David A. Charlet and Pat Leary College of Southern Nevada Funding and other support for this work: Nevada Climate Change Infrastructure for Climate Change Research, Education, and Outreach Clark County Ecosystem Indicators Project (Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act) US Geological Survey USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service US Fish and Wildlife Service Bureau of Land Management College of Southern Nevada Wesley E. Niles Herbarium, UNLV Premier location to study climate change Paleoclimate proxy data sets: Biological: fossil, pollen, woodrat midden Geomorphological: pluvial lake shores and basins, sand dunes, glacial and periglacial features Presence of all major temperate life-zones except Humid Transition Understanding our flora requires the context of climate change, isolation of populations, and refugia Hunt 1967 Plant species have specific tolerances for conditions and resource availability (e.g., temperature, nutrients, water) Vary one of the conditions (climate), and the distributions of the plants should change To detect changes in vegetation as it responds to changes in climate, we must first know where the vegetation is now We don’t know very well how species are distributed We must develop the baseline data Charlet Billings (1951) Merriam (1898) Alpine Alpine tundra MZS Arctic-Alpine Subalpine Limber pine-bristlecone pine MZS Hudsonian Montane Yellow pine-White fir MZS Canadian Pygmy Conifer Pinyon-juniper MZS Upper Sonoran Sagebrush Sagebrush-grass Upper Sonoran Blackbrush Creosote-bush Lower Sonoran Creosotebush Creosote-bush Lower Sonoran Saltbush Shadscale Lower Sonoran Alpine Subalpine Not part of Mojave series Montane Pygmy Conifer Sagebrush Saltbush Absolute desert South Aspect North Aspect Nival Alpine Subalpine Pluvial Lake / Montane ? South Aspect North Aspect Alpine Subalpine Montane Pygmy Conifer Sagebrush Saltbush Absolute desert South Aspect North Aspect Alpine Nival Alpine Subalpine Subalpine Montane Alpine Montane Pygmy Conifer Pygmy Conifer Sagebrush Subalpine Sagebrush Saltbush Saltbush Pluvial Lake / Montane ? Absolute desert / Pluvial Lake Absolute desert Full Glacial Present Day Thermal Max HA2 HØ HA1 Alpine Subalpine Alpine Montane Alpine Subalpine Subalpine Pygmy Conifer Montane Montane Pygmy Conifer Blackbrush Blackbrush Creosotebush Pygmy Conifer Creosotebush Saltbush Blackbrush Saltbush Pluvial Lake / Saltbush Absolute desert Absolute desert Full Glacial Present Day Thermal Max HA2 HØ HA1 Precipitation gauge High tensile Radiation sensor strength Passive supports solar design State of the art climate monitoring stations State of the art climate monitoring stations Climate transects BASELINE DATA Four types collected at each site Floristic the plant species Vegetation the arrangement and structure of plant species that dominate the site Physical Location, elevation, aspect, slope, substrate Photographic High resolution, geo-referenced, time-stamped Mojave Transect Climate stations (5) Distribution of samples (n = 2007) Climate monitoring installations (7): Vegetation samples (n = 316) 1699 1700 1701 1702 Achnatherum hymenoides Achnatherum hymenoides Abies concolor Abies concolor Agave utahensis eborispina Achnatherum parishii Achnatherum hymenoides Ageratina herbacea Amelanchier utahensis Agave utahensis eborispina Achnatherum parishii Amelanchier utahensis Arceuthobium divaricatum Amelanchier utahensis Achnatherum parishii de Artemisia dracunculus Artemisia nova Artemisia dracunculus Agave utahensis eborispina Artemisia nova Artemisia tridentata vaseyana Artemisia ludoviciana Ageratina herbacea Artemisia tridentata vaseyana Asclepias asperula Artemisia nova Amelanchier utahensis Boechera perennans Astragalus calycosus Artemisia tridentata vaseyana Antennaria rosea Bouteloua gracilis Astragalus purshii Astragalus platytropis Arceuthobium divaricatum Brickellia grandiflora Berberis fremontii Astragalus purshii Artemisia dracunculus Bromus anomalus Bouteloua gracilis Berberis fremontii Artemisia nova Carex rossii Carex rossii Bouteloua gracilis Astragalus humistratus Castilleja linearifolia Castilleja linearifolia Brickellia oblongifolia Berberis fremontii Cercocarpus ledifolius Floristic Ceanothus greggii Calylophus lavanduliferus Bouteloua gracilis Chamaescyce fendlerii Chaetopappa ericoides Carex rossii Carex rossii Chrysothamnus depressus Chamaescyce fendlerii Castilleja lineariifolia Castilleja linearifolia Cirsium arizonicum Chrysothamnus depressus Ceanothus greggii Cercocarpus intricatus Cryptantha cinerea abortiva Cordylanthus parvifolia Cercocarpus intricatus Cercocarpus ledifolius Cryptantha flavoculata Coryphantha vivipara Cercocarpus ledifolius Cheilanthes feei Elymus elymoides Data Cryptantha flavoculata Chaetopappa ericoides Cirsium