Trout Lake Aquatic Plant Survey 2020
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Trout Lake Aquatic Plant Survey – 2020 Prepared By Lawrence Eichler Research Scientist Darrin Fresh Water Institute 5060 Lakeshore Drive Bolton Landing, NY 12814 (518) 644-3541 (voice) (518) 644-3640 (fax) [email protected] November 11, 2020 DFWI Technical Report 2020-5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Background . 1 Introduction . 1 Methods . 2 Species List and Herbarium Specimens . 2 Point Intercept Survey . 2 Results and Discussion Trout Lake Survey Results . 3 Maximum Depth of Colonization . 5 Species Richness and Distribution . 5 Summary . 9 References . 11 Acknowledgements . 11 Appendix A. Trout Lake aquatic plant distribution maps . A-1 List of Tables Page Table 1 Aquatic plant species present in Trout Lake ……….….………....... 3 Table 2 Trout Lake point intercept percent frequency of occurrence ……… 5 Table 3 Species richness for the point intercept surveys …………………… 8 List of Figures Page Figure 1 Bathymetric (depth) map of Trout Lake …………………………….. 1 Figure 2 Distribution of point intercept survey points for Trout Lake ..……… 2 Figure 3 Depth distribution of Trout Lake sampling points ..………………… 5 Figure 4 Distribution of aquatic plants in Trout Lake ………..……………….. 7 Figure 5 Frequency of occurrence summaries for sampling points of all water depth 7 Figure 6 Trout Lake species richness comparison…….……………………….. 8 iii Report on Aquatic Vegetation of Trout Lake, New York Background At the request of Mr. Dave Wick of the Lake George Park Commission and Mr. Ronald Conover of the Town of Bolton, the Darrin Fresh Water Institute (DFWI) conducted an aquatic plant assessment of Trout Lake, Bolton Landing, New York. The assessment included a quantitative survey of existing aquatic plant communities and the extent of rare, threatened or endangered species (Young 2010). The Point-Intercept Rake Toss method recommended by the US Army Corps of Engineers and required by NYS DEC for Tier III Lakes was employed. Quantitative aquatic plant surveys were undertaken in August 2020 and designed to be comparable to a prior survey in 2016 (Eichler 2016). All surveys were conducted to provide identification and distribution data for the aquatic plant populations of Trout Lake with a focus on the presence of invasive species. The surveys consisted of the collection of specimens throughout the lake for a compilation of species lists, and frequency and density data for all plant species present. Introduction Trout Lake is located in Warren County in the Town of Bolton, New York. Elevations within the watershed range from 787 feet at the surface of the lake to in excess of 1600 feet above sea level. The lake has a surface area of 185 acres and a watershed of 2,718 acres. Mikol and Polsinelli (1985) report a maximum depth of 75 feet and a mean depth of 20 feet (Figure 1). Located on the northwest margin is the only outlet which drains to Lake George and ultimately the St Lawrence River. The lake is best classified as mesotrophic, which indicates that nutrients necessary for the growth of algae and subsequently the myriad of organisms that feed on these plants, are moderate. A total of 43 species of aquatic plants (Table 1) have been reported for Trout Lake based on the database of Adirondack plants maintained by the Darrin Fresh Water Institute (DFWI). No invasive (i.e. non-native) aquatic plant species have been reported. Figure 1. Bathymetric (depth) map of Trout Lake. November 2020 Page 1 Report on Aquatic Vegetation of Trout Lake, New York Methods Species List and Herbarium Specimens. As the lake was surveyed, the occurrence of each aquatic plant species observed was recorded and specimens collected where necessary. The herbarium specimens were pressed, dried, and mounted (Hellquist 1993) at the Darrin Fresh Water Institute in Bolton Landing, NY, where they became part of the permanent collection. Point Intercept Survey. The frequency and diversity of aquatic plant species were evaluated using a point intercept method (Madsen 1999). At each grid point intersection, all species located at that point were recorded, as well as water depth. Species were located by a visual inspection of the point and by deploying a rake to the bottom, and examining the plants retrieved. A total of 108 points were selected for Trout Lake, based on a 100 m grid (Figure 2). A global positioning system (GPS) was used to navigate to each point. Surveys were conducted on August 25, 2020. Data presented in the summary are on a whole-lake basis, and have not been adjusted for the littoral zone only. Figure 2. Distribution of survey points for the Trout Lake aquatic plant survey. November 2020 Page 2 Report on Aquatic Vegetation of Trout Lake, New York Results and Discussion A list of species observed for Trout Lake is provided in Table 1. A total of 43 aquatic species have been reported for Trout Lake, with 36 in the point intercept survey. The remainder were observed along the shoreline. All