Climate and floristic variation in the Great Basin and Mojave Desert

Transcription

1 Climate Change Seminar Series (NNE) Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Project ( ) Climate and floristic variation in the Great Basin and Mojave Desert David A. Charlet College of Southern Nevada Pat Leary College of Southern Nevada Follow this and additional works at: Part of the Climate Commons, Desert Ecology Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Geomorphology Commons, and the Paleontology Commons Repository Citation Charlet, D. A., Leary, P. (2010). Climate and floristic variation in the Great Basin and Mojave Desert. Available at: This Lecture is brought to you for free and open access by the Nevada NSF EPSCoR Climate Change Project ( ) at Digital It has been accepted for inclusion in Climate Change Seminar Series (NNE) by an authorized administrator of Digital For more information, please contact

2 David A. Charlet and Pat Leary College of Southern Nevada

3 Funding and other support for this work: Nevada Climate Change Infrastructure for Climate Change Research, Education, and Outreach Clark County Ecosystem Indicators Project (Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act) US Geological Survey USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service US Fish and Wildlife Service Bureau of Land Management College of Southern Nevada Wesley E. Niles Herbarium, UNLV

4 Premier location to study climate change Paleoclimate proxy data sets: Biological: fossil, pollen, woodrat midden Geomorphological: pluvial lake shores and basins, sand dunes, glacial and periglacial features

5 Presence of all major temperate life-zones except Humid Transition Understanding our flora requires the context of climate change, isolation of populations, and refugia

6 Hunt 1967

7 Plant species have specific tolerances for conditions and resource availability (e.g., temperature, nutrients, water) Vary one of the conditions (climate), and the distributions of the plants should change

8 To detect changes in vegetation as it responds to changes in climate, we must first know where the vegetation is now We don t know very well how species are distributed We must develop the baseline data

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10 Charlet Billings (1951) Merriam (1898) Alpine Alpine tundra MZS Arctic-Alpine Subalpine Limber pine-bristlecone pine MZS Hudsonian Montane Yellow pine-white fir MZS Canadian Pygmy Conifer Pinyon-juniper MZS Upper Sonoran Sagebrush Sagebrush-grass Upper Sonoran Blackbrush Creosote-bush Lower Sonoran Creosotebush Creosote-bush Lower Sonoran Saltbush Shadscale Lower Sonoran

11 Alpine Not part of Mojave series Subalpine Montane Pygmy Conifer Sagebrush Saltbush Absolute desert South Aspect North Aspect

12 Nival Alpine Subalpine Pluvial Lake / Montane? South Aspect North Aspect

13 Alpine Subalpine Montane Pygmy Conifer Sagebrush Saltbush Absolute desert South Aspect North Aspect

14 Nival Alpine Subalpine Pluvial Lake / Montane? Subalpine Montane Sagebrush Saltbush Pygmy Conifer Alpine Absolute desert / Pluvial Lake Alpine Subalpine Montane Pygmy Conifer Sagebrush Saltbush Absolute desert Full Glacial H A2 Present Day H Ø Thermal Max H A1

15 Subalpine Montane Pygmy Conifer Blackbrush Alpine Pluvial Lake / Saltbush Full Glacial H A2 Subalpine Montane Pygmy Conifer Blackbrush Creosotebush Saltbush Absolute desert Alpine Present Day H Ø Saltbush Montane Pygmy Conifer Blackbrush Creosotebush Absolute desert Alpine Thermal Max H A1 Subalpine

16 Precipitation gauge Radiation sensor Passive solar design High tensile strength supports State of the art climate monitoring stations

17 State of the art climate monitoring stations

18 Climate transects

19 BASELINE DATA

20 Four types collected at each site Floristic the plant species Vegetation the arrangement and structure of plant species that dominate the site Physical Location, elevation, aspect, slope, substrate Photographic High resolution, geo-referenced, time-stamped

