Regional Floristic Quality Assessment Database: Update and Demo

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1 Regional Floristic Quality Assessment Database: Update and Demo Don Faber-Langendoen Kristin Snow NEBAWWG Fall 2017 Meeting

2 Regional FQA Database: Update and Demo Background/Review Progress since last meeting Demo of UniversalFQA.org with enhancements Brief Demo of EcoObs Next steps

3 Background/Review

4 Project goals Make the FQA approach a scientifically defensible and accessible methodology for the Northeast: Develop C-values for ecoregions; state values limit our understanding of regional responses to stressors Validate C-values Provide a robust, accessible FQA database or website Outcome: a validated FQA methodology with an ecoregional approach that will be applied throughout the northeast region to assess site condition.

5 The Ecoregions 58 N App. & Atlantic Maritime Highlands 59 NE Coastal Zone 82 ME/NB Plains & Hills 83 E Great Lakes & Hudson Lowlands 84 Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens

6 Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) Assesses the degree of "naturalness" of a site Based on presence/absence or cover of conservative species Amerorchis rotundifolia Round-leaved orchid C-value = 10 Developed for 24 states (as of 2015), mainly Midwest and Northeast Initially developed by Swink & Wilhelm (1979) 1 for the Chicago region 1 Swink F. and G. Wilhelm (1979) Plants of the Chicago Region. Revised and expanded edition with keys. The Morton Arboretum, IL.

7 Coefficient of Conservatism (C-Value) C-values assigned to entire flora by a panel of experts Achillea millefolium common yarrow C-value = 1 Carex utriculata swollen-beaked sedge C-value = 5, 6 or 7 (by ecoregion) Allium schoenoprasum wild chives C-value = 9 (all ecoregions)

8 Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) Mean C = C Floristic Quality Index (FQI) = C N Adjusted FQI 1 = C 10 N nat N 100 Metric modifications Native species (N nat ) vs. All species (N) Cover-Weighted Caltha palustris Marsh-marigold C-value = 4, 5, 6 (by ecoregion) 1 Miller, S.J. and D.H. Wardrop (2006) Ecological Indicators (6)

9 Floristic Quality Assessment (FQA) Intact Slightly Impacted Highly Impacted Mean C = 6.25 Mean C = 5.61 Mean C = 2.44 C-value # of Species C-value # of Species C-value # of Species X 3 X 4 X X X X X 5 X X X X X 6 X X X X X 7 X X X X X 8 X X X X X 9 X X X X X 10 X X X X X X X 3 X X X X 4 X X X X X 5 X X X X X 6 X X X X X 7 X X X 8 X X X 9 X X 10 X X 0 X X X X X 1 X X X X X 2 X X X X X 3 X X X X 4 X X X 5 X X X 6 X X Increasing Human Disturbance

10 Steps completed before May meeting 1. Compile State C-values (Bried et al 2012, NY NHP 2016) 2. Standardize taxonomy to USDA PLANTS 3. Create initial ecoregional PLANTS species lists Relied strongly on USDA PLANTS county info (Yes, Maybe (split), No) 4. Calculate initial Ecoregional C-values Average of State C-values weighted by area (% of state in ecoregion) 5. Expert Review of Ecoregional distribution and C-values Individual work within ecoregions Workshop for cross-ecoregional review Individual cleanup within ecoregions

11 April CoC Workshop Survivors Ken Metzler, DFL, Don Cameron Art Gilman, Lesley Sneddon, Rich Ring

12 Progress since last meeting

13 Steps completed since May meeting Posted ecoregional C-values for Review by NEBAWWG No feedback received, so considering the values to be final Ecoregional lists uploaded to Universal FQA website Ecoregional lists loaded into EcoObs Universal FQA website enhancements

14 Universal FQA website enhancements Now handles plot data (in addition to transect data) Options for full plot, subplots, rest of plot, outside plot Choice of cover methods New sampling design section New fields Ecoregion and State/province in FQA lists ( databases ) and Sites New fields Community Type, Environmental Description Updated help

15 Demo of UniversalFQA.org with enhancements

16 Brief Demo of EcoObs

17 Validation testing Next Steps--NatureServe Selected VT dataset with >600 plots Species based testing: Will apply a landscape stressor model to all plots and see if species C-values are associated with the expected stressor levels Community based testing: Will compare plots with known ecological integrity (EIA) ratings and see if the average Weighted Mean C scores are associated with the expected ratings

18 Next Steps--Other Wetland ecologists in region can test the FQA methodology by analyzing their data Universal FQA Enhancements? (new project) NatureServe has identified possible enhancements, including improved FQA db search, stratum functionality, enhanced data entry and data validation, community type dropdown, more environmental fields (picklists), and EcoObs import/export Use of EcoObs? (new project) Who will maintain the ecoregional FQA lists?