Monitoring Native
and Non-Native Plant Species at INL Site
Surveying, Monitoring and Predicting the Occurrence and Spread
of Native and Non-Native Plant Species at Idaho National
Laboratory Site
Management of both non-indigenous plant
species (NIS) and rare plants species (RPS) is a high priority
in many managed forests, wildlands and rangeland areas. However,
rarely do either public or private agencies have sufficient
resources to manage all NIS or conserve all RPS. Neither do
agencies have sufficient information on the potential impacts of
future anthropogenic development. Therefore, a better
understanding of the temporal and spatial processes which drive
both NIS and RPS population distributions and dynamics is
required to improve management effectiveness and efficiency. The
difficulty in increasing our knowledge of NIS and RPS population
dynamics in the sagebrush steppe plant community is that they
occur with low frequency on the landscape and can be difficult
to detect because they are similar in morphology to the
co-occurring species. By using knowledge of probable routes of
introduction for the NIS, and particular habitat requirement
etc. for the RPS, appropriate survey methods can be developed.
Repeated sampling can then help to elucidate the spatiotemporal
dynamics of select populations. From such data predictive
occurrence maps can be generated for the current landscape, but
also for a range of future scenarios including anthropogenic
development. Incorporating the information into a decision
support management prioritization framework can help resource
managers prioritize populations to manage and help evaluate the
potential impacts of different disturbance scenarios to minimize
the negative (RPS) or positive (NIS) impacts on plant population
dynamics.
Objectives
The goal of this study is to determine the current distribution
of NIS and RPS on the INL Site and predict the potential spatial
and temporal metapopulation dynamics of these species to help
inform management and future development decisions. Specific
objectives include:
Evaluate existing data on NIS and RPS at the INL Site and
assemble spatial environmental data for further modeling
exercises
Conduct a NIS and RPS field survey of all NIS and RPS in the
INL Site CMP Development Zone
Develop probability of occurrence models for NIS and RPS and
generate maps from these models
Repeat transects in multiple years to calculate Markov
transition probabilities and predict further invasion or
extinction dynamics of NIS and RPS throughout the INL Site
Development Zone
Simulate metapopulation dynamics for a range of development
scenarios at the INL using the multistate Markov transition
probabilities.
Accomplishments
through 2009
This
project commenced in May of 2009. In April of 2009,
environmental data (primarily GIS layers) were secured from
Stoller and stratified random transects were delineated
throughout the CMP Development Zone within a GIS. These
transects originated on roads or facility margins and traveled 2
km away from the facility or road. Transects were in pairs, with
the location of a pair randomly selected to be up to 500 m away
from each other. In June and July, approximately 37 transects
were completed. NIS and RPS presence and absence was recorded
along each transect. This represented approximately 0.315
percent of the total area of the CMP Development Zone. On twenty
of these transects the presence and abundance of all plant
species were recorded to assess plant biodiversity. The distance
between the 10 transect pairs was also sampled for biodiversity,
that is 10 additional transects between 50m and 500m long were
sampled. Five of the 37 transects were repeated in late July to
determine the within-season variability in NIS occurrence as
precipitation in June and July of 2009 exceeded the 30-year
average threefold.
These data were processed and imported into a GIS, some
different analysis methods explored and generalized linear
models of the more frequent NIS generated. These preliminary
models have been used to inform the sampling for 2010.
Results
Preliminary survey
Seventeen NIS were observed in the 37 presence/absence
transects. A further five NIS were observed, for a total of 1-5
individuals, in the more detailed biodiversity evaluations (Camelina
microcarpa, Polygonum sp., Melilotus officinalis,
Centaurea maculosa and Bromus inermis). The number
of occurrences and the proportional occurrence of NIS observed
in the 37 transects are shown in the table below. NIS
proportional occurrences ranged from less than 0.1 percent to 82
percent showing a broad range of representation in the community
within the Development Zone. No RPS were found within these
transects.
Number
of NIS occurrences by species recorded
within the Development Zone along 37 transects in 2009.
Species
Occurrences
Proportional
Occurrence
Bromus tectorum
6230
0.821
Alyssum desertorum
5327
0.702
Sisymbrium altissimum
2104
0.277
Agropyron cristatum
1191
0.157
Ceratocephalatesticulata
861
0.113
Halogeton glomeratus
574
0.076
Tragopogon dubius
507
0.067
Salsola kali
384
0.051
Carduus nutans
213
0.028
Lactuca serriola
162
0.021
Kochia scoparia
75
0.010
Lepidium perfoliatum
73
0.010
Descurainiasophia
29
0.004
Taraxacum officinale
21
0.003
Malcolmia africana
11
0.001
Thlaspi arvense
3
<0.001
Chorispora tenella
1
<0.001
Species richness of natives and exotics within the
Development Zone
Within the Development Zone 151 plant species were scored as
present along the biodiversity transects. An asymptotic species
accumulation curve (figure below, graph 1A) suggests most
vascular plant species in this area were sampled. Also within
the Development Area 21 exotic species were sampled and these
were evenly distributed along the relative species abundance
profile (figure below, graph 1B, solid large circles).
Plans for Continuation
Approximately 60-80 transects are planned for June and July of
2010. A subset of transects conducted in 2009 will be resampled
to determine Markov transition probabilities to help ascertain
spatiotemporal population dynamics. The biodiversity study will
continue within as well as outside the Development Zone. These
transect data will be collated to generate probability of
occurrence maps and develop preliminary metapopulation dynamics
models for the most frequent NIS. The metapopulation models will
be finalized after the 3rd year of sampling, again for a small
number of NIS.
.