Potentilla hickmanii (Hickman’s potentilla) 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation ©Bob Huettmann 2005 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office Ventura, California January 2009 5-YEAR REVIEW Potentilla hickmanii (Hickman’s potentilla) I. GENERAL INFORMATION Purpose of 5-Year Reviews: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is required by section 4(c)(2) of the Endangered Species Act (Act) to conduct a status review of each listed species at least once every 5 years. The purpose of a 5-year review is to evaluate whether or not the species’ status has changed since it was listed (or since the most recent 5-year review). Based on the 5-year review, we recommend whether the species should be removed from the list of endangered and threatened species, be changed in status from endangered to threatened, or be changed in status from threatened to endangered. Our original listing of a species as endangered or threatened is based on the existence of threats attributable to one or more of the five threat factors described in section 4(a)(1) of the Act, and we must consider these same five factors in any subsequent consideration of reclassification or delisting of a species. In the 5-year review, we consider the best available scientific and commercial data on the species, and focus on new information available since the species was listed or last reviewed. If we recommend a change in listing status based on the results of the 5-year review, we must propose to do so through a separate rule-making process defined in the Act that includes public review and comment. Species Overview: Potentilla hickmanii (Hickman’s potentilla) is a small perennial herb in the rose family. It is restricted to two general areas, one in San Mateo County and one in Monterey County, California, where it occurs within coastal terrace prairie habitat. In San Mateo County, a population of between 2,000 and 3,000 individuals is scattered over a half square mile (sq mi) (130 hectares (ha)). In Monterey County, one population comprised of less than 20 plants occurs on less than one quarter of an acre (0.1 ha). In addition to the two native populations, greenhouse-grown plants were outplanted to a site at Point Lobos State Reserve in Monterey County in 2006; whether these plants result in the establishment of a viable population remains to be seen. The coastal terrace prairie habitat that the species occurs in has been subjected to alteration and destruction due to development, changes in hydrologic regime, and invasion by nonnative species. In addition, the Monterey County population of Potentilla hickmanii is subject to grazing by deer, cattle, gophers, snails and slugs, and is experiencing reproductive failure. Methodology Used to Complete This Review: This review was prepared by the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office (VFWO), following the Region 8 guidance issued in March 2008. We used information from the Recovery Plan (Service 2004), survey information from experts who have been monitoring various localities of this species, and the California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) maintained by the California Department of Fish and Game. The Recovery Plan and personal communications with experts were our primary sources of information used to update the species’ status and threats. This 5- year review contains updated information on the species’ biology and threats, and an assessment of that information compared to that known at the time of listing or since the last 5-year review. 2 We focus on current threats to the species that are attributable to the Act’s five listing factors. The review synthesizes all this information to evaluate the listing status of the species and provide an indication of its progress towards recovery. Finally, based on this synthesis and the threats identified in the five-factor analysis, we recommend a prioritized list of conservation actions to be completed or initiated within the next 5 years. Contact Information: Lead Regional Office: Diane Elam, Deputy Division Chief for Listing, Recovery, and Habitat Conservation Planning, and Jenness McBride, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Region 8, California and Nevada; (916) 414-6464. Lead Field Office: Connie Rutherford, Listing and Recovery Coordinator for Plants; Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office; (805)-644-1766 x 306. Cooperating Field Office(s): Kirsten Tarp, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office; (916) 414-6600. Federal Register (FR) Notice Citation Announcing Initiation of This Review: A notice announcing initiation of the 5-year review of this taxon and the opening of a 60-day period to receive information from the public was published in the Federal Register on March 5, 2008 (73 FR 11945). The Service received one response to the notice, which we have considered in preparing this 5-year review. Listing History: Original Listing FR Notice: 63 FR 43100 Date of Final Listing Rule: August 12, 1998 Entity Listed: Potentilla hickmanii, species