Summer 2015 Bioblitz Series

Summer 2015 BioBlitz Series Elizabeth Clifton1 INTRODUCTION In 2014, a series of Bioblitz events were held at three Otsego Land Trust properties: Fetterley Forest Conservation Area, Brookwood Point, and Compton Bridge Conservation Area. This work was continued in 2015 with repeat Bioblitz events at the larger properties (Fetterley and Brookwood) and one at the Parslow Road Conservation Area. Each event was about 3-4 hours long and all were open to the public in an attempt to promote community involvement. The history of BioBlitz events was detailed in the 2014 report (Davidson 2015), and is provided here: In 1996, Susan Rudy of the U.S. National Park service coined the term “bioblitz,” short for biodiversity blitz, while organizing the first Bioblitz at Kenliworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C. (Post 2003; Ruch et al. 2010). A bioblitz is a rapid evaluation of the flora and fauna found in a designated area during a given period of time (Ruch et al. 2010). A bioblitz generally lasts 24 hours to document organisms found at different times of day, but is just a “snapshot” of the organisms found at a particular site, and does not include seasonal variations in communities. Bioblitzes are done to characterize taxonomic diversity, promote citizen involvement and interest in local biodiversity, and to protect species and their habitats (USGS 2009). The first Bioblitz of 2015 was held on 29 June at Brookwood Point Conservation Area, located on Otsego Lake, north of Cooperstown, NY (Figure 1, Figure 2). The property is about 22-acres in size and shares its eastern boundary with the shore of Otsego Lake. The property has been protected by OLT since October 2011. Ecosystems that can be observed at Brookwood include meadows, young and old forest, a lake, wetlands, a stream, and a well-maintained garden. All of these systems made Brookwood a great first location for this bioblitz series. The second Bioblitz was held 9 July at the Fetterley Forest Conservation Area (Figure 1, Figure 3). Fetterley Forest is located in Richfield, NY, is about 106-acres, and has been protected by OLT since August 2011. It was donated to the Land Trust by the Fetterley family, who had owned it since 1867. From the overlook on the Western side of Panther Mountain, one can view Canadarago Lake and Deowongo Island, both part of OLT’s Blueway Trail, which is maintained by the Land Trust and is open to the public. The third Bioblitz of the summer was held 16 July at the Parslow Road Conservation Area, located in Schuyler, NY (Figure 1, Figure 4). The property is about 28-acres and contains Oaks Creek (a trout stream) and a wetland that includes beaver ponds and floodplain forests. The 1 SUNY Oneonta Biology Department Intern, summer 2015. Current affiliation: SUNY Oneonta. This work was conducted with support by the Otsego Land Trust. Oaks Creak Conservation Area is upstream, but is accessible only from the stream-side; however, the Land Trust is working on adding this location to the Blueway Trail to make it more accessible to the public. Figure 1. Locations of the three bioblitzes held in Otsego County. Each blitz occurred on land owned by the Otsego County Land Trust. Figure 2. Map of Brookwood Point Conservation Area property. Figure 3. Map of Fetterley Forest Conservation Area property lines and trails. Figure 4. Map of Parslow Road Conservation Area property. METHODS The first Bioblitz occurred at Brookwood Point from 9am-12pm on 29 June 2015. The next was Fetterley Forest Conservation Area during the same time frame on 9 July 2015. The last was Parslow Road Conservation Area during the same times on 16 July 2015. Researchers and students working at the SUNY College at Oneonta Biological Field Station, who are knowledgeable on identification of various organisms, met with community members at each location in an attempt to assess as many organisms as possible. The equipment used at each Bioblitz location included: terrestrial and aquatic nets, forceps, light and compound scopes, various field guides, binoculars, flashlights, magnifying glasses, and backpack electrofishing equipment. Fetterley Forest does not have a water source and thus there were no aquatic surveys done here, such as electrofishing and aquatic invertebrate collection. During the allotted time participants identified as many organisms as possible. Each organism was classified down to species, if possible. RESULTS At Brookwood Point 217 organisms were identified, Fetterley Forest Conservation Area had 205 identified, and Parslow Road Conservation Area had 226 identified. The breakdown of each taxa by class is shown in Figure 5. A summary of the number of taxa found in each class is shown in Table 1. Complete taxonomic lists for Brookwood Point, Fetterly Forest Conservation Area and