possible without the many volunteers who par=cipated in Carolina Vegetaon Survey PULSE events. Weakley, and Thomas Wentworth for par=cipaon in the analysis. This work would not have been Acknowledgements: ANALYTICAL APPROACH BACKGROUND AND GOALS for effec=ve conservaon and management. adequate descrip=on of these units is cri=cal are represented by ~120 Associaons and • using this standard. • publicly-available plot data. Associaons be based on analysis of mandates that USNVC Alliances and • classificaon system for the US (Fig. 1). • CLASSIFICATION METHODS: proper=es for 90% of plots. Florida. DATA: established qualitavely-defined vegetaon types. Provide an example of use of plot data and quan=tave methods to revise the consistent analy=cal approach to document vegetaon-environment relaonships. GOALS Longleaf pine ( To date, few types have been defined The Federal Geographic Data CommiMee The USNVC is a hierarchical vegetaon 1101 longleaf pine vegetaon plots (100 to 1000 m : Revise the USNVC longleaf pine Groups, Alliances, and Associaons using a For each plot: presence of all vascular plant species and cover class codes. Soil mulple cluster numbers (2 to the number of exisng types) Agglomera've hierarchical clustering with fleXible β and Explore environmental-vegetaon Interpret clusters, map them onto eXisng types in the Presence-absence data Generate constancy tables for each type and idenfy NMDS and mean soil proper'es for each cluster Look for agreement between presence-absence & diagnosc species using indicator species analysis Cluster validaon: optpart and silhouee width We thank the US Geologic Survey for financial support and Susan Carr, Alan Pinus palustris abundance-weighted clustering soluons Robert K. Peet (University of North Carolina) A case study using longleaf pine ( USNVC or designate new types U=lized to define Groups, Alliances, and Associaons. Advancing the Descrip'on and Management of the Na'on’s Ecosystems U.S. Na'onal Vegeta'on Classifica'on: ) woodlands Abundance data rela'onships Fig. 1. USNVC classifica'on scheme. 2 ) distributed from Virginia to NMDS 3 NMDS 2 Revising the USNVC using quan'ta've methods and plot data: -4 -2 0 2 4 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 using D) SC-GA: NMS1&3 D) SC-GA: A) NC-SC:NMS1&2 -6 -4 r100 Silt.B 7125 4492 7127 7844 Sand.B r1 -4 -2 pH -2 Long NMDS 1 NMDS 1 0 Lat CEC.B STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP 0 pH.B 2 Ca.B Sand.B Long 2 Sand Lat 3 2 1 4 6 5 4 4 , Kyle A. Palmquist (University of Wyoming), and Michael Schafale (North Carolina Natural Heritage Program) 3586 3577 3589 3592 3590 3584 6 6 Height NMDS 2 NMDS 3 0 1 2 3 4 5 4492). Two are new Associa'ons (7127, 7125) that have some composi'onal affini'es (≠) with previously defined types. Table 1. Two clusters within the SC-GA Alliance represent modest (=) and significant (~) levels of refinement of eXis'ng Associa'ons (7844, -5 0 5 10 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES A CASE STUDY - REVISING ASSOCIATIONS OF G154: XERIC LONGLEAF PINE WOODLAND A CASE STUDY - REVISING USNVC LONGLEAF PINE GROUPS (G154, G009, G190, G596) Fig. 2. Plots first sorted into coarse types based on geography (NC-SC, SC-GA, FL-GA), not we had to use both the clustering solu'on and eXpert opinion to parse plots into Groups. according to Groups, due to high geographic turnover in species composi'on. As a result, 001−01−0203 001−01−0206 CEGL 001−05−0207 001−05−0208 -8 4492 7844 7125 7127 001−05−0206 geographic bins that correspond to Alliances (NC-SC, SC-GA, FL-GA). called a CEGL) that represent Xeric and subXeric longleaf pine vegeta'on (G154) within three Fig. 4. Iden'fied 178 plots and 17 Associa'ons (each iden'fied with a unique 4 digit code 044−02−0605 044−09−0607 044−04−0610 044−09−0605 112−04−1381 B) NC-SC:NMS1&3 112−04−1382 USNVC and recogni=on for these scholarly contribu=ons. Opportunity: data-driven descrip=ons that are useful for the management, conservaon, and basic science sectors. Opportunity: but it may simply be the result of con=nuous variaon in vegetaon. Challenge: are available, variaon in field protocols and