Flatwoods / Dry Prairies

Mesic

27 INDICATOR SPECIES 6 range restricted

Polygala rugelii Lachnocaulon beyrichianum Asimina reticulata Saw palmetto Gallberry

• Q. minima

North FL Shrubby Wet Flatwoods

FNAI Mesic Flatwoods North FL shrubby Wet Flatwoods Mesic-Hydric

Fringe along lower slopes High organic in surface soils Slash pine Pond and longleaf pine Shrub dominance

North FL Shrubby Wet Flatwoods

Ocala NF FL146

Sarracenia minor Viburnum nudum Ilex coriacea

19 INDICATOR SPECIES 2 range restricted Mostly shrubs and ferns

Blackwater River SF FL276

Upper Panhandle Wet Flatwoods

FNAI Wet Flatwoods

Older sediments N of Cody Scarp Fine textured soils High species richness! Not many plots

Upper Panhandle Wet Flatwoods Mesic-Hydric

Gallberry

• Q. pumila

Gaylussacia frondosa var nana

25 INDICATOR SPECIES 8 range restricted Sedges and grasses

Hibiscus aculeatus Pycnanthemum flexuosum Arundanaria tecta

Cecil Webb WMA Sparse or absent canopy, sandy with high organic matter Peninsula Wet Flatwoods / Prairies Calcareous Wet Flatwoods Hydric

Peninsula Wet Flatwoods / Prairies

FNAI Wet Flatwoods and Wet Prairies

Peninsula Wet Flatwoods / Prairies Wet Prairie

Hypericum fasciculatum Ilex glabra

Peninsula Wet Flatwoods / Prairies 35 INDICATOR SPECIES None range restricted

Xyris elliottii Hypericum myrtifolium Sabatia grandiflora

• St. Marks FL024

Calcareous Wet Flatwoods

(FNAI ?? “Sweetflats”) Slash Pines Sabal palmetto Myrica cerifera shallow limestone High Ca, pH, Clay Very species rich Distinct flora Peninsula Wet Flatwoods / Prairies Calcareous Wet Flatwoods

Panhandle Wet Flatwoods/Prairie

FNAI Wet Prairie High silt compared w Peninsula Poorly drained low slopes or large flats Sparse or no canopy

Panhandle Wet Flatwoods/Prairies Hydric

Blackwater River SF FL275

Panhandle Seepage Slope

Low slope, saturated soils Treeless High species richness Continual seepage

Panhandle Seepage Slopes Hydric

Ilex glabra Cliftonia monophylla Ctenium aromaticum

Dozens INDICATOR SPECIES ~1/2 range restricted

Drosera filiformis Sarracenia psittacina Sarracenia leucophylla

DRY UPLANDS Species Richness

Peninsula Peninsula Peninsula Peninsula

WETLANDS Species Richness

Species Richness: Influences community classification

Local and Regional influences in Pineland Classification

LOCAL Soils/Topo REGIONAL Soils, Climate, history

Regional segregation in Pineland community variatioin: soil texture, nutrient availability, and climate.

Panhandle:

Finer texture soils More seasonal variation Cooler Wetter

Peninsula:

Sandier soils Ca, P Hotter Less seasonal variation

Regional Biodiversity and Conservation: Coastal Plain Hotspot

~ 6000 Native Plant species ~1800 Endemic (29%) Stable Climate Soil Diversity (!) Topo-Moisture gradients Pleistocene refugia

FLORIDA: Biodiversity - Density of Plant Species

The Biota of North America Program (BONAP)

1700-1900 Species 10,000 km2

PLANT Endemism

FLORIDA: Endemism > 10% of flora

Na

ALL SPECIES Endemism

NatureServe (2017) Rarity Weighted Index

Northwest Louisiana Pine-oak savanna1

102 FL Pineland plant communities Very high species richness Many different community types

West Gulf Coastal Plain Longleaf pine savanna2

109

East Gulf Coastal Plain Pine wetland savanna1

98

Slash pine Rockland savanna3

96

Atlantic Coastal Plain Longleaf pine savanna4

90

Atlantic Coastal Plain Longleaf pine savanna4

74

Mean species / 1000 m2

1 Carr et al. unpublished 2 Bruser et al. unpublished 3 Platt et al. unpublished 4 Peet et al. unpublished

Sandhills: 96 Calc Flatwoods: 125 Clayhills: 124 Wet Flatwoods: 125

Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) 2015 112:5081-5086

How well do our conservation lands protect biodiversity? New analysis at national scale

Total Tree spp Endemic Tree spp Priority Areas

Conservation Priority Areas (Animals and Trees) 2 in Florida Public Land in U.S.

Conservation of Biodiversity: What about Florida? Public Lands: ~25% of State

Protected Natural Areas: Centers of richness and endemism

Endemism (all spp) Plant Richness

Eglin AFB

Apalachicola NF Tate’s Hell SF Red Hills

Upper Apalachicola Western Panhandle Lower Apalachicola

A Regional View of Natural Area Conservation FLORIDA PANHANDLE

Finally… We can use these datasets to better refine conservation priorities (for plants) Still much more description work for FL pinelands: Subjective endevour The most important decision a field ecologist makes is where to park the truck