Flora of the Upper Verde River, Arizona by Francis S. Coburn A
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Flora of the Upper Verde River, Arizona by Francis S. Coburn A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science Approved June 2015 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Juliet Stromberg, Co-Chair Leslie Landrum, Co-Chair Elizabeth Makings Walter Fertig ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY August 2015 ©2015 Francis Sterling Coburn VI All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT The Upper Verde River of central Arizona flows through a landscape of complex geology at the meeting of seven biotic communities and three physiographic provinces. This has resulted in notably diverse flora and fauna and a hub of rare and endemic plant species. The river has sustained cultures since pre-history, however current regional water use is predicted to diminish streamflow over the next century. Prior to this project, no floristic inventory had been conducted along any section of the Verde. The purpose of this study was to develop a Flora of the Upper Verde River, with the goals of documenting rare and endemic species, the composition and abundance of wetland plants, and the factors shaping plant diversity in the region. I made a total of 1856 collections and reviewed past collections to produce a checklist of 729 vascular plant taxa in 403 genera and 98 families. The most species-rich family is the Poaceae, followed by Asteraceae and Fabaceae. The flora includes 159 wetland taxa, 47 endemics, and 26 taxa of conservation concern, eight of which are Federally listed. Several new populations were found in these categories and of rarely- collected taxa including one state record, three county records and several range extensions. I report on the local status of several endemics, wetland taxa with limited distributions, and relict populations of a tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius) that were likely transported to the region and cultivated by pre-Columbian cultures. I categorize thirteen distinct plant communities, the most abundant being Pinyon/Juniper Woodland, Chihuahuan/Apacherian Scrub, and Riparian Deciduous Forest. Four primary factors influence floristic diversity of the Upper Verde region: 1) a location at the junction of three physiographic and floristic provinces—represented by i co-occurrence of species with affinities to the Sonoran, Intermountain and Madrean regions, 2) geologic diversity—as distinct groups of species are associated with particular geologic types, 3) topographic and habitat complexity—allowing species adapted to disparate environments to co-occur, and 4) human introductions—since over 15% of the flora is composed of introduced species from Eurasia and several taxa were introduced to the region and cultivated by pre-Columbian cultures. ii This thesis is dedicated to Gina, for her patience, love, unending encouragement and support; and to my family, for letting me loose in the outdoors as a child, for inspiration, and belief in their wandering kid. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis would not have been possible without the inspiration, guidance and help of several colleagues, family members, friends and mentors. The Upper Verde is an awe-inspiring, special place that holds personal significance for me. I’m honored to tell the story of its unique plant life. I would especially like to thank my graduate committee for their mentorship, professional training, and extensive amount of time reviewing and improving this thesis. Each one of them has left their distinct imprint in these pages. I was privileged to have Dr. Juliet Stromberg as an advisor. Dr. Stromberg guided with creativity and scientific rigor that refined my perspectives and the ecological foci in this thesis. Dr. Leslie Landrum offered consistent and timeless advice to temper my many directions with careful consideration, simplicity and accuracy. Elizabeth Makings was a special mentor every step of the way, offering countless pieces of advice, thought-provoking conversations, and guidance during my countless hours in the ASU Herbarium. Sincere thanks goes to Dr. Walter Fertig for his appreciation of classic rock and encouragement to ―turn it up‖, and for his always open door and enthusiasm as a mentor. Walt provided close guidance, advice and suggestions on many aspects of this thesis and has heavily influenced my perspectives on plant conservation and floristics. A huge amount of appreciation goes to all of the students who have worked in the ASU Herbarium and contributed so much to this project. Not only for putting up with my excessive specimen material and world-record-worthy long labels, but for friendship and all the exciting exotic fruits. Many added their particular artistic touch to specimens which will be used for science and conservation long after we have left. Specific iv appreciation goes to Linh Ngo, Lucie Indruchova, Aaron Boydston, Jean-Phillippe Solves, Anni Poetzl, Barbara Hackbarth, Lidia Peon and many others. I’m privileged to have been a part of the Stromberg Lab where each member contributed their perspective to this project. Lane Butler, Robert Madera Brenton Scott, Danika Setaro, Amanda Suchy, Dustin Wolkis and Tyna Yost, I will never forget the fun we had, whether in the field, herbarium or lab. I’ll look forward to accordion, guitar and improvised hip hop when we meet again. Thanks also to those who helped on adventures searching for plants in the field. John Anderson, Ries Lindley, Elizabeth Makings, Brenton Scott, Sue Smith, Matthew Halldorson, Andrew Ulibarri, Michael Mansky, Christina Grijalva, and Elijah Allen. I was privileged to have my perspectives influenced on the biogeographical, geologic and ethnobotanical aspects of the Flora. Special thanks to John Anderson, Andrew Salywon and Wendy Hodgson for your conversations and inspiration. Thanks to Drs. Martin Wojciechowski, Kathleen Pigg, Michael Angilletta, Christian Wright, and others for continually requesting me as a teaching assistant and employing me to design curricula. Graduate school would not have been possible without the always smiling help of Wendi Simonson, Yvonne Delgado and everyone else in the SOLS graduate office. Special thanks to the Tucson Chapter of the Arizona Native Plant Society and the Arizona State University School of Life Sciences for providing generous funding in the form of research and publication grants. Lastly, I would like to thank my past mentors, without their inspiration and encouragement I would not be on this path. Drs. Kenneth Abbott, Tina Ayers, George Koch and John Spence, your perspectives and presence stay with me every step of the way. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................. x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 2 2 STUDY AREA .......................................................................................................... 9 The Verde River ............................................................................................... 9 The Study Area: The Upper Verde River ..................................................... 10 Land Ownership ............................................................................................. 10 Climate ........................................................................................................... 11 Hydrology....................................................................................................... 14 Physiography and Geology ............................................................................ 18 Geomorphology ............................................................................................. 22 Human History and Land Use ....................................................................... 26 Watershed and Vegetation Changes .............................................................. 28 Water Use and Conservation Concern .......................................................... 31 Past Botanical Research along the Upper Verde .......................................... 33 3 METHODS ............................................................................................................... 34 Specimen and Data Collection ...................................................................... 34 Database/Herbaria search .............................................................................. 35 Taxonomic Identification and Nomenclature................................................ 35 Databasing and Accessioning ........................................................................ 37 vi CHAPTER Page Annotated Checklist and Taxonomic Summaries ......................................... 37 Taxa of Conservation Concern, Endemics and Notable Collections ........... 38 Vegetation Communities ............................................................................... 39 Factors Influencing Species Richness and Composition .............................. 39 4 RESULTS ................................................................................................................. 40 Taxonomic Summaries .................................................................................. 40 Notable Taxa: Abundance and Habitats ........................................................ 47 Endemics and Taxa of Conservation Concern .............................. 47 Range Extensions .........................................................................