21 Mojave Transect Climate stations (5) Distribution of samples (n = 2007)

22 Climate monitoring installations (7): Vegetation samples (n = 316)

23 Floristic Data Achnatherum hymenoides Achnatherum hymenoides Abies concolor Abies concolor Agave utahensis eborispina Achnatherum parishii Achnatherum hymenoides Ageratina herbacea Amelanchier utahensis Agave utahensis eborispina Achnatherum parishii Amelanchier utahensis Arceuthobium divaricatum Amelanchier utahensis Achnatherum parishii de Artemisia dracunculus Artemisia nova Artemisia dracunculus Agave utahensis eborispina Artemisia nova Artemisia tridentata vaseyana Artemisia ludoviciana Ageratina herbacea Artemisia tridentata vaseyana Asclepias asperula Artemisia nova Amelanchier utahensis Boechera perennans Astragalus calycosus Artemisia tridentata vaseyana Antennaria rosea Bouteloua gracilis Astragalus purshii Astragalus platytropis Arceuthobium divaricatum Brickellia grandiflora Berberis fremontii Astragalus purshii Artemisia dracunculus Bromus anomalus Bouteloua gracilis Berberis fremontii Artemisia nova Carex rossii Carex rossii Bouteloua gracilis Astragalus humistratus Castilleja linearifolia Castilleja linearifolia Brickellia oblongifolia Berberis fremontii Cercocarpus ledifolius Ceanothus greggii Calylophus lavanduliferus Bouteloua gracilis Chamaescyce fendlerii Chaetopappa ericoides Carex rossii Carex rossii Chrysothamnus depressus Chamaescyce fendlerii Castilleja lineariifolia Castilleja linearifolia Cirsium arizonicum Chrysothamnus depressus Ceanothus greggii Cercocarpus intricatus Cryptantha cinerea abortiva Cordylanthus parvifolia Cercocarpus intricatus Cercocarpus ledifolius Cryptantha flavoculata Coryphantha vivipara Cercocarpus ledifolius Cheilanthes feei Elymus elymoides Cryptantha flavoculata Chaetopappa ericoides Cirsium arizonicum Ephedra viridis Echinocereus triglochidiatus Chamaescyce fendlerii Cryptantha flavoculata Ericameria parryi nevadensis Elymus elymoides Chenopodium fremontii Cuniculotinus gramineus Eriogonum panamintense Ephedra viridis Cirsium arizonicum Echinocereus triglochidiatus Eriogonum umbellatum subardu Eriogonum microthecum simp Cryptantha flavoculata Elymus elymoides Euphorbia brachycera Eriogonum umbellatum subarid Dietaria canescens Ephedra viridis Gutierrezia sarothrae Frasera albomarginata Echinocereus triglochidiatus Ericameria parryi nevadensis Ipomopsis arizonica Gilia inconspicua Elymus elymoides Glossopetalon spinescens Juniperus osteosperma Glossopetalon spinescens Ephedra viridis Hesperostipa comata Juniperus scopulorum Gutierrezia sarothrae Ericameria nauseosa speciosa Hymenopappus filifolius Linanthus nuttallii Hedeoma drummondii Eriogonum microthecum simpso Ipomopsis arizonica Oenothera caespitosa marginata Hymenoxys cooperi Eriogonum umbellatum subaridu Jamesia americana Opuntia polyacantha erinacea Juniperus osteosperma Euphorbia brachycera Juniperus osteosperma Opuntia polyacantha hystricina Opuntia phaecantha Fallugia paradoxa Juniperus scopulorum Packera multilobata Opuntia polyacantha erinacea Galium parishii Linanthus nuttallii Pedicularis semibarbata charlest Opuntia polyacantha hystricina Glossopetalon spinescens Linum lewisii Penstemon eatonii Penstemon eatonii Gutierrezia sarothrae Lomatium graveolens alpinum Penstemon linarioides sileri Penstemon palmeri Hedeoma drummondii Penstemon eatonii Penstemon rostriflorus Phoradendron juniperinum Hymenopappus filifolius Penstemon linarioides sileri Petradoria pumila Physaria kingii Ipomopsis arizonica Petradoria pumila Phlox condensata Pinus monophylla Juniperus osteosperma Philadelphus microphyllus Physaria chambersii Poa fendleriana Linanthus nuttallii Phlox condensata Physaria kingii Purshia stansburiana Linum lewisii Physocarpus alternans Pinus monophylla Sphaeralcea parviflora Lomatium graveolens alpinum Pinus longaeva Pinus ponderosa Symphoriocarpos longiflorus Mirabilis oxybaphoides Pinus monophylla Poa fendleriana Yucca baccata Oenothera caespitosa marginata Pinus ponderosa Pseudoroegneria spicata Opuntia polyacantha erinacea Piptatherum micranthum Purshia stansburiana Opuntia polyacantha hystricina Pseudoroegneria spicata Rhus trilobata Penstemon eatonii Silene verrucunda Ribes cereum Penstemon linarioides sileri Symphoriocarpos longiflorus Salvia dorrii clokeyi Phlox condensata Tetradymia canescens Symphoriocarpos longiflorus Physaria chambersii Tetraneuris acaulis Tetradymia canescens Physaria kingii Tetraneuris acaulis Pinus monophylla Thelesperma subnudum Pinus ponderosa Piptatherum micranthum Prunus fasciculatum Pseudoroegneria spicatum Purshia stansburiana Salvia dorrii clokeyi Symphoriocarpos longiflorus