taxonomic standards makes data integraon difficult. Challenge: Challenge: 128−04−1482 044−04−0611 E) FL-GA: NMS1&2 E) FL-GA: 044−09−0606 112−04−1380 003−01−0084 044−02−0604 NMDS 3 NMDS 2 003−03−0086 044−07−0614 r100 044−07−0608 075−01−1006 028−01−0059 STEP 067−CROA−33 028−01−0060 STEPS 1-3 003−01−0108 Pinus palustris 003−05−0122 STEPS 1-4 003−0R−0071 003−01−0109 089−01−1233 089−04−1235 089−01−1235 002−01−0042 088−07−1206 003−02−0082 -10 003−03−0085 044−07−0613 044−09−0603 044−09−0602 003−06−0101 016−01−0078 016−01−0079 003−0R−0072 003−0R−0073 -6 002−01−0003 002−02−0003 3586 3577 3589 3592 3590 3584 002−02−0004 002−04−0011 pH.B 002−02−0040 015−0R−0002 015−0R−0009 002−01−0008 002−06−0035 -4 -2 0 2 4 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 002−01−0033 002−05−0035 002−04−0001 002−04−0004 015−0R−0006 002−01−0035 002−02−0032 002−02−0030 002−05−0001 002−05−0030 002−05−0020 002−02−0011 002−05−0022 002−04−0032 003−01−0077 Ca.B 003−03−0106 064−04−0958 003−07−0075 D) SC-GA: NMS1&3 D) SC-GA: A) NC-SC:NMS1&2 r1 016−01−0077 003−01−0085 003−07−0078 14 075−04−1007 003−01−0080 003−02−0079 003−06−0078 003−04−0078 N 003−06−0102 075−04−1008 7 7 3 002−01−0009 002−04−0006 -4 002−04−0035 002−03−0034 002−03−0035 002−01−0037 002−04−0036 002−05−0039 015−0R−0019 -6 -4 002−04−0005 003−02−0083 003−01−0054 r100 003−02−0054 003−01−0060 pH 003−02−0064 003−02−0062 003−02−0063 Silt.B 003−07−0053 Long 116−08−0003 116−08−0005 003−03−0052 -5 003−05−0055 7125 4492 7127 7844 003−02−0052 003−05−0052 003−05−0051 003−04−0051 003−04−0052 003−04−0054 003−06−0051 5 002−01−0004 002−02−0006 002−05−0009 Licania michauxii Pinus palustris scoparium Pinus palustris / Schizachyrium scoparium Pinus palustris / Quercus laevis – Quercus geminata pauciflosculosa / Aristida purpurascens Pinus palustris / Quercus laevis / Chrysoma Current Quantitative Association 002−02−0038 002−02−0034 015−0R−0010 015−0R−0020 Sand.B 015−0R−0023 128−11−1470 015−0R−0036 015−0R−0038 128−04−1472 015−0R−0037 -2 015−0R−0039 128−05−1474 128−05−1476 111−02−1351 002−02−0035 002−05−0034 002−03−0031 NMDS 1 128−04−1483 002−02−0039 NMDS 1 002−04−0037 r1 -4 002−05−0040 002−04−0002 002−04−0033 002−06−0031 002−05−0010 015−0R−0018 015−0R−0047 002−01−0006 Silt.B -2 002−04−0009 002−02−0007 015−0R−0001 015−0R−0003 002−02−0002 002−05−0002 002−05−0005 Sand.B 002−01−0041 pH Quan=tavely defined units o]en do not map cleanly on to exis=ng types. This discordance may indicate a need to correct the boundaries of types, In many regions, publicly-available vegetaon plot data are limited and are largely unavailable from disturbed or managed lands. Where plot data 002−05−0033 002−04−0038 002−02−0008 002−04−0010 002−03−0002 002−01−0040 015−0R−0005 Exis=ng USNVC units vary in their origin, level of clarity and focus, and the amount of data, analysis, and experience behind them. 015−0R−0007 002−02−0009 028−01−0128 003−01−0044 003−05−0101 015−0R−0008 003−01−0100 003−02−0100 003−04−0100 0 003−05−0100 0 002−01−0031 002−04−0040 002−02−0033 002−05−0004 002−05−0032 003−04−0044 002−02−0001 002−02−0031 002−05−0031 002−06−0034 002−03−0003 -2 002−05−0012 Long 003−01−0103 003−04−0102 003−02−0102 082−04−1106 The broader user community is empowered to submit formal proposals for revision of vegetaon types, thereby leading to improvement of the 002−02−0036 002−04−0031 NC-SC 002−05−0036 002−06−0030 002−03−0033 002−04−0030 NMDS 1 NMDS 1 002−04−0003 002−05−0007 The 002−05−0008 003−02−0101 003−04−0101 002−01−0014 110−04−1300 063−02−0929 0 Lat 002−02−0037 003−02−0053 Lat 003−05−0058 044−04−0608 088−04−1203 064−09−0955 CEC.B 067−CROA−21 067−CROA−22 2 016−01−0036 016−01−0037 044−06−0608 044−07−0610 044−09−0604 003−01−0058 003−04−0058 003−05−0060 003−06−0052 003−02−0058 003−04−0059 116−08−0001 003−02−0059 003−01−0083 003−02−0076 003−05−0063 003−06−0055 002−01−0030 003−05−0104 0 027−04−0561 003−01−0112 088−02−1203 pH.B 088−04−1200 002−01−0043 5 002−02−0041 003−05−0110 003−01−0107 – 003−03−0103 003−04−0105 003−07−0100 003−02−0105 015−0R−0029 015−0R−0030 015−0R−0031 015−0R−0033 015−0R−0034 016−01−0002 068−FRMA−6 016−01−0007 016−01−0010 4 USNVC documents ecological context using a common language.