Abstract Detail

Floristics & Taxonomy

Jog, Suneeti [1], Ketzner, Dave [1], Bried, Jason [2].

Floristic survey of a regionally rare sand prairie-savanna wetscape in Illinois.

Inland sand areas commonly referred to as pine barrens, oak savannas, and sand prairies are found scattered across the eastern deciduous forest and western tallgrass prairie ecotone of the U.S. northeast, northern Great Lakes, and upper Midwest. Many of these areas are protected and managed and contain a diverse “wetscape”, or a diversity of wetlands across the landscape. We conducted a comprehensive floristic survey of 13 wetlands at the Braidwood Sands Area, one of the best quality sand area remnants in Illinois. We recorded 247 vascular plant species represented by 64 families, with the Cyperaceae, Asteraceae, and Poaceae being the most well represented families. Over two thirds of the species were obligate or facultative wetland species, and several species exhibited a high fidelity to the habitat and low tolerance to disturbance. Floristic quality and taxonomic distinctness were high at every site, and five sites contributed strongly to taxonomic beta diversity across the wetscape. These indices can help with prioritization of protection and management actions in globally and regionally rare sand area wetscapes.

1 - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Natural History Survey, 1816 S Oak St., Prairie Research Institute, Champaign, IL, 61820, United States
2 - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Prairie Research Institute, 1816 S. Oak St., Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, IL, 61820, United States

Keywords:
floristic quality
taxonomic distinctness
beta diversity
wetlands.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Number: F&T I001
Abstract ID:32
Candidate for Awards:None