Developing a blueprint for conservation of the longleaf ecosystem based on centers of Coastal Plain endemism Bruce A. Sorrie and Alan S. Weakley University of North Carolina Herbarium / North Carolina Botanical Garden

Endemic areas in North America Californian floristic province (Raven & Axelrod 1978) –50 endemic genera –2125 endemic species –Ca endemic taxa Southern Appalachians (Weakley in prep.) –2 endemic genera –165 endemic taxa Ozark-Ouachitas (Zollner in prep.) –0 endemic genera –31 endemic taxa Pacific Northwest ?? Southeastern Coastal Plain ??

The Coastal Plain

Southeastern Coastal Plain Analysis based on: –over 1000 publications with range information (county dot maps) –herbarium records (ca. 25 herbaria) –taxonomy largely following Kartesz 1999 checklist –definition of endemic = over 90% of occurrences within region

Southeastern Coastal Plain endemism 48 endemic genera Ca endemic species 1732 endemic taxa

Why? Monotonous, “flatter than a pancake”, unconsolidated sediments (geologically “young”), warm temperate to tropical humid climate, vermin-infested, etc. But … –Soils diversity (pH 3 – 8.5) –Extremely xeric to variety of wetlands –Coastal habitats, wide diversity of other habitats –Long evolutionary history [never glaciated, refugium during glaciation events, tropical elements, Southwestern elements (Astragalus, Eriogonum, etc)]

Dune grasslands

Coastal Plain sandstone glade

South Florida marl prairies

Endemic genera

Within-region patterns of endemism and diversity What are the patterns? What does this tell us about evolutionary history of the region? What are the implications for conservation?

Subregional endemism 8 subregions (of which 5 are “Longleaf Pine ecoregions”) 2 areas outside the province but with substantial disjuncts (Inland North America and West Indies/Central America)

The Coastal Plain

Subregions Coastal Plain –Mid-Atlantic CP (se. VA south to s. SC) –South Atlantic CP (n. GA to n. FL) –Temperate Florida Peninsula –East Gulf Coastal Plain (sw. GA and w. FL west to se. LA) –West Gulf Coastal Plain (w. LA – e. TX) –Northeastern Coastal Plain (c. VA north to Massachsetts, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland) –South Florida –South Texas and northern Tamaulipas Disjunct areas –Inland (Cumberland Plateau, S. Appalachian bogs, Great Lakes shores, etc.) –West Indies and Central America, Bermuda

The “core Coastal Plain” – the Longleaf Pine ecosystem

Longleaf Pine associates 1000 of 1732 endemic taxa distributed in –All 5 subregions taxa (11%) –4 subregions – 188 taxa (19%) –3 subregions – 155 taxa (16%) –2 subregions – 195 taxa (19%) –Only 1 subregion – 353 taxa (35%)

Of the single-subregion endemics: East Gulf Coastal Plain – 125 taxa Florida Peninsula – 122 taxa Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain – 44 taxa South Atlantic Coastal Plain – 33 taxa West Gulf Coastal plain – 29 taxa

Conservation of the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem Prescribed fire + viable sized landscapes = public lands (for the most part) USDA Forest Service (Apalachicola, Ocala, Croatan, DeSoto, Conecuh, Kisatchie, Texas Forests, etc.) DOD (Eglin, Bragg, Jackson, Benning, Stewart, Gordon, Avon Park, etc.) State conservation lands Some large private preserves (TNC)

Are public lands “protected”? USDA Forest Service – pressure for greater timber production, greater recreational uses (incl. ORV) Dept. of Defense – efforts to get exemption from conservation laws, including the Endangered Species Act

Are private lands “protected”? The Nature Conservancy –new emphasis on divestiture of preserves to other stewards –focus on large landscapes and ecological systems, not “small sites” and species

Gaps in the system – Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain Of 51 endemics (LLP and non-LLP): –32 are well-protected with many occurrences on conservation lands* –19 are not, with few or no protected occurrences on conservation lands

Gaps in the system – Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain Marl savannas: Allium sp. nov., Carex lutea, Hypericum sp. nov., Parnassia caroliniana, Scleria sp. nov., Thalictrum cooleyi Sandhills: Polygonella polygama var. croomii Pineland ponds: Oxypolis canbyi, Sagittaria sp. nov. Blackwater rivers: Hymenocallis pygmaea, Isoetes microvela, Nuphar sagittifolia, Sabatia kennedyana Tidal marshes: Oenothera riparia, Ptilimnium sp. nov. Mesic bluffs: Rhododendron eastmanii Bottomlands: Scirpus flaccidifolius, Trillium pusillum var. pusillum

Other gaps in the system The “Grit”: Altamaha grit communities and species Central portion of the Florida Panhandle – ponds and fens Southwest Louisiana “saline longleaf” (Natraqualf savannas)

Implications for conservation Longleaf associated taxa “turn over” rapidly Greatest endemism in FL panhandle (esp. Apalachicola), FL peninsula (esp. central ridges High levels of endemism in all ecoregions of the Southeastern Coastal Plain and all ecoregions of the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem Conservation needed in all subregions, and in the distinctive sub-subregions of the subregions Viability / manageability an important issue But… extreme local endemism means that many conservation areas will be needed – many of them new and many unlikely to be large

Pond-cypress savanna, SC

Mid-Atlantic and East Gulf patterns