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

FLORIDA Plant Biodiversity > 3500 plant taxa in Florida > 250 taxa endemic to Florida (11%) Many species restricted distributions Large Climate gradient > 64” < 50” Annual precipitation

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 Current Range Historic Range Longleaf (FNAI) Longleaf

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

First: Partitioning Florida for sampling Physiographic landforms of Florida (modified from Puri and Vernon 1964) Physiographic Landforms Highlands Ridges, Uplands, Slopes Lowlands, Gaps, Valleys, Plains

Ecoregions: Stratified site selection 22 Plot locations (293) 2-4 Natural Areas/Region Ecoregions sampled 29

SITE SELECTION: Natural Areas • Intact topographic- moisture gradients • No recent ground disturbance • Absence of invasive species • Presence of native overstory and ground cover vegetation • Recent fire (w/in 5 years) • History of frequent fire Plot Locations (preferred)

Vegetation Sampling: CVS methodology One 1000 m 2 plot, series of nested subplots Record all vascular plant taxa; covers All woody stems 10 m 2 1 m 2 0.1 m 2 100 m 2 20 m 50 m

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 Carphephorus Liatris psuedoliatris carnosus provincialis Peninsula Panhandle Panhandle (endemic) (endemic) Liatris Liatris Liatris Liatris gracilis pauciflora elegans provincialis No North Florida Peninsula classification ~100 Restricted Range and Endemic taxa: 1/7 of Total Species

Community Classification Results: 16 Associations Series Association Peninsula Xeric Sandhills (22) DRY Panhandle Xeric Sandhills (31) UPLANDS North Florida Sandhills (31) North Florida Rich Woodlands (11) Panhandle Longleaf Pine Clayhills (14) Panhandle Silty Woodlands (22) MESIC Xeric-Mesic Flatwoods (36) FLATWOODS North Florida Mesic Flatwoods (30) Central Florida Mesic Flatwoods/Dry Prairies (22) Marginal Prairies (11) Peninsula Wet Flatwoods/Prairies (16) WETLANDS 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 Peninsula Xeric Sandhills (FNAI Sandhill) Coarse and deep sandy soils, very low silt and organic content Sandy ridges and Peninsula Xeric sideslopes Sandhills

Peninsula Xeric Sandhills Asimina incana Aristida condensata Shirley Denton 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 Carphephorus corymbosus

Dry Panhandle Xeric Sandhills (FNAI Sandhill) More Species Similar core species Coarse and deep sandy soils, silt content Panhandle Xeric Sandhills Sandy ridges and sideslopes, broad flats Eglin AFB FL051

P anhandle Xeric Sandhills Turkey oak Q. laevis Sand live oak Q. geminata Bluejack oak Q. incana YES Sand Post Oak Q. margarettiae Dwarf live oak Q. minima Rhynchosia cytisoides Dwarf huckleberry G. dumosa 14 INDICATOR SPECIES 6 range restricted Pityopsis aspera

Sub-Xeric North Florida Sandhills (FNAI Sandhills) North Florida Sandhills Sandy soils with higher silt content Higher species richness Ridges and Highlands N FL and E Panhandle

North Florida Sandhills Turkey oak Q. laevis Bluejack oak Q. incana Sand Post Oak Q. margarettiae Many more legumes and forb spp. Dyschoriste oblongifolia 15 INDICATOR SPECIES None range restricted Rhynchosia reniformis Desmodium floridanum

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

19 INDICATOR SPECIES 9 range restricted Legumes and Grasses Rhynchosia cinerea Dichanthelium oligosanthes var. oligosanthes Ageratina aromatica

Sub-Xeric Panhandle Longleaf Pine Clayhills High pH Miocene deposits, fine texture soils The Redhills of Panhandle, West Panhandle Panhandle Longleaf Pine Clayhills Panhandle Silty Woodlands

39 INDICATOR SPECIES 10 range restricted Legumes and Grasses Asteraceae Turkey oak Q. laevis Sand Post oak Q. margarettiae Andropogon gerardii Running oak Q. pumila Bluejack oak Q. incana Darrow blueberry Q. darrowi S Red oak Q. falcata Winged sumac R. copallinum Phlox floridana

Mesic Panhandle Silty Woodlands Apalachicola embayment many range restricted and endemic species Flatwoods affinities High Silt and Clay Panhandle Silty Woodlands ANF FL081

No upland oaks Ilex glabra Q. pumila and Q. minima S. repens Upland ground cover spp. 14 INDICATOR SPECIES Baptisia simplicifolia 8 range restricted Endemics Phoebanthus tenuifolius Symphyotrichum adnatum

Xeric-Mesic Xeric Mesic Flatwoods FNAI Xeric Flatwoods Coarse Sediments Dense shrubby groundcover Spodosols Periodic saturation Xeric Mesic Flatwoods

Saw palmetto Quercus geminata Q. myrtifolium Q. chapmannii Lyonia lucida 7 INDICATOR SPECIES 3 range restricted Solidago odora var. chapmanii Befaria racemose

Mesic North FL Mesic Flatwoods FNAI Mesic Flatwoods 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

Central FL Mesic Flatwoods Mesic and Prairies FNAI Mesic Flatwoods and Dry Prairies Poorly drained Lowlands Includes DRY PRAIRIES Low pH Seasonally flooded Central FL Mesic Flatwoods / Dry Prairies Kissimmee Prairie SP

Saw palmetto Gallberry Q. minima 27 INDICATOR SPECIES 6 range restricted Polygala rugelii Lachnocaulon beyrichianum Asimina reticulata

Mesic-Hydric North FL Shrubby Wet Flatwoods FNAI Mesic Flatwoods Fringe along lower slopes High organic in surface soils Slash pine Pond and longleaf pine Shrub dominance North FL shrubby Wet Flatwoods

North FL Shrubby Wet Flatwoods Ocala NF FL146

19 INDICATOR SPECIES 2 range restricted Mostly shrubs and ferns Ilex coriacea Viburnum nudum Sarracenia minor

Mesic-Hydric 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 Blackwater River SF FL276

Gallberry Q. pumila Gaylussacia frondosa var nana 25 INDICATOR SPECIES 8 range restricted Sedges and grasses Hibiscus aculeatus Arundanaria tecta Pycnanthemum flexuosum

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

Peninsula Wet Flatwoods / Prairies Wet Prairie

Peninsula Wet Flatwoods / Prairies 35 INDICATOR SPECIES None range restricted Hypericum fasciculatum Ilex glabra Sabatia grandiflora Hypericum myrtifolium Xyris elliottii

Calcareous Wet Flatwoods (FNAI ?? “Sweetflats”) Slash Pines Sabal palmetto Myrica cerifera shallow limestone High Ca, pH, Clay Very species rich Peninsula Wet Distinct flora Flatwoods / Prairies Calcareous Wet Flatwoods St. Marks FL024

Hydric 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 Panhandle Seepage Slope Low slope, saturated soils Treeless High species richness Continual seepage Panhandle Seepage Slopes Blackwater River SF FL275

Ilex glabra Cliftonia monophylla Ctenium aromaticum Dozens INDICATOR SPECIES ~1/2 range restricted Sarracenia psittacina Sarracenia leucophylla Drosera filiformis