Species Status Assessment (SSA) Report For the Seaside Alder (Alnus maritima) Version 1.2 May 31, 2018 Photo credit: Bill Hubick, Maryland Biodiversity Project May 2018 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest Regions 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The research for this document was prepared by Cherry Keller (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS—Chesapeake Bay Field Office), Michele Elmore (USFWS—Georgia Ecological Services Field Office), Alisha Autio (USFWS—Tulsa Field Office), and Hayley Dikeman (USFWS—Southwest Regional Office), with technical assistance from Krishna Gifford (USFWS—Northeast Regional Office). We greatly appreciate the assistance of Chris Frye (Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDDNR)), William McAvoy (Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control), Dr. Mincy Moffett and Tom Patrick (Georgia Department of Natural Resources), Mark Howery (Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation), Amy Buthod (Oklahoma Biological Survey/Natural Heritage Inventory), Jennifer Ceska (Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance), Jim Ozier (Georgia Power Company), Jona Tucker (The Nature Conservancy), Al Rizzo (USFWS— Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge), Matt Wittbeck (USFWS—Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge), Kerry Graves (USFWS—Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery), Nicole Rankin (USFWS—Southeast Regional Office), Pete Pattavina (USFWS—Southeast Regional), and Martin Miller (USFWS—Northeast Regional Office) who provided helpful information and review of the draft document. We also thank Dr. Jim Schrader (Iowa State University), Dr. J. Phil Gibson (Oklahoma University), Dr. Catherine Borer (Berry College), and Dr. Michael Kearney (University of Maryland), who conducted peer review and provided helpful comments. Suggested Reference: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). 2018. Species Status Assessment for the Seaside Alder (Alnus maritima), Version 1.2. May 2018. Hadley, MA. 2 Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 5 Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 14 1.1 Background ........................................................................................................................ 14 1.2 Analytical Framework ....................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 2. SPECIES INFORMATION ....................................................................................... 17 2.1 Taxonomy and Genetics .................................................................................................... 17 2.2 Species Description ............................................................................................................ 19 2.3 Historical and Current Range and Distribution ................................................................. 20 2.3.1 Seaside Alder .............................................................................................................. 20 2.3.2 Delmarva Alder ........................................................................................................... 20 2.3.3 Georgia Alder.............................................................................................................. 23 2.3.4 Oklahoma Alder .......................................................................................................... 24 2.4 Life History ........................................................................................................................ 26 2.4.1 Annual Cycle .............................................................................................................. 26 2.4.2 Reproduction ............................................................................................................... 27 2.4.3 Reproductive Strategy ................................................................................................. 27 2.5 Individual Requirements (Ecological Setting and Habitat Needs) .................................... 29 2.5.1 Seaside alder ............................................................................................................... 29 2.5.2 Delmarva Alder ........................................................................................................... 34 2.5.3 Georgia Alder.............................................................................................................. 37 2.5.4 Oklahoma Alder .......................................................................................................... 41 2.6 “Population” Needs ............................................................................................................ 44 2.7 Species Needs .................................................................................................................... 44 Chapter 3. FACTORS INFLUENCING VIABILITY ................................................................. 46 3.1 Seaside Alder ..................................................................................................................... 46 3.1.2 Frankia Inoculation: .................................................................................................... 46 3.2 Delmarva Alder .................................................................................................................. 48 3.2.1 Sea level rise and exposure to saline storm surges ..................................................... 48 3.2.2 Riparian Forest Conservation ..................................................................................... 50 3.2.3 Emerald Ash Borer ..................................................................................................... 50 3.2.4 Erosion of Fringe Wetlands ........................................................................................ 50 3.3 Georgia Alder..................................................................................................................... 52 3.3.1 Urbanization and Human Population Growth............................................................. 52 3 3.3.2 Land Use/Land Management ...................................................................................... 57 3.3.3 Climate Conditions ..................................................................................................... 58 3.3.4 Conservation Management ......................................................................................... 62 3.4 Oklahoma Alder ................................................................................................................. 68 3.4.1 Precipitation ................................................................................................................ 69 3.4.2 Drought Regime .......................................................................................................... 73 3.4.3 Temperature, Evaporation, and Evapotranspiration ................................................... 74 3.4.4 Decreased Water Availability and Aquifer Use.......................................................... 76 3.4.5 Vegetation encroachment ............................................................................................ 79 3.4.6 Seedling Niche ............................................................................................................ 79 3.4.7 Herbivory .................................................................................................................... 79 3.4.8 Mining ......................................................................................................................... 80 3.4.9 Conservation Management ......................................................................................... 80 Chapter 4. CURRENT CONDITIONS ........................................................................................ 83 4.1 Methodology—Analytical Units ........................................................................................ 83 4.2 Current Condition—(Representation, Redundancy and Representation) .......................... 83 4.2.1 Models......................................................................................................................... 84 4.2.2 Seaside Alder Current Condition Summary ............................................................... 99 Chapter 5. SPECIES VIABILITY ............................................................................................. 100 5.1 Future Scenarios............................................................................................................... 100 5.1.1 Delmarva alder .......................................................................................................... 100 5.1.2 Georgia Alder............................................................................................................ 108 5.1.3 Oklahoma .................................................................................................................. 120 5.2 Seaside Alder Future Condition Summary ....................................................................... 126 REFERENCES CITED ............................................................................................................... 130 APPENDIX A–Condition Methods, Metrics, and Condition Scoring ....................................... 141 A-1 Delmarva Alder .............................................................................................................
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