Parslow Road Conservation Area are presented in Tables 2-4. Figure 5. Number of taxa identified in each class for the three Bioblitz locations. Table 1. Summary of the number of taxa identified in each class for the three bioblitzes. Class Brookwood Fetterley Parslow Aves 22 17 19 Amphibia 1 3 1 Mammalia 3 2 2 Actinopterygii 5 0 12 Insecta 37 52 48 Arachnida 7 7 2 Liliopsida 3 3 0 Magnoliopsida 115 100 124 Pinopsida 3 2 1 Polypodiopsida 2 8 3 Pteridopsida 7 0 0 Algae 8 0 10 Other 3 7 2 Total 216 201 224 DISCUSSION The total numbers of taxa identified from each Land Trust site ranged from 201-224, which are consistent both between properties and with previous Bioblitz counts. This shows that even though the sizes (22-106 acres) and habitat types varied immensely between the three sites they all still have a good amount of diversity. This is surprising because the number of organismal experts varied from site to site, as did the number of participants. Although these results are not quantifiable, this Bioblitz series was a great way to get the community involved in science and the outdoors. It was also beneficial because it enabled the community members of Otsego County to meet some of the biological researchers that may do fieldwork near their homes. Although our Bioblitzes were only about 3-4 hours long and we undoubtedly missed many organisms due to absence of identification experts in certain taxonomic areas, this series was an overall great experience for everyone from the community, to the biological community, to the Otsego Land Trust. Table 2. All taxa observed at Brookwood on 29 June 2015 (between 9am and 12pm). ANIMALS Class Order Family Genus Species Common Name Kingdom Phylum Aves Anseriformes Anatidae Aix sponsa Wood duck Aves Anseriformes Anatidae Anas platyrhynchos Mallard Aves Anseriformes Anatidae Mergus merganser americanus Common merganser Aves Charadriiformes Laridae Larus delawarensis Ring-billed gull Aves Passeriformes Bombycillidae Bombycilla cedrorum Cedar waxwing Aves Passeriformes Corvidae Corvus brachyrchynchos American crow Aves Passeriformes Corvidae Cyanocitta cristata Blue jay Aves Passeriformes Emberizidae Junco hyemalis Dark-eyed junco Aves Passeriformes Emberizidae Melospiza melodia Song sparrow Aves Passeriformes Hirundinidae Tachycineta bicolor Tree swallow Aves Passeriformes Icteridae Agelaius phoeniceus Red-winged blackbird Aves Passeriformes Mimidae Dumetella carolinensis Gray catbird Aves Passeriformes Paridae Poecile atricapillus Black-capped chickadee Aves Passeriformes Parulidae Setophaga pensylvanica Chestnut-sided warbler Aves Passeriformes Parulidae Setophaga petechia American yellow warbler Aves Passeriformes Parulidae Setophaga ruticilla American redstart Aves Passeriformes Troglodytidae Troglodytes aedon House wren Aves Passeriformes Tyrannidae Tyrannus tyrannus Eastern king bird Chordata Aves Passeriformes Vireonidae Vireo olivaceus Red-eyed vireo Aves Passeriformes Picidae Colaptes auratus Northern flicker Aves Pelecaniformes Ardeidae Ardea herodias Great blue heron Aves Piciformes Picidae Hylatomus pileatus Pileated woodpecker Aves Piciformes Picidae Sphyrapicus varius Yellow-bellied sapsucker Amphibia Caudata Plethodontidae Plethodon cinereus Red back salamander Mammalia Rodentia Sciuridae Sciurus carolinensis Eastern gray squirrel Mammalia Rodentia Sciuridae Tamias striatus Eastern chipmunk Mammalia Rodentia Sciuridae Tamiasciurus hudsonicus American red squirrel Actinopterygii Cypriniformes Catostomidae Campostomus commersonii White sucker Actinopterygii Cypriniformes Cyprnidae Notemigonus crysoleucas Golden shiner Actinopterygii Cypriniformes Cyprnidae Notropis hudsonius Spottail shiner Actinopterygii Cypriniformes Cyprnidae Phinichthys atratulus Blacknose dace Animalia Actinopterygii Cypriniformes Cyprnidae Semotilus atromaculatus Creek chub Insecta Coleoptera Cantharidae sp. Soldier beetle Insecta Coleoptera Chrysomelidae Galerucinae sp. Leaf beetle Insecta Coleoptera Elateridae sp. Click beetle Insecta Coleoptera Lampyridae sp. Firefly Insecta Diptera Callophoridae 2 distinct species Blowfly Insecta Diptera Chironomidae sp. Midge Insecta Diptera Chloropidae sp. Grass fly Insecta Diptera Culicidae sp. Mosquito Insecta Diptera Dolichopodidae sp. Long-legged fly Insecta Diptera Drosophilidae sp. Vinegar fly Insecta Diptera Muscidae sp. House fly Insecta Diptera Mycetophilidae sp. Fungus gnat Insecta Diptera Sciaridae sp. Dark-winged fungus gnat Insecta Diptera Sciomyzidae sp. Snail-killing fly or Marsh fly Insecta Diptera Syrphidae 2 distinct species Hover fly Insecta Diptera Tachinidae sp. Parasitoid fly Arthropoda Insecta Diptera Tipulidae Hexatoma sp. Crane fly Insecta Ephemeroptera Baetidae Baetis sp. Small minnow mayfly Insecta Ephemeroptera Ephemeridae

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