GREAT BASIN NATIVE PLANT SELECTION AND INCREASE PROJECT 2012 PROGRESS REPORT USDA FOREST SERVICE, ROCKY MOUNTAIN RESEARCH STATION AND USDI BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, BOISE, ID APRIL 2013 COOPERATORS USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystem Research Program, Boise, ID and Provo, UT USDI Bureau of Land Management, Great Basin Restoration Initiative, Boise, ID USDI Bureau of Land Management, Plant Conservation Program, Washington, DC Boise State University, Boise, ID Brigham Young University, Provo, UT College of Western Idaho, Nampa, ID Eastern Oregon Stewardship Services, Prineville, OR Oregon State University, Malheur Experiment Station, Ontario, OR Private Seed Industry Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX Truax Company, Inc., New Hope, MN University of Idaho, Moscow, ID University of Idaho Parma Research and Extension Center, Parma, ID University of Nevada, Reno, NV University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, Elko and Reno, NV University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY Utah State University, Logan, UT USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory, Logan, UT USDA Agricultural Research Service, Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Burns, OR USDA Agricultural Research Service, Forage and Range Research Laboratory, Logan, UT USDA Agricultural Research Service, Great Basin Rangelands Research Unit, Reno, NV USDA Agricultural Research Service, Western Regional Plant Introduction Station, Pullman, WA USDA Forest Service, National Seed Laboratory, Dry Branch, GA USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, OR USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Aberdeen Plant Materials Center, Aberdeen, ID USDI Bureau of Land Management, Morley Nelson Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, Boise, ID US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise, ID and Corvallis, OR Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Great Basin Research Center, Ephraim, UT Utah Crop Improvement Association, Logan, UT ii Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project 2012 Progress Report The Interagency Native Plant Materials Development Program outlined in the 2002 USDA and USDI Report to Congress, USDI Bureau of Land Management programs and policies, and the Great Basin Restoration Initiative encourage the use of native species for rangeland rehabilitation and restoration where feasible. The Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project was initiated to provide information that will be useful to managers when making decisions about selecting appropriate plant materials and technologies for restoration. The Program is supported by the USDI Bureau of Land Management’s National Native Plant Materials Program and the Great Basin Restoration Initiative and administered by the USDA Rocky Mountain Research Station’s Grassland, Shrubland and Desert Ecosystem Research Program. Research priorities are to 1) provide tools for the selection and development of genetically appropriate plant materials for restoring rangelands impacted by human activities including climate change, 2) develop agricultural practices for seed increase of native forbs and grasses, 3) devise strategies for seeding native forbs and improving the establishment of multi-species native seed mixes, and 4) disseminate science and technology information to advance restoration. We thank our many collaborators for their dedication and their institutions for their in-kind contributions. The wide array of expertise represented by this group has made it possible to address the many challenges involved in this endeavor. We especially thank Robin Bjork for the many hours she spent carefully editing and compiling this report and Jan Gurr for managing our financial reporting. Special thanks also to our resident students: Erin Denney for her artistic ability and development of outreach materials and Matt Fisk and Alexis Malcomb for managing our seed inventory and database. Nancy Shaw Mike Pellant USDA Forest Service USDI Bureau of Land Management Rocky Mountain Research Station Great Basin Restoration Initiative Boise, ID Boise, ID [email protected] [email protected] Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/boise/research/shrub/greatbasin.shtml Great Basin Restoration Initiative www.blm.gov/id/st/en/prog/gbri.html Citation Shaw, N.; Pellant, M. 2013. Great Basin Native Plant Selection and Increase Project: 2012 Progress Report. Boise, ID: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rocky Mountain Research Station and U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 278 p. iii The results in this report should be considered preliminary in nature and should not be quoted or cited without the written consent of the Principal Investigator for the study. The use of trade or firm names in this report is for reader information and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or U.S. Department of the Interior of any product or service. Pesticide Precautionary Statement: This publication reports research involving pesticides. It does not contain recommendations for their use, nor does it imply that the uses discussed here have been registered. All uses of pesticides must be registered by appropriate State and/or Federal agencies before they can be recommended. CAUTION: Pesticides can be injurious to humans, domestic animals, desirable plants, and fish or other wildlife—if they are not handled or applied properly. Use all pesticides selectively and carefully. Follow recommended practices for the disposal of surplus pesticides and pesticide containers. The USDA and USDI are equal opportunity providers and employers. iv 2012 Highlights HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2012 GENETICS AND SEED ZONES Genetic diversity and genecology of bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata), prairie junegrass (Koeleria macrantha), and squirreltail (Elymus elymoides) Brad St. Clair and Francis Kilkenny . Bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata) and prairie junegrass (Koeleria macrantha) populations differ substantially for traits of growth, reproduction, leaf morphology, and floral phenology. Moderate correlations of population means with the climates of seed sources for both bluebunch wheatgrass and prairie junegrass suggest the presence of adaptively significant genetic variation that should be considered when moving populations in restoration projects. Geographic genetic variation for both bluebunch wheatgrass and prairie junegrass was mapped based on the relationships between traits and climate, and seed zones have been delineated for bluebunch wheatgrass that guide the choice of adapted populations for revegetation and restoration of grasslands in the interior Pacific Northwest and Great Basin. A study on squirreltail (Elymus elymoides) has been started, and first-year data have been collected. Conservation, adaptation and seed zones for key Great Basin species Richard C. Johnson, Erin K. Espeland, Matt Horning. Elizabeth A. Leger, Mike Cashman, and Ken Vance-Borland . Seed zones for Indian ricegrass (Achnatherum hymenoides) have been developed, mapped, and published. Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda) data analysis revealed substantial genetic variation, indicating a good potential for developing seed zones based on genetic and source climate interactions. Ecological genetics of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata): Genetic structure and climate-based seed zone mapping Bryce Richardson, Nancy Shaw, and Joshua Udall Molecular genetics of big sagebrush . Phylogenetic analyses of 24 genes (12,000 base pairs of DNA sequence) suggest diploid Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana (mountain big sagebrush) and A. t. ssp. tridentata (basin big sagebrush) are distinct (monophyletic) subspecies. A. t. ssp. wyomingensis (Wyoming big sagebrush) is not a monophyletic subspecies, originating from different diploid lineages of tridentata and vaseyana. A. t. ssp. wyomingensis is a tetraploid complex with varying affinities to diploid tridentata and vaseyana. Tetraploid lineages are likely formed locally or regionally from nearby populations of diploid A. t. ssp. tridentata and ssp. vaseyana. v 2012 Highlights Big sagebrush common gardens . Final growth measurements were completed for three years. Flower phenology analyses suggest day length and warm temperatures control flowering date: populations with longer summer days and colder temperature flower earlier than short summer days and warmer temperature. Estimates of total seed yield and seed weights are being calculated for the populations in two gardens. This will provide an overall estimate of plant fitness and comparison of seed weights among subspecies. The Ephraim, Utah common garden has substantially more mortality than other gardens. Possible factors are discussed. Selecting sagebrush seed sources for restoration in a variable climate: Ecophysical variation among genotypes Matthew J. Germino . Physiological performance of different seed sources for big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is under evaluation. Comparisons among the many populations (genotypes or provenances) of each subspecies being grown in common gardens will provide results that will fill crucial gaps in the data, enabling the improved development of climatic seed-transfer zones for the restoration of big sagebrush. Physiological variability is generally considerably greater among populations than among subspecies. At mid-summer, preliminary data suggest big sagebrush growing in an Idaho garden demonstrated adaptations in water use efficiency