Patterns Of Alpine Species Diversity Across Elevational Gradients At Four Sites In :

Implications For Persistence Under Future Climate Change Projections

Ramona J. Butz, PhD Sierra Research Institute University of California, Merced Big Picture Questions

1. What are the current patterns of alpine species diversity in California?

2. What are the environmental factors responsible for these patterns?

3. How can we use GLORIA to explore whether alpine will be impaired in their existing range as a result of climate change? Big Picture Questions

1. What are the current patterns of alpine species diversity in California?

2. What are the environmental factors responsible for these patterns?

3. How can we use GLORIA to explore whether alpine plants will be impaired in their existing range as a result of climate change? Big Picture Questions

1. What are the current patterns of alpine species diversity in California?

2. What are the environmental factors responsible for these patterns?

3. How can we use GLORIA to explore whether alpine plants will be impaired in their existing range as a result of climate change?

Big Picture Questions

1. What are the current patterns of alpine species diversity in California?

2. What are the environmental factors responsible for these patterns?

3. How can we use GLORIA to explore whether alpine plants will be impaired in their existing range as a result of climate change?

The Common & The Rare

• Elymus elymoides was the only species on all 14 summits

• Almost half of all species occurred on only a single summit

Oxyria digyna Indicator Species Analysis by Range

CAT SND WDS WIM Eriogonum ovalifolium (100) Arabis platysperma (100) Draba oligosperma (57) Calamagrostis purpurascens (85) Pinus albicaulis (100) Arenaria kingii (46) Poa glauca (52) Ribes cereum (85) Cryptantha flavoculata (81) purshii (100) Astragalus kentrophyta (71) Achnatherum hymenoides (100) Draba densifolia (100) Chaenactis douglasii (100) Carex rossii (99) Astragalus platytropis (100) Selaginella watsonii (95) Erigeron compositus (79) Castilleja nana (65) Chamaebatiaria millefolium (100) Arabis platysperma (100) Leptodactylon pungens (50) Erigeron pygmaeus (68) Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus (100) Chaenactis douglasii (100) Packera cana (100) Koeleria macrantha (73) Descurainia californica (100) Elymus elymoides (100) Ericameria parryi (100) Packera werneriifolia (97) Polemonium chartaceum (100) Eriogonum rosense (100) Phlox condensata (62) Trifolium andersonii (100) Ipomopsis congesta (100) Poa cusickii spp. epilis (100) Carex duriuscula (100) Penstemon newberryi (100) Potentilla pseudosericea (100) Poa cusickii ssp. cusickii (100) Eriogonum gracilipes (71) Pyrrocoma apargioides (100) Androsace septentrionalis (100) Artemisia dracunculus (100) Oxytropis parryi (100) Poa sp. (100) Big Picture Questions

1. What are the current patterns of alpine species diversity in California?

2. What are the environmental factors responsible for these patterns?

3. How can we use GLORIA to explore whether alpine plants will be impaired in their existing range as a result of climate change? 332 3322m GRL 3341m Presence of solid rock and % cover of 357 3570m lichens are 374 3749m correlated

Trisetum spicatum only occurs on highest summit Litter is higher at lower elevations

90.7% Low High Elevation FSW 3170m FES 3246m High litter occurs FPK 3317m on western slopes

High % scree occur mainly on two upper summits 88.1%

High Low Elevation SHF 3258m Polemonium chartaceum Occur only on White Mtn. on otherwise RNA 3722m predominantly bare Carex phaeocephala ground BAR 3975m WMT 4285m

In general, bare ground Sage Hen Flat & and % scree cover RNA Summit are increase and solid rock characterized by decreases with 83.8% higher solid rock increasing elevation Carex rossii, Oxytropis parryi, PGS 3490m Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, Poa CWS 3612m cusickii, Potentilla pseudosericea, & Androsace septentrionalis all associated SME 3734m with the north slope of Sheep Mtn

Cottonwood S Summit plots all tightly clustered around litter content

Packera wernerifolia, Astragalus kentrophyta, Castilleja nana, & Koeleria macrantha all occur on sparsely-vegetated east-facing slopes on Patriarch Grove South 94.6% SND CAT WIM WDS Elevation Elevation Elevation Elevation Aspect Aspect Aspect Aspect % Rock % Rock % Rock % Rock % Scree % Scree % Scree % Scree Lichens on soil Lichens on soil Lichens on soil Lichens on soil Bryophytes on Bryophytes on Bryophytes on Bryophytes on soil soil soil soil Bare ground Bare ground Bare ground Bare ground % Litter % Litter % Litter % Litter Cryptogams Cryptogams Cryptogams Cryptogams Lichens on rock Lichens on rock Lichens on rock Lichens on rock Lichens on Lichens on Lichens on Lichens on scree scree scree scree Bryophytes on Bryophytes on Bryophytes on Bryophytes on rock rock rock rock Bryophytes on Bryophytes on Bryophytes on Bryophytes on scree scree scree scree WDS WIM

Carson Range rogues with high litter cover

CAT SND

Lowest elevation summit at WIM Sierra Nevada - Dunderberg White Mountains (siliceous) White Mountain Summit

Snowmelt Big Picture Questions

1. What are the current patterns of alpine species diversity in California?

2. What are the environmental factors responsible for these patterns?

3. How can we use GLORIA to explore whether alpine plants will be impaired in their existing range as a result of climate change? GLORIA Monitoring

• Simple & relatively • Data gives inexpensive “snapshot” in time • Standardized • Soil temperature is protocols only climate variable • Worldwide interest & collected large #s of sites • 5-year sampling • Visibility & potential interval for community involvement Future Directions

• Use existing and future resurvey data to identify possible indicator species

• Find sources of local climate data to support plant data

• Use GLORIA data to inform and refine regional climate models Acknowledgements

• Connie Millar • Ann Dennis • Bob Westfall •Jim Bishop • GLORIA participants • CEREC