From aceska at telus.net Thu Nov 12 22:07:06 2009 From: aceska at telus.net (Adolf & Oluna Ceska) Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:07:06 -0800 Subject: [BEN-L]BEN # 417 Message-ID: <003d01ca63e4$793a5600$6baf0200$@net> BBBBB EEEEEE NN N ISSN 1188-603X BB B EE NNN N BBBBB EEEEE NN N N BOTANICAL BB B EE NN NN ELECTRONIC BBBBB EEEEEE NN N NEWS =20 No. 417 November 12, 2009 =20 aceska@telus.net Victoria, B.C. ----------------------------------------------------------- Dr. A. Ceska, P.O.Box 8546, Victoria, B.C. Canada V8W 3S2 ----------------------------------------------------------- NEW SITE FOR _POLYSTICHUM CALIFORNICUM_ (DRYOPTERIDACEAE) ON TEXADA ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA From: Adolf & Oldriska Ceska, Helen Atthowe, James Mack, & John Wood e-mail: c/o aceska@telus.net=20 Figures 1 & 2: http://bomi.ou.edu/ben/417/ben417_figures.pdf =20 =20 The California Sword Fern, _ Polystichum californicum_ (D.C. Eat.) = Diels, was first reported from British Columbia and Canada by Wagner (1979) = based on the specimen that W.B. Anderson collected on Texada Island in August 1897. Until Wagner=92s 1979 revision of the genus _Polystichum_, W.B. Anderson=92s specimen (a small single frond) had been consistently misidentified as _Polystichum setigerum_ (K. Presl) K. Presl. In August 2007, Terry Ludwar found a single plant of _P. californicum_ on a rock = wall in Maple Bay, north of Favada Point (Ceska et al. 2009). This plant had contorted leaves, probably as a result of the exposure to salt spray: http://bomi.ou.edu/ben/402/polystichum_californicum_photos.pdf and http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben402.html#2=20 During the summer of 2008, James Mack and John Wood discovered a new = site of _Polystichum californicum_ at the wall of rock cliffs at the = southwestern base of Surprise Mountain on Texada Island. In October 2009, the authors visited this site and found altogether 18 plants of this species. This population consisted of healthy plants with several young plants = scattered along the rock wall for approximately 90 m. This site is about 3 km ESE = of the single plant in Maple Bay that was reported earlier in BEN. Collection data: _Polystichum californicum_ (D.C. Eaton) Diels - Dryopteridaceae=20 Canada, British Columbia: Texada Island, Van Anda municipality, = limestone rock walls at SW slopes of Surprise Mtn. 49=B0 43.22=B4 N. 124=B0 = 35.89=B4 W. UTM 10U 384810 E 5508761 N (NAD 83) elev.100 m. In fissures of limestone = rock (Quatsino Formation) at the contact with basalts of the Karmutsen = Formation. With _Rubus ursinus_ Cham. & Schlecht. and _Poa marcida_ A.S. Hitchc. Collection date: October 11, 2009 Collectors: Adolf & Oldriska Ceska, Helen Atthowe, James Mack, & John = Wood Coll. No.: A&OC # 35000 (UBC) [2 fronds] Identified: Adolf & Oldriska Ceska - October 2009 [Photo confirmed by = D.H. Wagner] References Ceska A., O. Ceska, J. Dove, T. Ludwar, J. Mack, & D. H. Wagner. 2009.=20 _Polystichum californicum_ (Dryopteridaceae) found again on Texada Island, British Columbia. _BEN =96 Botanical Electronic News_ 402. http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben402.html#2 =20 Wagner D. H. 1979. Systematics of _Polystichum_ in western North America north of Mexico. Pteridologia 1: 1-64.=20 CANADIAN _PHRAGMITES_ DATABASE =96 UPDATE: NOTES FOR USE From: Paul M. Catling & Gis=E8le Mitrow, Agriculture and Agri-Food = Canada, Environmental Health, Biodiversity, Saunders Bldg., Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa,=20 Ontario K1A 0C6 Canada [catlingp@agr.gc.ca]=20 The _Phragmites_ database at the _Global Biodiversity Information = Facility_ Website has recently been accessed at a rate of more than 50 times a = week.