THE DYNAMISM OF THE FLORIDA FLORA: NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE RANGE EXTENSIONS ALAN FRANCK AND JIMMY LANGE Alum Bluff -E.W. Berry 1916 Southeastern Geological Society Guidebook No. 51 Middle Miocene Flora ~15 mya • Ficus (Figs) • Caesalpinia (Nickerbean et al) • Nectandra (Lancewood) • Pisonia (Devil’s Pullback) • Cinnamomum (Camphor tree, Cinnamon) • Artocarpus?!!! (Breadfruit) • Ulmus (Elm) • Carya (Hickory) • Quercus (Oak) Restoration of Miocene fauna of North America, on a mural made for the US government-owned Smithsonian Museum Paliurus sp. • Rhamnaceae • Fossil records in NA between 41.2 and 13.8 mya • In Florida as recently as 13.8 mya Ling Dong et al 2015 Sabalites spp. Southeastern Geological Society Guidebook No. 51 Great American Interchange • Isthmus of Panama connects N and S America • Massive interchange of flora and fauna • Peaks around 3 mya Range Shifts • Species distributions are in constant flux • Biological and physical factors influence rates of expansion or contraction • Geographic range-the known spatial extent of a species (difficult!) Difficulties • Often long time scale • For comparison we must assume new and old range records can be compared and both are complete and accurate (near impossible!) • Species must be located, identified, vouchered, etc. • Small-scale or cryptic range shifts • Seed banks • HUMAN INFLUENCE • Dispersal • Barriers • Habitat alteration Predictions under changing climate • distributional shifts facilitated by global climate change appear to be moving toward the poles at an average rate of ~6.1 km per decade (Parmesan and Yohe 2003) • Varies spatially Stochastic events • Areas of high likelihood for future natural disturbance/dispersal events • “Jump” dispersal events are very rare, but extremely important from an evolutionary perspective from U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Fact Sheet FS-009-96 New arrivals-Causonis trifolia • Asian species • 2018 • Lee Co. (Dexter Sowell) • Trifoliate with petioles • Compare with native Cissus trifoliata • Petioles lacking Phytoimages.siu.edu New arrivals-Cissus quadrangularis • African/Asian species • 2017 • Monroe Co., Key Largo (Jimmy Lange) • Cultivated for medicinal properties • Fruits prolifically, dispersed by wildlife New arrivals-Crepis capillaris • 4 Jun 2017 • online pics, not vouchered • “wet soil at the edge of a stormwater retention pond in Palm Beach County [...] took home one plant to grow it out to identify it [...] was self-sterile and never formed seeds (rather surprising for what appears to be a weedy plant) [...] the original colony is no longer extant [...] No voucher was made, which was unfortunate because it would have been a new state record.” –Rufino Osorio, Facebook group – Florida Flora and Ecosystematics • Resembles Taraxacum (dandelion), but with multiple flowers/stalk GBIF (worldwide distribution) Rasbak (Wikipedia) New arrivals-Philydrum lanuginosum • Philydraceae-Asia/Australia • 2016? • North Carolina, cultivated and spreading locally (NCU, NCSC) • May 2016 • Glades Co., Cultivated record (FLAS) • Sep 2017 • Hardee Co., identified by Keith Bradley from Andy Firk Flickr photos John Tann (Flickr) • apparently not cultivated there • not yet vouchered • “marshy pondside” GBIF (worldwide distribution) New arrivals- Eulophia andamanensis • 2017 • Lee County (Roger Hammer) • soon-to-be developed residential land • not yet vouchered GBIF (native distribution) Recent arrivals-Azolla pinnata • Eastern Hemisphere species, aquatic • 2008 • Palm Beach Co. • 2014 • Leon Co. (FSU) • 2017 • Martin Co. (Greg Braun) Xmas tree look, with long secondary branches Distinctive long papillae (under magnification), not found on native Azolla Recent arrivals-Eleocharis elegans • Tropical American species • 1997 • collected by Daniel Brunton • misidentified as E. interstincta • 2017: correctly identified • 2017 • still there! • along creek and roadside • Introduced by humans? other animals? E. Interstincta vs E. elegans Standley& Steyermark: Guatemala of Flora • Perianth plants.usda.gov bristles exceed achene>>> • Smaller seeds>>> • Produces far Phytoimages.siu.edu more seeds/ spike>>> • Invasive potential? Recent arrivals-Praxelis clematidea • South American species • 2007 • Orange Co. • 2014 (7) • 2015 • Pasco Co. (FLAS) • 2016 • Hernando Co. (USF) • Marion Co. (FLAS) Assisted natives-Roystonea regia • Native to FL, West Indies, Mexico, C America • Widely cultivated within and outside its natural range K. Bradley Roystonea regia Zona 1996 Roystonea regia • ca. 1774 • W. Bartram near Lake Dexter on St John’s River Lake/Volusia Cos. • 1938 • J.K. Small notes native to south FL • Freezes of 1835, 1894-5? • Fire? • Walking sticks? Roystonea regia • 1930s?-present • Deering Estate in Miami-Dade Co. • Restoration concern • 2008 • 3 wild ones noted in DeSoto Co., Peace River estuary • 2017 • wild plants in Martin Co. • Naturalized? • Non-Native? R. regia, Martin Co., by Greg Braun Assisted Natives- Myrcianthes fragrans • Historically, known from Volusia & Lee Cos. Southward along coast • 2012 • Pasco Co., Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park • Sarasota Co., Casey Key, coastal hammock • Natural spread, escaped from cultivation, or been there all this time? Cissus verticillata • Historically, known from Brevard & Lee Cos. southward • 2014 • Manatee Co., disturbed roadside • 2016 • Pinellas Co., hardwood hammock • Natural spread? Manatee Co. Trema micrantha • Cannabaceae • Early-successional species of tropical hardwood hammocks • Fast- growing • Fruits prolifically • Not widely cultivated • Possible natural expansion? Conclusions • “Natural” range expansions often happen on very long time scales • Ranges of all species are in constant flux • Largely human-mediated (we are the macrofauna!) • Confounded by global climate change • Education and vigilance are key • EDDMaps • Herbaria • iNaturalist Acknowledgements and countless others . .