Download CamasEWPosterNov04 - Willamette University

Pacific Prairie Wildflowers: Stalking Wild Camas Lilies
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Susan Kephart, Suzanne Torre, Josef Uyeda, Joel Shinn
Biology Department, Willamette University
Contact:
[email protected]
Results: Reintroducing Camas Lilies
• > 1000 plants reintroduced by local volunteers: February and October 2004
• ~ 90% survival and 53% reproduction of Great Camas transplanted in February
Planting: The First Expedition: Feb 2004
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Introduction
Lewis & Clark Herbarium, Univ of Maryland
Common camas (C. quamash)
Globally, many populations of plants are now highly fragmented. This creation of isolated ‘sky
islands,’ has led to rarity and a loss of genetic diversity (Young et al 2000). From the Willamette
Valley to the mountains, camas lily meadows create exciting landscapes, rich in species and
spectacular to behold. Today, in remnant grassland prairies in Oregon, the large, blue-flowered
patches still resemble the vast blue “lakes” of flowers traversed by early pioneers.
These sites also create outstanding laboratories for teaching us about life’s diversity and the
many ecological services that organisms provide as they interact in space and time. Butterflies,
bees, moths and even bats carry pollen that produces both the fruits and seeds we enjoy in the
marketplace, and those that sustain natural populations (Kearns & Inouye 1997).
Cultural Significance: Great and small camas lilies are emblematic of a rich, Pacific heritage.
For centuries, Native Americans shared the highly prized bulbs in marriage and funeral rites,
wrapping them in cornhusks. For Nez Perce and Kalapuyans in the Willamette Valley, camas was
the most widely traded item apart from salmon. The sweet bulbs were pit-cooked or sun dried.
The leaves were also used in mattresses and basketry (Gunther 1973, Stevens & Darris 1999).
• Upswept petals, bilateral symmetry
• Early flowering, petals wither separately
Great camas (C. leichtlinii)
• large petals & leaves, radial symmetry
• Late flowering, petals wither together
Project Objectives
•
•
•
Apply the best scientific tools to practical issues in local areas
Scientists and volunteers will use field and lab-based methods to create and monitor
visually and functionally diverse landscapes. Field and genetic data will help guide
the management of ecologically and historically important communities.
Restore degraded communities by enhancing biodiversity
Educators, students, and citizens will reintroduce native camas and other flowering
plants to reconstructed grassland “islands” that occur near local businesses.
Enlist public support to maintain camas meadows and wetlands
We hope this broad participatory effort will be a national model that exemplifies
how citizens and scientists can work together to understand ecological processes. A
new website, videotaping, and interpretive signs will highlight the potential for a
future, on-site nature center that local citizens can enjoy.
Site 1: Fairview Mitigation Wetlands
Habitat Diversity
http://home.att.net/~TanyaHarvey/art/paintingslarge/camas.htm
Circa 1850
Habitat Significance
What’s Up in Oregon
Meadows?
Monitor Survival & Reproduction
• Locate & count surviving plants in wet-dry; shaded-sunny habitats
• Record % of emerging plants that produce flowers and fruits
Study Hybrid Zone Dynamics of Camas Lily Populations
Use genetic markers to identify potential hybrid seedlings
• Determine relative success of seedlings by species and habitat
•
Observe Plant-Animal Interactions
• Use diversity indices to assess potential for upward cascade in biodiversity
Hypothesis 1: new plants will provide more habitat for pollinators & herbivores
Hypothesis 2: diversity will also improve ecological function in wetland prairie
Compare: Natural versus Reintroduced
• for Species diversity (H’) and Species Richness (S)
-Surveys of randomly selected points along belt transects in multiple sites
• for Plant Fitness traits
-fruit & seed production, plant size, height
• for Genetic Diversity
- protein and DNA fingerprinting
Camas Survival
Single
Species
Plots
& Reproduction
# Great Camas
# Great
# Surviving
%
bulbs
Survival with flowers or
Camas bulbs
fruits
planted
February 2004
INSIDE A NEWLY
CREATED WETLAND
From: Wetlands Vol. 23
Targeted for protection as biodiversity hotspots, grassland habitats are highly productive, with a rich
flora and fauna (Wilson 1998, Stromberg et al 2001). Wetland prairies are an important class of grassdominated ecosystem, offering critical ecological services. The early spring “vernal pools” and hydric
soils sustain killdeers, water striders, and frogs, yet also filter pollutants, recharge precious water
supplies, and buffer neighborhoods from flood waters (Zedler 2003). In the Willamette Valley, most
wetlands were drained for agriculture or urban growth, leading to a 57% loss since pre-settlement
days. Over 85% of our wildlife species use streamside riparian zones and wetlands.
Research Approaches
% Plants
that
reproduced
April 2004
South
FMW
478
446
93.3
279
62.6
•Formerly farmed
North
FMW
200
184
92.0
85
46.2
•~46 mitigated acres
Total
678
630
92.9
364
53.7
•283 acre park
% of 2004 Invertebrate Fauna
Great Camas Transplants: from Buds to Fruits!
50
45
Can we enhance biodiversity in a wetland created to mitigate nearby business development?
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to:
City of Salem, Pringle
Creek Watershed Council,
Native Plant Society, 21st
Century Schoolhouse,
Mortar Board, Ecos,
Willamette University
classes & grounds crew
Photos: W. Bluhm,
C.Collins, S.Kephart,
J. Shinn, S. Torre, J. Uyeda
Site 2: Bush Pasture Park
Natural Population for Comparison
40
BPP
FMW
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Willamette University scientists and students, along
with Earthwatch volunteers and Salem citizens
are engaged in a joint endeavor that weds cuttingedge science, K-12 schools, and local businesses in a
partnership to enhance and protect beautiful
grassland prairies, wetlands and upland oak
savannas. These areas form the habitat of the famed
Camas lilies and the largest gopher known to the
Northwest. The Camas pocket gopher (Thomomys
bulbivorus), reproduces in April-May and can dig
tunnels over 200 meters long (i.e., 2 soccer fields)!
Dipteran (fly) visitor takes a pollen meal…
Genetic Diversity: PGI
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Team braves rain in Feb to plant camas!
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Pilot Study: Genetic variation in protein
fingerprints for plants from Bush Park
Camassia sp ( Lily Family. Liliaceae)
Hymenoptera
Homoptera
Hemiptera
Insect Order
Conclusion
Reintroduction is an important tool for restoring degraded
habitat. In Oregon, the Fairview Mitigation Wetlands are
quickly becoming known as an area with great potential for
educational and leisure space, and for in-depth scientific
study. Our project links volunteer site restoration with
research on reintroduction, pollination biology, and plant
hybridization. It is part of long-term efforts to understand
plant-animal-soil interactions in grassland prairies and the
ecological functions they mediate.