=20 It is possible to go directly to the 297 records of _Phragmites = australis_ (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.subsp. _australis_ by following: http://data.gbif.org/species/16140669 , or for 920 records of = _Phragmites australis_ subsp. _americanus_ Saltonstall by following http://data.gbif.org/species/15940058 , or to see all Canadian = _Phragmites_ (1634 records of both subspecies including 417 plants not identified to subspecies) follow http://data.gbif.org/datasets/resource/526/ =20 Database Content: The data are based on material that we have examined, verified and = annotated in 20 herbarium collections and museums across Canada including ACAD, = ALTA, CAN, DAO, MMMN, MT, MTMG, NSPM, QFA, QUE, SASK, TRT, TRTE, UBC, UNB, = UPEI, UWO, V, WAT, and WIN (acronyms from Holmgren et al. 1990 and Holmgren = 2005). Identification criteria and misclassification: Research, some of which is published (Robichaud and Catling 2003, Saltonstall et al. 2004, Catling 2006, Catling et al. 2007) has = established that _Phragmites australis_ subsp. _americanus_ differs from subsp. _australis_ in having shorter first glumes and that glume length is = strongly correlated with colour of lower stem internodes. Older collections and = those from native habitats consistently have red lower internodes suggesting = that this is characteristic of the native subspecies (e.g. Catling et al. = 2007). In preparing the database all specimens with clearly red or = reddish-purple lower stem internodes were referred to subsp. _americanus_, whereas all specimens with yellow internodes were referred to subsp. _australis_. Specimens without bases, of which there are many because plant = collectors frequently collect only the reproductive portion of these tall plants, = were identified using the following method which is based on a bimodal distribution of maximum lower glume length correlated with stem colour.=20 Using specimens with bases showing stem internodes and identifying them according to internode colour, we found that using the lower glume limit = of 4.3 mm, the misclassification rate is approximately 6.7%. However, other limits can be selected by assigning individuals in the overlap zone to = the category of =93unknowns=94 and this was done for identification of = specimens in the database. All plants with lower glumes under 3.8 mm long were = assigned to _Phragmites australis_ subsp. _australis_, with the result that 0.3 % = of subsp. _americanus_ (identified on basis of stem colour) would be misidentified. Thus _P. australis_ subsp. _australis_ in the database is fairly reliably identified. All specimens with lower glumes over 4.2 mm = long were assigned to subsp. _americanus_ which would result in 6.6 % of = plants possibly referable to subsp. _australis_ being misclassified. However, these misclassification rates may be based on rare mutants lacking red pigment or to hybrids. This method resulted in 15.8 % of specimens with = only inflorescences being unidentified (as a result of occupying the overlap zone).=20 About half of the plants in the database (approx. 850) are without basal stems so being able to identify the majority of these reliably using = glume length is useful in providing much additional data. Being able to = identify plants on the basis of glume lengths is also valuable in winter and = spring when stem internodes are not available. Of course plants collected in = autumn with lower stems and mature inflorescences are the best for = identification. Internode colour appears to be the most important character but is not infallible (Catling et al. 2007) so that using other characters that nevertheless overlap somewhat is helpful in determining the reliability = of an identification. The following key (Catling et al. 2007) appears to be = the most reliable for identification of Canadian plants. For information on = how these are distinguished from other species elsewhere in the world, see Catling (2007). =20 la. Lower stem internodes yellowish or yellowish-brown; lower glumes 2.6-4.2 (4.8) mm long; ligule of middle leaf excluding fringe 0.1-0.4 mm high . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . subsp. _australis_ = (introduced) lb. Lower stem internodes reddish-purple; lower glumes 3.8- 7.0 mm long; ligule of middle leaf excluding fringe (0.2) 0.4-0.9 mm high . . . . . . . . . subsp. _americanus_ (native) Acknowledgements We appreciate the extensive help of Ms. Lynn Black with databasing. = Derek Munroe and Guy Baillargeon assisted with making the database available through GBIF. =20 Literature Cited Catling P. M. 2006.=20 Notes on the lectotypification of _Phragmites berlandieri_ and identification of North American _Phragmites_. _BEN - Botanical Electronic News_ 366. http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben366.html =20 Catling P.M. 2007.=20 Additional notes on the identification of alien _Phragmites_ in Canada. _BEN - Botanical Electronic News_ 370 http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben370.html#2 =20 Catling P.M., G. Mitrow & L. Black. 2007.=20 Analysis of stem color for grouping _Phragmites_ taxa in eastern Ontario and an evaluation of lower glume length and ligule length for separating stem colour groups. _Rhodora_ 109 (938): 125-136. Holmgren P.K.. 2005.=20 Online database of the _Index Herbariorum_: A Global Directory of Public Herbaria and Associated Staff. http://sciweb.nybg.org/science2/IndexHerbariorum.asp =20 Holmgren P.K., N.H. Holmgren & L.C. Barnett. 1990.=20 _Index herbariorum. Part 1: The Herbaria of the World_. The eighth edition. The New York Botanical Garden Press. 693 p.=20 Robichaud L. & P. M. Catling. 2003.=20 Potential value of glume length in differentiating native and alien races of Common Reed, _Phragmites australis_. _BEN - Botanical Electronic News_ 310. http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben310.html Saltonstall K., P. M. Peterson & R. J. Soreng. 2004.=20 Recognition of _Phragmites australis_ (Poaceae): Arundinoideae) in North America: evidence from morphological and genetic analysis. _Sida_ 21(2): 683- 692.=20 NOTES ON THE ACTUAL AND POTENTIAL IMPACT OF INVASIVE EUROPEAN COMMON = REED (_PHRAGMITES AUSTRALIS_ SUBSP. _AUSTRALIS_) IN EASTERN CANADA=20 From: Gis=E8le Mitrow & Paul M. Catling, Agriculture and Agri-Food = Canada, Environmental Health, Biodiversity, Saunders Bldg., Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa,=20 Ontario K1A 0C6 Canada [catlingp@agr.gc.ca]=20 Using the _NatureServe_ ranking system (Morse et al. 2004) _Phragmites australis_ subsp. _australis_ has been ranked as the top priority = invasive alien plant in Canada (Catling 2005). Although there have been = relatively few detailed studies of its impact on native biodiversity, the circumstantial evidence for a huge impact is very strong since the plant = now occurs in many thousands of places previously occupied by a rich = assemblage of native species. A few examples of observations and studies in eastern Canada indicate a very broad spectrum of impacts: (1) St. Lawrence River wetlands: Of the invasive alien plants of = wetlands of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, _Phragmites austratlis_ was found to = be highly competitive and to have a greater impact on native plant = biodiversity than any of the other invasives present including purple loosestrife (_Lythrum salicaria_ L.. ). Studies of the impact of common reed on biodiversity in the St. Lawrence region of southern Quebec are ongoing. http://www.phragmites.crad.ulaval.ca/EN/projetsEn.asp=20 (2) Long Point Biosphere Reserve on Lake Erie: This area contains some = of the most important habitats for staging waterfowl in the Great Lakes. Naturally the loss of native wetland vegetation here is a great concern. = In 2003 _P. australis_ subsp. _australis_ was expanding in this area at a = rate of 50% per year (Meyer 2003). Based on a study of aerial photographs = taken from 1945 to 1999, Wilcox et al. (2003) found that four kinds of = vegetation had been extensively reduced by _Phragmites australis_ subsp. = _australis_ (_Typha_ marsh, marsh meadow, sedge/grass hummock, and mixed emergents). = In a detailed study of impact on animals, Meyer (2003) found that the development of dense stands of _P. australis_ subsp. _australis_ reduced numbers of Swamp Sparrows, rails, waterfowl, Northern Leopard Frogs, and Fowler=92s Toads but benefitted Least Bitterns, Red-winged Blackbirds, warblers, meadow voles and shrews.