Classification: Endangered State Listing Potentilla hickmanii was listed by the State of California as endangered in 1979. Associated Rulemakings: N/A Review History: N/A Species’ Recovery Priority Number at Start of 5-Year Review: The recovery priority number for Potentilla hickmanii is 5C according to the Service’s 2007 Recovery Data Call for the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office, based on a 1-18 ranking system where 1 is the highest-ranked recovery priority and 18 is the lowest (Endangered and Threatened Species Listing and Recovery Priority Guidelines, 48 FR 43098, September 21, 1983). This number indicates that the taxon is a species that faces a high degree of threat and has a low potential for recovery. The “C” 3 indicates conflict with construction or other development projects or other forms of economic activity. Recovery Plan or Outline Name of Plan or Outline: Recovery Plan for Five Plants from Monterey County, California Date Issued: August 19, 2004 II. REVIEW ANALYSIS Application of the 1996 Distinct Population Segment (DPS) Policy The Endangered Species Act defines “species” as including any subspecies of fish or wildlife or plants, and any distinct population segment (DPS) of any species of vertebrate wildlife. This definition of species under the Act limits listing as distinct population segments to species of vertebrate fish or wildlife. Because the species under review is a plant, the DPS policy is not applicable, and the application of the DPS policy to the species’ listing is not addressed further in this review. Information on the Species and its Status Species Biology and Life History Potentilla hickmanii is a small, long-lived, herbaceous perennial. The plant develops a woody taproot which presumably persists through years with unfavorable conditions (Abrams 1944); observers estimate the lifespan of an individual may be on the order of at least 25 or 30 years (Morosco 1997, Yadon in litt. 1997). Each individual consists of a basal rosette of leaves from which flowering stems are produced in favorable years. Each rosette can produce several yellow flowers; each flower has approximately 10 ovules and therefore a potential to produce 10 seeds. Plants also reproduced vegetatively by sending out runners which establish new rosettes. Historical Distribution Potentilla hickmanii was historically known from two general areas along the central coast of California: on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, and in the Half Moon Bay area in San Mateo County. The type specimen was collected from the Monterey Peninsula “near the reservoir which supplies Pacific Grove” and described by Alice Eastwood in 1902. Several other collections were made from the Monterey Peninsula during the 1930s, but detail on specific locations is lacking. The species was collected from Moss Beach in San Mateo County, 60 miles (97 kilometers (km)) north of Monterey, in 1905 by Katherine Brandegee, and then again in a nearby location in 1933 by E.C. Sutliffe (Consortium of California Herbaria 2008). The plant is presumed extirpated from both of these sites due to changes in land use, primarily development. 4 Current Distribution The species is currently known from two native populations. In Monterey County, one population occurs on the south end of the Monterey Peninsula near Pebble Beach, where it occupies less than 0.25 acre (ac) (0.1 ha) of degraded coastal prairie habitat on private lands owned by Pebble Beach Company and is designated as a recreational day-use area. In San Mateo County, a population was discovered in 1995 near the town of Montara, approximately 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away from the historic populations. The population occupies approximately a half sq mi (130 ha) of habitat; individuals are clustered into approximately six colonies. The California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) divides the colonies among two occurrences to reflect separate land owners (CNDDB 2008). Most of the individuals and colonies occur on lands owned by Peninsula Open Space Trust; a few of the individuals and colonies occur on adjacent lands owned by California Department of Transportation (CalTrans). In addition to the two remaining native populations, one outplanting is currently being attempted to establish a new population at Point Lobos State Reserve (Reserve), approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of the Pebble Beach population. However, it is too early for us to assess whether this outplanting effort will result in the establishment of a third viable population. Abundance Montara population, San Mateo County: since the population was discovered in 1995, the number of individuals observed has generally ranged between 2,000 and 3,000. Due to the small number of observations and difference in census methodology, no trends can be determined from these numbers. See Table 1 below for a summary of census data. Pebble Beach population, Monterey County: between the years 1987 and 2000, the number of individuals ranged from 5 to 35 (Doak et al.