the california deserts: plant life at the extremes...a conspiracy of extremes bruce pavlick- 2008...
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes
Naomi S. Fraga Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
Red Pass, Death Valley NP
![Page 2: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Eastern Kern County, California Western Mojave Desert
![Page 3: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
G r e a t B a s i n
S o n o r a n
M o j a v e
29 million acres (45,000 sq mi), or 28% of California's landmass.GIS layer source: Omernick ecoregions level 3
![Page 4: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts
- Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft.
- Geology: Limestone, granite, sand dunes
- Temperature: below freezing to 134°F (1913)
- Changing history over the past 12,000 years
- Transition to modern desert complete by 8,500 to 5,000 years ago
Krascheninnikovia lanata (winterfat)
![Page 5: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
“Water, water, water....There is no shortage of water in the desert but exactly the right amount, a perfect ratio of water to rock, water to sand, insuring that wide free open, generous spacing among plants and animals, homes and towns and cities, which makes the arid West so different from any other part of the nation. There is no lack of water here unless you try to establish a city where no city should be.” ― Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness
Dutch Cleanser Mine, Red Rock Canyon SP
![Page 6: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Desert Flora
- 2377 taxa native to desert (37% of the CA flora)
- 785 taxa that do not occur elsewhere in CA (33%)
- 232 naturalized taxa (9%) when compared CA (17%) Sources
Desert Jepson Manual (2002)
Jepson e-flora (2017)
Pavlick (2008)
Hesperocallis undulata (desert lily)
![Page 7: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
G r e a t B a s i n 1 3 6 3 Ta x a
S o n o r a n 7 0 9 Ta x a
M o j a v e 1 4 0 9 Ta x a
Topographic diversity= species diversity
![Page 8: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Remarkable Flora Dr. Frank Vasek’s students circling King Clone on April 1, 1979. Photo by Dr. Vasek
- ca. 11,700 years old!
![Page 9: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
Plants From Space! - ca. 11,700 years old!
![Page 10: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Exceptional Flora
- Ancient bristlecone pines
>5,000 years old!
Photo: Chris de Rham
![Page 11: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Long lived and slow to heal
- Coleogyne ramosissima (black brush) >1,200 years
- Eriogonum fasciculatum (California buckwheat) >700 years
- Thamnosma montana (turpentine broom) >1,100 years
Longevity, recruitment, and mortality of desert plants. Bowers et al. 1995
Slow motion population dynamics in Mojave Desert perennial plants. Cody 2000
Thamnosma montana
![Page 12: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
Life forms
Owens Peak eastern watershed flora Fraga (2008)
Annual
Perennial herb
Shrubs
Subshrub
Geophyte
Trees
Succulents 1.6%
3.0%
4.0%
5.5%
12.0%
24.0%
44.0%
![Page 13: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Rare Plants
Holmgrenanthe petrophila (rock lady) Titus Canyon, DVNP
- 642/2377 rare plant (27%)
- None presumed extinct
- 2 taxa extirpated from the state
![Page 14: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
Rare Plants
Enceliopsis covillei (Panamint daisy)
Wildrose Canyon, DVNP
Rare plants by ranking
0
75
150
225
300
1B 2B 4 3
![Page 15: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Short Canyon, Kern County Phacelia nashiana (Charlotte’s phacelia)
CNPS 1B.2
![Page 16: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Eureka Dunes, Inyo County Oenothera californica subsp. eurekensis
CNPS 1B.2l; FE
![Page 17: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Carson Slough, Inyo County Nitrophila mohavensis (Amargosa niterwort)
CNPS 1B.1; FE, CE
![Page 18: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
Rare PlantsRed Rock Canyon SP, Kern County Erythranthe rhodopetra (Red Rock Canyon monkeyflower)
CNPS 1B.1
![Page 19: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
Threats
- increase fire frequency
- changes in fire regime
Sawtooth Complex Fire 2006
![Page 20: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
Threats
Rattlesnake Canyon grazing allotment
![Page 21: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
Threats
New Dixie Mine Road, Flamingo Heights
![Page 22: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
Threats
Jawbone Canyon OHV area and Industrial Solar
![Page 23: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
Invasive species
- 232 weed species
- Poaceae 75 taxa, or 33% of the total non-native plant diversity.
- Asteraceae (sunflowers; 25)
- Brassicaceae (mustards; 24)
- Chenopodiaceae (goosefoot family, 12).
- Documentation
- Early detection
- Control and Eradication
- Research
![Page 24: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
Tamarix in Amargosa River Canyon (salt cedar; Tamaricaceae)
![Page 25: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
Imperata brevifolia (California satintail; Poaceae)
Native or Not?
![Page 26: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
Bromus berteroanus (B. trinii) (Chilean chess; Poaceae)
Florets of B. berteroanus
Photo by Jose Hernandez (USDA Plants)
- Attributed as native in Distribution of Native Grasses of California(Beetle 1947)
- Jepson Manual 2012 listed as native, e-flora listed as naturalized
- Andy Sanders at UCR. Once widespread now more restricted to Mojave Desert where competition is less intense.
![Page 27: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
Portulaca oleracea subsp. impolita(verdolagas, purslane; Portulacaceae)
Photo by Keir Morse
![Page 28: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
Mollugo cerviana (threadstem carpetweed; Mollugaceae)
![Page 29: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
Desert Explorers
Mary Dedecker Edmund Jaeger Bruce Pavlick Jim Andre
Mary Dedecker
CNPS Bristlecone chapter.
Chuckwalla Mountains Photo by Duncan Bell
![Page 30: The California Deserts: Plant Life at the Extremes...A Conspiracy of Extremes Bruce Pavlick- 2008 The California Deserts-Topography: 14,246 to -279 ft. -Geology: Limestone, granite,](https://reader033.vdocuments.us/reader033/viewer/2022050511/5f9c415faf059c18086b89ff/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
“The desert is complete; it is spare and alone, but perfect in its solitude.” -Kiersten White
Bighorn Mountain Wilderness, San Bernardino County