=20 (3) Lake St. Clair marsh and wet prairie: Here _P. australis_ subsp. _australis_ is threatening the habitat of the endangered Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid, _Platanthera leucophaea_ (Nutt.) Lindl., and other rare native prairie plants. It appeared here in early 1990=92s. Following = decline of the orchid, an invaded area was sprayed with glyphosate and later = burnt resulting in effective control and dramatic growth of the rare native orchid. Without this decisive action, this population of an already threatened species would have probably been eliminated. There has been substantial loss of native marsh vegetation and particularly cattails to _Phragmites australis_ subsp. _australis_ over the last few decades and some useful methods of demonstrating decline have been developed on the basis of studies in the Lake St. Clair region (Arzandeh & Wang 2003, see also Pengra et al 2007). =20 (4) Fens: A number of fens in New York State have been taken over by _Phragmites australis_ subsp. _australis_ with the loss of all native vegetation (pers. obs.). It has taken over 27% of the open area of = Bergen Swamp, one of the most biodiversity-rich wetlands in the state. Not surprisingly it is regarded as a threat to a large, attractive silk moth (_Hemileuca_ sp.) that is very rare and confined to a few fens in New = York State and Ontario: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/38944.html & http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=3DHemi= leuca %20sp.%201=20 Fens are unusual on the landscape and contain many rare and restricted species. The loss of Ontario fens (Minesing, White Lake, = Hayes Bay, Stoco, etc) to _P. australis_ subsp. _australis_ seems inevitable without intervention based on the situation in New York, and it would = likely lead to the extirpation or serious endangerment of many species of = plants and animals. =A0 =A0 (5) Farmland in eastern Ontario and southwestern Quebec: _Phragmites australis_ subsp. _australis_ is invading cereal crops in parts of = eastern Ontario and southern Quebec, in some cases reducing yield by up to 50% = on parts of the cultivated land. Near St. Gr=E9goire it has competed = successfully with corn along field edges eliminating 3 rows of corn (specimens in = DAO, P.M. Catling pers. obs.). (6) St. Lawrence River estuary: Between 2003 and 2005 (_Phragmites australis_ subsp. _australis_ was observed expanding in the tidal = marshes at Rivi=E8re du Loup and La Pocati=E8re. It expanded through the upper = marsh to the edge of the _Spartina alterniflora_ Loisel. zone. Species displaced = by the advancing stand comprised of _P. australis_ subsp. _australis_ alone included _Agropyron_ spp., Carex spp, _Chenopodium_ spp., _Convolvulus sepium_ L. , _Eleocharis_ spp., _Festuca rubra_ L., _Hierchloe odorata_ = (L.) P. Beauv., _Juncus balticus_ Willd., _Potentilla anserina_ L., _Scirpus_ spp., _Solidago sempervirens_ L, _Spartina patens_ (Aiton) Muhl. , and = _S. pectinata_ Link (specimens at DAO 804213, 791517, P.M. Catling, personal observation).=20 (7) Lake Huron shoreline: In a recent survey of _Phragmites australis_ subsp. _australis_ in this area, Bickerton (2007) found the plant to be = in the early stages of invasion along a full 60 km of coastline. It was not present in this area during a survey of coastal vegetation in 1975 = (pers. obs.) and is believed to have established beginning in 2002 based on discussions with residents. Alarmingly, in this area it is growing on = sandy beaches and dunes, even with Dune Grass (_Ammophila breviligulata_ = Fern.). Replacement of many kinds of native vegetation was reported (_Artemisia campestris_ L., _ Elymus canadensis_ L., _Eupatorium_ spp., _Scirpus_ = spp. _Typha_ spp.). Wasaga Beach Provincial Park has recently