arizonicum Ephedra viridis Echinocereus triglochidiatus Chamaescyce fendlerii Cryptantha flavoculata Ericameria parryi nevadensis Elymus elymoides Chenopodium fremontii Cuniculotinus gramineus Eriogonum panamintense Ephedra viridis Cirsium arizonicum Echinocereus triglochidiatus Eriogonum umbellatum subardu Eriogonum microthecum simp Cryptantha flavoculata Elymus elymoides Euphorbia brachycera Eriogonum umbellatum subarid Dietaria canescens Ephedra viridis Gutierrezia sarothrae Frasera albomarginata Echinocereus triglochidiatus Ericameria parryi nevadensis Ipomopsis arizonica Gilia inconspicua Elymus elymoides Glossopetalon spinescens Juniperus osteosperma Glossopetalon spinescens Ephedra viridis Hesperostipa comata Juniperus scopulorum Gutierrezia sarothrae Ericameria nauseosa speciosa Hymenopappus filifolius Linanthus nuttallii Hedeoma drummondii Eriogonum microthecum simpso Ipomopsis arizonica Oenothera caespitosa marginata Hymenoxys cooperi Eriogonum umbellatum subaridu Jamesia americana Opuntia polyacantha erinacea Juniperus osteosperma Euphorbia brachycera Juniperus osteosperma Opuntia polyacantha hystricina Opuntia phaecantha Fallugia paradoxa Juniperus scopulorum Packera multilobata Opuntia polyacantha erinacea Galium parishii Linanthus nuttallii Pedicularis semibarbata charlest Opuntia polyacantha hystricina Glossopetalon spinescens Linum lewisii Penstemon eatonii Penstemon eatonii Gutierrezia sarothrae Lomatium graveolens alpinum Penstemon linarioides sileri Penstemon palmeri Hedeoma drummondii Penstemon eatonii Penstemon rostriflorus Phoradendron juniperinum Hymenopappus filifolius Penstemon linarioides sileri Petradoria pumila Physaria kingii Ipomopsis arizonica Petradoria pumila Phlox condensata Pinus monophylla Juniperus osteosperma Philadelphus microphyllus Physaria chambersii Poa fendleriana Linanthus nuttallii Phlox condensata Physaria kingii Purshia stansburiana Linum lewisii Physocarpus alternans Pinus monophylla Sphaeralcea parviflora Lomatium graveolens alpinum Pinus longaeva Pinus ponderosa Symphoriocarpos longiflorus Mirabilis oxybaphoides Pinus monophylla Poa fendleriana Yucca baccata Oenothera caespitosa marginata Pinus ponderosa Pseudoroegneria spicata Opuntia polyacantha erinacea Piptatherum micranthum Purshia stansburiana Opuntia polyacantha hystricina Pseudoroegneria spicata Rhus trilobata Penstemon eatonii Silene verrucunda Ribes cereum Penstemon linarioides sileri Symphoriocarpos longiflorus Salvia dorrii clokeyi Phlox condensata Tetradymia canescens Symphoriocarpos longiflorus Physaria chambersii Tetraneuris acaulis Tetradymia canescens Physaria kingii Tetraneuris acaulis Pinus monophylla Thelesperma subnudum Pinus ponderosa Piptatherum micranthum Prunus fasciculatum Pseudoroegneria spicatum Purshia stansburiana Salvia dorrii clokeyi Symphoriocarpos longiflorus Mojave matrix: 2007 samples x 840 species 20 VEGETATION AND FLORISTIC SAMPLES (N = 316) DISTRIBUTED BY LIFE ZONE AND ELEVATION IN WHITE PINE COUNTY, NEVADA SALTBUSH 18 CREOSOTEBUSH N BLACKBRUSH U 16 M SAGEBRUSH B 14 E Climate monitoring PYGMY CONIFER R installations (7): 12 MONTANE O SUBALPINE F 10 ALPINE S 8 A 2 per. Mov. Avg. (SALTBUSH) M 6 2 per. Mov. Avg. P (SAGEBRUSH) L E 4 S 2 0 100 250 400 550 700 850 1000 1150 1300 1450 1600 1750 1900 2050 2200 2350 2500 2650 2800 2950 3100 3250 3400 3550 3700 3850 ELEVATION (m) 100 VEGETATION AND FLORISTIC SAMPLES (N = 2007) DISTRIBUTED BY LIFE ZONE AND ELEVATION IN CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA 90 SALTBUSH N 80 U CREOSOTEBUSH M B 70 BLACKBRUSH E Climate monitoring SAGEBRUSH R 60 installations (5): PYGMY CONIFER O F 50 MONTANE SUBALPINE S 40 A 2 per. Mov. Avg. M (SALTBUSH) 30 P L E 20 S 10 0 100 250 400 550 700 850 1000 1150 1300 1450 1600 1750 1900 2050 2200 2350 2500 2650 2800 2950 3100 3250 3400 3550 3700 3850 ELEVATION (m) 576 NVCS plots (266 in 1770 “RACE” samples Great Basin transect, 310 (1700 in Mojave transect, in Mojave transect) 70 in Great Basin transect) Quantitative cover species Presence/absence species data data Useful for detailed Useful for defining life analysis of species zones in a single distributions in a single landscape feature or landscape feature across a region Presence/Absence data of groups of trees and shrubs Useful for regional trends Group characteristics Economically important Ecologically important K – selected species Long time to reproductive maturity, long- lived, slow to move Distance to “source” has small effect on diversity Size of “island” has large effect on diversity “Montane relief” alone explained 65% of the variation in conifer diversity across the region Distribution pattern is extinction-driven, due largely to changing climate over past 2 million years Examining climate change in our lifetime requires a finer scale PRISM