24 Mojave matrix: 2007 samples x 840 species

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26 20 VEGETATION AND FLORISTIC SAMPLES (N = 316) DISTRIBUTED BY LIFE ZONE AND ELEVATION IN WHITE PINE COUNTY, NEVADA SALTBUSH 18 CREOSOTEBUSH N U 16 BLACKBRUSH M B E R Climate monitoring installations (7): SAGEBRUSH PYGMY CONIFER MONTANE O F 10 SUBALPINE ALPINE S A M P L per. Mov. Avg. (SALTBUSH) 2 per. Mov. Avg. (SAGEBRUSH) E 4 S ELEVATION (m)

27 N 80 U M B 70 E R 60 O F 50 VEGETATION AND FLORISTIC SAMPLES (N = 2007) DISTRIBUTED BY LIFE ZONE AND ELEVATION IN CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA Climate monitoring installations (5): SALTBUSH CREOSOTEBUSH BLACKBRUSH SAGEBRUSH PYGMY CONIFER MONTANE S A M P L E S SUBALPINE 2 per. Mov. Avg. (SALTBUSH) ELEVATION (m)

28 576 NVCS plots (266 in Great Basin transect, 310 in Mojave transect) 1770 RACE samples (1700 in Mojave transect, 70 in Great Basin transect) Quantitative cover species data Presence/absence species data Useful for detailed analysis of species distributions in a single landscape feature Useful for defining life zones in a single landscape feature or across a region

29 Presence/Absence data of groups of trees and shrubs Useful for regional trends

30 Group characteristics Economically important Ecologically important K selected species Long time to reproductive maturity, longlived, slow to move

31 Distance to source has small effect on diversity Size of island has large effect on diversity

32 Montane relief alone explained 65% of the variation in conifer diversity across the region

33 Distribution pattern is extinction-driven, due largely to changing climate over past 2 million years Examining climate change in our lifetime requires a finer scale

34 PRISM (Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model)

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36 Quantitative cover species data Useful for detailed analysis of species distributions in a single landscape feature Irradiance values derived from 10m DEM and the highly complex topography of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

37 Surficial Geology Scale 1:150,000 MMU 10 ha 47 Mapped Units Contains Generalized Bedrock Geology and surficial units Created by Kyle House and UNR Geo-Spatial Lab

38 Soils Maps USDA NRCS mapping efforts in Clark County and White Pine County are complete

39 To date, > 1000 unique vegetation Associations (n = 2340 samples) Encountered 950 of 4400 taxa in the region sampling remains inadequate Relating environmental variables to distribution of species

40 1_CCD 2_CCD 3_CCD 4_CCD 5_CCD 6_CCD 7_CCW 8_CCW 9_CCD 10_CCD 11_CCD 12_CCD 13_SRP 14_CCD 15_CCD 16_CCD 17_CCD 18_CCD 19_CCD 20_SRP 21_SRP 22_SRP 23_SRP 24_SRP 25_CCD 26_CCD 27_CCW 28_CCW 29_CCW 30_CCW 31_CCW 32_CCW 33_CCW 34_CCW 35_CCW 36_CCW 37_CCW 52_CCW 53_CCW 54_CCW 55_CCW 56_CCW 57_CCW 58_CCW 59_CCW 80_CCD 81_CCD 82_CCD 83_CCD 84_CCD 85_CCD 86_CCD 87_CCD 101_CCW 102_CCW 103_CCW 104_CCW 105_CCW 106_CCW 107_CCW 108_CCW Upland Riverine Uhydro litter wood sm_rocks sand S1_ht S3_ht Tree_cv Shrub_cv Herb_cv 221_Soil %_COVER CORNCK_VEG_61_NMS Axis 1 Axis 2 ATPO ATCA PRGL LATR/ATCO LATR/AMDU SV CH VI ATCO Tree cover % cover litter Herb cover 221 soil Shrub height Upland Sand

41 More than 1100 encounters with more than 50 sensitive rare species in 2340 samples Photo by Pat Leary

42 New climate measurements Future surveys can detect responses to change

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