SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Digital Commons @ ESF Dissertations and Theses Fall 12-16-2017 Experimental Reintroduction of American Hart’s-Tongue Fern (Asplenium scolopendrium var. americanum): Factors Affecting Successful Establishment of Transplants Michael Serviss [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.esf.edu/etds Recommended Citation Serviss, Michael, "Experimental Reintroduction of American Hart’s-Tongue Fern (Asplenium scolopendrium var. americanum): Factors Affecting Successful Establishment of Transplants" (2017). Dissertations and Theses. 9. https://digitalcommons.esf.edu/etds/9 This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ ESF. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ ESF. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. EXPERIMENTAL REINTRODUCTION OF AMERICAN HART’S-TONGUE FERN (ASPLENIUM SCOLOPENDRIUM VAR. AMERICANUM): FACTORS AFFECTING SUCCESSFUL ESTABLISHMENT OF TRANSPLANTS by Michael J. Serviss A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science Degree State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse, New York December 2017 Department of Environmental and Forest Biology Approved by: Danilo Fernando, Major Professor Theresa Selfa, Chair, Examining Committee Donald Leopold, Department Chair S. Scott Shannon, Dean, The Graduate School © 2017 Copyright M. J. Serviss All rights reserved Acknowledgements I would like to sincerely thank all of those who made this work possible: my major professor, Dr. Danilo Fernando, whose mentorship helped to guide me through this project; my steering and defense committee members, Thomas Hughes, Drs. Donald Leopold, Robin Kimmerer and Theresa Selfa, whose advice and feedback were invaluable; my colleagues, Joshua Weber-Townsend, Shannon Fabiani, Patricia Shulenburg, Mat Bilz and the entire FORCES “Fern Crew”; my field assistants, Kelsey West and Olivia Morris; the many (MANY) volunteers who donated their time to this project; and last, but not least, my family and friends who have provided support and encouragement (and sometimes delicious baked goods) every step of the way. Special thanks to my dog, the Dude, for abiding. Funding for this project was provided by the US Fish and Wildlife Service through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Section 6, the Edna Bailey Sussman Foundation, and the Josiah Lowe and Hugh Wilcox Scholarship Fund. iii Table of Contents List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. vi List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... vii Abstract .................................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 Pteridophyte Conservation .......................................................................................................... 1 Reintroduction ............................................................................................................................. 2 Pteridophyte Reintroduction Success Stories .............................................................................. 6 Case Studies from the Global Re-introduction Series ............................................................. 6 Marsilea quadrifolia ................................................................................................................ 7 Diellia pallida .......................................................................................................................... 7 Woodsia ilvensis ...................................................................................................................... 8 Study Species .............................................................................................................................. 9 Varietal Status and Morphology .............................................................................................. 9 Ecology and Distribution ....................................................................................................... 12 Legal Status ........................................................................................................................... 16 Goals and Objectives ................................................................................................................. 17 Study Area ................................................................................................................................. 18 Sentinel Basin ........................................................................................................................ 18 Twin Basins ........................................................................................................................... 19 Split Rock Unique Area ......................................................................................................... 19 Literature cited .......................................................................................................................... 21 Chapter 2: Experimental Reintroduction of Asplenium scolopendrium var. americanum: Factors Affecting Survival and Growth .................................................................................... 25 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 25 History of Translocation and Reintroduction of AHTF in New York .................................. 25 General Reintroduction Considerations ................................................................................. 26 Objectives .................................................................................................................................. 31 Hypotheses ................................................................................................................................ 32 Methods ..................................................................................................................................... 32 Propagation ............................................................................................................................ 32 Acclimatization ...................................................................................................................... 33 Reintroduction Site Selection ................................................................................................ 34 Transplanting ......................................................................................................................... 34 Monitoring and Data Collection ............................................................................................ 36 Statistical Analyses ................................................................................................................ 38 Results ....................................................................................................................................... 40 Effects of Life Stage on Survival and Growth ...................................................................... 40 Ordinal Logistic Regression and Predictors of Transplant Survival ..................................... 50 Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 54 Effects of Life Stage on Survival and Growth ...................................................................... 54 Ordinal Logistic Regression and Predictors of Transplant Survival ..................................... 58 Literature cited .......................................................................................................................... 61 iv Chapter 3: Microclimate of Reintroduction Sites and Implications for Transplant Survival ....................................................................................................................................................... 65 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 65 Methods ..................................................................................................................................... 69 Study Design.......................................................................................................................... 69 Data Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 71 Results ....................................................................................................................................... 72 Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 81 Literature cited .......................................................................................................................... 85