developed an = action plan to deal with alien _Phragmites_ which is considered a threat to the endangered Piping Plover, since the bird requires open sand, which is = being replaced by dense stands of _Phragmites australis_ subsp. australis_. =20 Although there is no comprehensive list of the number of native North American species negatively impacted by _Phragmites australis_ subsp. _australis_, it would probably be a substantial compilation (thousands). Despite this, there are some success stories and innovative controls. = One of the more interesting is the use of grazing to control _Phragmites_ in = the habitat of the endangered Bog Turtle in North Carolina (http://www.edf.org/documents/3778_May2004.pdf ). Others are the success = of manual control by underwater cutting (Smith 2005) and a volunteer group saving an important fen in Massachussetts (Martin 2001). Although _P. australis_ subsp. _australis_ may have an extremely detrimental effect = on biodiversity overall, it is to be expected that in some situations, it = will benefit certain native species (see for example under Long Point above, = and Rodriguez 2006). =20 Literature Cited Arzandeh S. & Wang, J. 2003.=20 Monitoring the change of _Phragmites_ distribution using satellite data. _Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing_ 29: 24-35. Bickerton H. 2007.=20 _Occurrence of Common Reed (_Phragmites australis_) on Lake Huron shorelines: Field Report and Recommendations._ Report prepared for the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation. 24 p. Catling P.M. 2005.=20 New "top of the list" invasive plants of natural habitats in Canada. _BEN - Botanical Electronic News_ 345:1-7. http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben345.html =20 Lavoie C., M. Jean, F. Delisle & G. L=E9tourneau. 2003.=20 Exotic plant species of the St Lawrence River wetlands: a spatial and historical analysis. _Journal of Biogeography_ 30: 537-549.=20 Martin T. 2001.=A0 _Success story, _Phragmites_ control at Kampoosa Bog, Massachusetts_. The Nature Conservancy. http://www.invasive.org/gist/stories/ma001/ma001.PDF=20 Meyer S. 2003.=20 _Comparative use of _Phragmites australis_ and other habitats by birds, amphibians, and small mammals at Long Point, Ontario_. M. Sc. Thesis, University of Western Ontario. PDF available at http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/research/results/Meyer_Shawn.pdf=20 Morse L. E., J. M. Randall, N. Benton, R. Hiebert & S. Lu. 2004.=20 _An invasive species assessment protocol - evaluating non-native plants for their impact on biodiversity. Version 1._ NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. =09 http://www.natureserve.org/library/invasiveSpeciesAssessmentProtocol.pdf = Pengra B.W., Carol A. Johnston, & Thomas R. Loveland. 2007.=20 Mapping an invasive plant, _Phragmites australis_, in coastal wetlands using the EO-1 Hyperion hyperspectral sensor. _Remote Sensing of Environment_ 108(1): 74-81. Rodriguez L.F. 2006.=20 Can invasive species facilitate native species? Evidence of how, when, and why these impacts occur. _Biological Invasions_ 8: 927-939. =20 Smith S.M. 2005.=20 Manual control of _Phragmites australis_ in freshwater ponds of Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts, USA. _Journal of Aquatic Plant Management_ 43: 50-53. Wilcox K.L. & S. Petrie. [sine dato] Investigation and Long-Term Monitoring of _Phragmites australis_ at Long Point, Lake Erie, Ontario. http://www.bsc-eoc.org/download/phrag.pdf=20 Wilcox K.L., S.A. Petrie, L.A. Maynard & S.W. Meyer. 2003.=20 Historical distribution and abundance of _Phragmites australis_ at Long Point, Lake Erie, Ontario. _Journal of Great Lakes Research_ 29(4): 664-680. ________________________________________________________________ =20 Subscriptions: http://victoria.tc.ca/mailman/listinfo/ben-l Send submissions to aceska@telus.net BEN is archived at http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ ________________________________________________________________