Download NAU-337 - Northern Arizona University

PROJECT ABSTRACT
Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
(Cooperative Agreement #H1200-09-0005)
Park: Grand Canyon National Park
Project Title: Low Elevation Vegetation Class Description and Vegetation Key Testing
Funding Amount: $10,330.17
CPCESU Partner Institution: Northern Arizona University
Principal Investigator: Dr. Tina J. Ayers, Assistant Professor of Biology, NAU Box 5640,
Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011,
928.523.9482 (v), 928.523.7500 (f), [email protected]
NPS Key Official: Dr. Michael Kearsley, Vegetation Mapping Project Coordinator, Division of
Science and Resource Management, Grand Canyon National Park, 823 N. San Francisco Street
Suite B, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, 928.226.0178 (v), 928.226.0170 (f), [email protected]
Start Date: July 31, 2009
End Date: March 30, 2010
Abstract: A key component of a vegetation map is the creation of field keys which allow the
assignment of areas to vegetation types based on the identity and abundance of plant species
present. Field keys are primarily used for ground-truthing and accuracy assessment when drafts
of the map are completed, although there are other uses for wildlife and conservation issues. In
this project, funds will be provided to Northern Arizona University to support the testing and
revision of vegetation field keys connected to low elevation (desertscrub, desert grassland, etc.)
vegetation types encountered in the Grand Canyon Vegetation Mapping Project. NatureServe
will provide a table listing which plots have been assigned to which vegetation type, along with a
species by plot table indicating the abundance of species present in each of the plots, summary
tables describing upper and lower bounds for edaphic factors such as elevation, slope, aspect,
and ground cover, plus summaries of the most common species’ abundances within plots in a
vegetation type. Dr. Tina Ayers and her students and staff in the Deaver Herbarium will use this
information to test and revise dichotomous keys based on data provided by NatureServe. Grand
Canyon personnel will assist with oversight and prioritization of the testing, and will serve to
facilitate communication between Northern Arizona University, NatureServe, other NPS
personnel at Grand Canyon and the National Vegetation Mapping Program office and the
vegetation mapping contractor.
Keywords: GIS / Tabular Data (Species-Specific Information Databases), Vegetation (Surveys /
Inventory and Monitoring, Forests, Shrubs, Wetlands), Fire (Fire Ecology), Ecology (Surveys /
Inventory and Monitoring, Biodiversity, Endemic Species).
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