The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Master's Projects and Capstones Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects Fall 12-18-2015 Monitoring biodiversity of San Francisco Peninsula grasslands using Lepidoptera as a bioindicator Jonathan B. Sifuentes-Winter University of San Francisco, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone Part of the Natural Resources and Conservation Commons Recommended Citation Sifuentes-Winter, Jonathan B., "Monitoring biodiversity of San Francisco Peninsula grasslands using Lepidoptera as a bioindicator" (2015). Master's Projects and Capstones. 234. https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/234 This Project/Capstone is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects at USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Projects and Capstones by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This Master's Project Monitoring biodiversity of San Francisco Peninsula grasslands using Lepidoptera as a bioindicator by Jonathan “Coty” Sifuentes-Winter is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of: Master of Science in Environmental Management at the University of San Francisco Submitted: Received: ............................................……….. ................................…………. Jonathan Sifuentes-Winter Date Allison Luengen, Ph.D. Date Table of Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ iii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. iv Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ vi Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 San Francisco Peninsula Grasslands ........................................................................................... 1 Lepidoptera in Grasslands ....................................................................................................... 1 Invasion ................................................................................................................................... 2 Contemporary Integrated Pest Management ........................................................................... 4 Stability of Ecological Systems................................................................................................... 6 Monitoring of Ecological Systems .............................................................................................. 8 Biotic Surveys.......................................................................................................................... 8 Objective of the Paper ................................................................................................................. 9 Bioindicators in Natural Areas...................................................................................................... 11 Lepidoptera as Bioindicators ..................................................................................................... 12 Synthetic Herbicide ....................................................................................................................... 16 Purpose and Controversy of Use ............................................................................................... 16 Public Agency Use on the San Francisco Peninsula ................................................................. 17 Direct Impacts to Lepidoptera ................................................................................................... 20 Effects on Plant Community ..................................................................................................... 22 Further Considerations .............................................................................................................. 27 Conservation Grazing ................................................................................................................... 28 Purpose and Controversy of Use ............................................................................................... 28 Public Agency Use on the San Francisco Peninsula ................................................................. 29 Grazing Regimes ....................................................................................................................... 29 Direct Impacts to Lepidoptera ................................................................................................... 30 Effects on Plant Community ..................................................................................................... 31 Further Consideration ................................................................................................................ 34 Prescribed Fire .............................................................................................................................. 36 Purpose and Controversy of Use ............................................................................................... 36 Public Agency Use on the San Francisco Peninsula ................................................................. 38 Direct Impacts to Lepidoptera ................................................................................................... 39 Effects on Plant Community ..................................................................................................... 40 Timing of Prescribed Fire ...................................................................................................... 41 Seeding Native Species Post Burn ......................................................................................... 41 Recovery Time .......................................................................................................................... 42 Further Considerations .............................................................................................................. 43 Further Research ........................................................................................................................... 45 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 47 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................................. 51 ii | P a g e List of Figures Figure 1: Avena barbata (slender wild oat). .................................................................................... 2 Figure 2: Plant species richness by status on the San Francisco Peninsula. ................................... 3 Figure 3: Plant abundance by guild at the East Grassland of Inspiration Point, San Francisco, California. ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Figure 4: Elymus glaucus (blue wild rye). ...................................................................................... 6 Figure 5: Increased species richness increases ecosystem resilience in times of drought. ............. 7 Figure 6: Canary in a coalmine. .................................................................................................... 11 Figure 7: Number of listed synthetic herbicides in the Herbicide Handbook by edition. ............ 16 Figure 8: Lethal effects downwind from herbicide application. ................................................... 24 Figure 9: Effect of tending ants on survival of Hemiargus Isola (Reakirt’s blue butterfly). ........ 26 Figure 10: Tule elk bugling at Point Reyes National Seashore. ................................................... 28 Figure 11: Icaricia icarioides missionensis (Mission blue butterfly) perched on Lupinus albifrons (silver lupine), its host plant.......................................................................................................... 32 Figure 12: Hourly PM2.5 outputs during at the Yarra Valley prescribed fire event. ..................... 37 Figure 13: Percent cover of bare ground immediately after a prescribed fire in tall grass prairie. ....................................................................................................................................................... 40 Figure 14: Floral Resource availability to lepidoptera after a prescribed burn. ........................... 43 iii | P a g e List of Tables Table 1: Natural area protected by public agencies on the San Francisco Peninsula. .................... 1 Table 2: Scientific classification of butterflies and moths. ............................................................. 2 Table 3: Adoption of Integrated Pest Management Programs into San Francisco Bay Area agencies. .........................................................................................................................................