The Vascular Flora of The Genius Preserve and an Analysis of its Habitats Jared Brown Rollins College Environmental Studies Department Spring 2021 Summary of Findings Genius Preserve is a 46.67 acre nature preserve located in Orange County, Florida. The preserve serves as an ecological laboratory for Rollins College students, provides an ecological steppingstone for flora and fauna, and remains a staple “Old Florida” with its unique mixture exotic cultivated plants and remnant Florida native ecosystems. The property is situated between three lakes, Lake Mizell to the north; Lake Virginia to the west; and Lake Berry to the south east. The direct southern and eastern extents of the preserve are bordered entirely by suburban residential areas (Figure 1). The topography of the preserve, analyzed through U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data, ranges from 70-90ft. There is a central ridge running north to south, where elevation is the highest (Figure 3). There are five soil types located within the preserve boundaries, per USDA soil data, including surface water. The other four are terrestrial, typically more than 80 cm above the water table (Figure 4 and USDA Soil Data Maps). The Topography along with varieties in soil and hydrology allow for six different natural and land use community types within the based on the Florida Land Use, Cover and Forms Classification System (FLUCCS) (Figure 5). Five of the vegetative communities are upland, and one is wetland. The analysis and data collection of all vascular flora within the preserve limits accounted 195 unique species. Of these species, 124 are native, 41 are non-invasive exotics (classified as non- native), and 30 are invasive exotics. Given that many of the non-native species are present solely as planted cultivars to help depict the “Old Florida” landscape, the native flora biodiversity is impressive, and the continued effort of ecological restoration seems to be working. The study also revealed the presence of three listed plant species, and three Florida endemics within the site boundary Description of Project and Project Objectives Introduction This study was done to provide assistance towards the continued ecological restoration and management of the Genius Preserve. Given the lack of natural areas in the Winter Park/Orlando metropolitan area, it is important that the Genius Preserve provides adequate refuge for as much of the native flora and fauna as possible. To best support this goal, it is important to have as much knowledge of the ecological systems as possible. This baseline assessment of the habitats and flora of the preserve will not only give us an idea of the challenges we face in the continued restoration efforts, but will also allow for future reports to display the progress of restoration efforts. Field Survey Twelve belt transects were placed in various segments of the preserve. Each transect is 100ft in length, and approximately 5ft in width (Figure 6). These transects were performed during the spring 2021 semester (January-April). Transects were placed by analyzing the topographic and soil maps of the preserve, this allowed me to better assess potential breaks in habitat types. Data on plant species names, Department of Environmental Protection wetland status, as well as native status, for all individual species can be found for each transect in the Appendix A section of the report. The transect data can be referenced for later analysis, and can be compared to assess improvements in species composition and biodiversity. The transect data was gathered in a field notebook, and then uploaded to an Excel spreadsheet for access and presentation purposes. You will also see that within the transect spreadsheets there is a “Wetland Indicator – DEP” column for each plant species. This is a classification given to plants that occur naturally in wetlands by the Department of Environmental Protection. If a plant is found in an upland environment as often as it is found in a wetland environment, it is classified as Facultative (FAC). If a plant is found primarily in wetland conditions, but is occasionally found in upland conditions, it is classified as Facultative Wet (FACW). If a plant is found solely in wetland conditions, it is classified as Obligate (OBL). All plant species not listed with one of the indicators shall be perceived as upland plants. Flora A total flora depicting all plant species by family, genus, and species is found in Appendix B. Within the flora is data and wetland status, native status, as well as notes on any listed, or endemic plant species. The flora was composed on an Excel spreadsheet for analytical and presentation purposes. Within the flora there is a “Wetland Indicator – DEP” column for each plant species. This is a classification given to plants that occur naturally in wetlands by the Department of Environmental Protection. If a plant is found in an upland environment as often as it is found in a wetland environment, it is classified as