plants species encountered are native to our region. Of the species observed, one group is a macroscopic alga, or charophyte (Chara/Nitella), four are floating-leafed species (Brasenia, Nuphar, Nymphoides and Nymphaea), one is free-floating (Lemna), nine are emergent species (Dulichium, Eleocharis, Eriocaulon, Juncus, Justicia, Lythrum, Polygonum, Pontederia, Sagittaria, Scirpus, Sparganium, and Typha) and the remaining 28 are submersed. This number of species greatly exceeds the 15 species typically reported for moderately productive lakes in New York and indicates good water quality and a variety of habitat types. None of the species reported are found on New York’s Rare plant status lists (Young 2010). Rooted aquatic plants (macrophytes) were present from the waters’ edge to a depth of 4.8 meters (16 feet) defining the littoral zone of Trout Lake. Macroalgae (Chara & Nitella) dominated the plant community, present throughout the littoral zone. Table 1. Aquatic plant species present in Trout Lake. Species Common Name 2016 2020 Brasenia schreberi J.F. Gmel. watershield X X Ceratophyllum demersum L. coontail X X Chara/Nitella sp. muskgrass, chara X X Dulichium arudinaceum (L.) Britt. three-way sedge X Eleocharis acicularis (L.) Roemer & Schultes needle spike-rush X X Elodea canadensis Michx. elodea X X Eriocaulon septangulare With. pipewort X X Elatine minima (Nutt) Fisch. & Mey. little elatine X X Fontinalis sp. moss X X Isoetes echinospora Dur. quillwort X X Justicia americana (L.) Vahl water willow X X Juncus pelocarpus Mey. rush X X Lemna minor L. duckweed X X Lythrum salicaria L. purple loosestrife X X Megalodonta beckii Torr. water marigold X X Myriophyllum tenellum Bigel. leafless watermilfoil X X Najas flexilis (Willd.) Rostk. & Schmidt. bushy pondweed X X Nuphar variegata Engelm. ex Durand yellow pondlily X X Nymphaea odorata Ait. white pondlily X X Nymphoides cordatum floating heart X November 2020 Page 3 Report on Aquatic Vegetation of Trout Lake, New York Species Common Name 2016 2020 Pontederia cordata L. pickerelweed X X Potamogeton amplifolius Tuckerm. largeleaf pondweed X X Potamogeton epihydrus Raf. ribbon-leaf pondweed X X Potamogeton gramineus L. variable-leaf pondweed X X Potamogeton natans L. floating-leaf pondweed X X Potamogeton perfoliatus L Clasping-leaved Pondweed X X Potamogeton praelongus Wulfen white-stem pondweed X X Potamogeton pusillus L. small pondweed X X Potamogeton richardsonii (Ar. Benn.) Rydb. redhead pondweed X X Potamogeton robbinsii Oakes Robbins’ pondweed X X Potamogeton vaseyii Robbins Vasey's pondweed X X Ranunculus longirostris Godron white watercrowfoot X X Ranunculus reptans L. creeping spearwort X X Sagittaria graminea Michx. arrowhead X X Sagittaria cuneata Sheldon slender arrowhead X X Scirpus sp. rush X X Sparganium sp. burreed X X Typha latifolia L. cattail X X Utricularia minor L. bladderwort X X Utricularia resupinata B.D. Greene bladderwort X X Utricularia vulgaris L. great bladderwort X X Vallisneria americana L. wild celery X X Zosterella dubia Jacq. water stargrass X X November 2020 Page 4 Report on Aquatic Vegetation of Trout Lake, New York Maximum Depth of Colonization Maximum depth of colonization by rooted aquatic plant growth extended to a depth of 4.8 meters (16 feet). Macroalga (Chara/Nitella sp.) were reported to a depth of 7.0 meters. The littoral zone is thus defined as the waters edge to a maximum depth of 7 meters. Depth distribution of sampling points (Figure 3) was equitable throughout the littoral zone. Figure 3. Depth Distribution of Trout Lake sampling points in 1 meter depth classes. 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Percent of Survey PointsSurvey of Percent 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 > 12 Depth (m) Species Richness and Distribution Maps of the distribution of aquatic plant species for Trout Lake are included in Appendix A. Species richness was quite high, with a large number of species occurring in more than 5% of survey points (Table 2). Macroalga (Chara/Nitella) were the most common species (23% of survey points) followed by waterweed (Elodea canadensis) with 18% of survey points and water naiad (Najas flexilis) in 17% of points. Other common native species included Robbins pondweed (11% of survey points), water willow (11%), clasping-leaf pondweed (10%), red-head pondweed (7%), floating-leaf pondweed (6%), and large-leaf pondweed (6%). Table 2. Percent frequency of occurrence of aquatic plant species in Trout Lake. Species Common Name 2016 2020 Brasenia schreberi watershield 1.9% 1.9% Ceratophyllum demersum L. coontail 0.9% 0.9% Chara/Nitella sp. muskgrass, chara 29.0% 23.1% Dulichium arundinaceum three-way sedge 0.9% Eleocharis acicularis (L.) Roemer & Schultes needle spike-rush 6.5% 4.6% Elodea canadensis Michx. elodea 21.5% 17.6% Eriocaulon septangulare With. pipewort 2.8% 1.9% November 2020 Page 5 Report on Aquatic Vegetation of Trout Lake, New York Species Common Name 2016 2020 Elatine minima (Nutt) Fisch.