Facultative (FAC). If a plant is found primarily in wetland conditions, but is occasionally found in upland conditions, it is classified as Facultative Wet (FACW). If a plant is found solely in wetland conditions, it is classified as Obligate (OBL). All plant species not listed with one of the indicators shall be perceived as upland plants. Mapping Mapping was primarily done using ARCGIS 2019 aerial photographic data, with some map data being gathered through the US Department of Agriculture website. The boundary for the site was created utilizing Orange County Florida tax parcel data. Topographic maps were created using US Geological Survey Data. Inaturalist Also created during this project is an Inaturalist application project that compiles any floristic reporting’s by the general public through the app or website. This allows for continued documentation of plants, while also increasing public interest on the plant biodiversity of the preserve. This project can be found by searching “Flora of Genius Preserve” under the Inaturalist website project tab. Here you can find the number of species identified, as well as images of each species, and where and when on the preserve they were found. Given that this app is public, it is also utilized by governmental agencies to study species biodiversity of a geographic area. Results Soil Data Within the project boundaries are four USDA classified soil types, including: Candler-Urban land complex, 0 to 5 percent slopes (7); Candler-Urban land complex, 5 to 12 percent slopes (8); Florahome – Urban land complex, 0 to 5 percent slopes (29); Zolfo – Urban land complex (55); and Water (99). Below are descriptions of each listed soil type. (7) Candler – Urban land complex, 0 to 5 percent slopes This soil type is mainly present within the north eastern extent of the property, and covers roughly 6% of the preserve. This soil type is not listed within the Florida Association of Environmental Soil Scientists Hydric Soils of Florida Handbook, thus it can be stated that this soil has no wetland qualities. The USDA describes it as an excessively well drained soil type, and states that it is greater than 200cm to the water table throughout the year. (8) Candler-Urban land complex, 5 to 12 percent slopes This soil type is mainly found within the north western extent of the property, and covers roughly 21% of the preserve. This soil type is not listed within the Florida Association of Environmental Soil Scientists Hydric Soils of Florida Handbook, thus it can be stated that this soil has no wetland qualities. The USDA describes it as an excessively well drained soil type, and states that it is greater than 200cm to the water table throughout the year. (29) Florahome – Urban land complex, 0 to 5 percent slopes This soil type only comprises a small corner within the north-eastern extent of the preserve, covering approximately 1% of the property. This soil type is not listed within the Florida Association of Environmental Soil Scientists Hydric Soils of Florida Handbook, thus it can be stated that this soil has no wetland qualities. The USDA classifies this soil type as a moderately well drained soil, and states that it is roughly 153cm to the water table throughout the year. (55) Zolfo – Urban land complex This soil type comprises most of the eastern flank of the preserve, and covers roughly 70% of the property. This soil type is not listed within the Florida Association of Environmental Soil Scientists Hydric Soils of Florida Handbook, thus it can be stated that this soil has no wetland qualities. The USDA classifies this soil type as a somewhat poorly drained soil, and states that it is 84cm to the water table throughout the year. (99) Water This soil type is scattered around the lake-ward edges throughout the preserve, and covers roughly 1% of the property. The water table is above ground level throughout the year. Habitats and Land-Use Types There are 6 habitats and land-use types present at Genius Preserve. These were classified using Florida Land Use, Cover and Forms Classification System (FLUCCS). Community types found within the preserve include (1112) Mixed Hardwoods; (1400) Mixed Hardwood-Coniferous; (1832) Rural Structures; (2241) Cypress/Hardwood Swamps; (18212) Residential, Low Density; and (183321) Citrus. One of these types, (2241) Cypress/Hardwood Swamps, are classified as wetland. The rest can be classified as upland. Below includes a description of each habitat type and the dominant vascular flora, as well as any structures, within each. (1112) Mixed Hardwoods The Mixed Hardwoods FLUCCS classification area covers the vast majority of the core of the preserve. This habitat community type is dominated by a dense canopy of hardwood tree species such as (but not limited to) live oak (Quercus virginiana), pignut hickory (Carya glabra), laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia), camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora), and southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora).