The hot (s)pot Endemic and Invasive Plants at Geothermal Springs in Kamchatka, RF

Transcription

1 The hot (s)pot Endemic and Invasive Plants at Geothermal Springs in Kamchatka, RF Strecker, Lisa; Olga A. Chernyagina. University of Alaska-Fairbanks; Kamchatka Branch of the Pacific Institute of Geography FEB RAS Geothermal hot springs and their immediate surroundings represent habitats with extreme growing conditions. These areas are generally characterized by steep gradients in soil temperature, high concentrations of minerals and high acidity. As a result of these high-stress environments a highly adapted, often endemic flora occurs on geothermal hot springs. However, geothermal habitats also offer favourable conditions for plants from warmer regions. With increasing rates of globalization, propagule pressure of non-native plants rises also in these geothermal habitats. We studied six clusters of hot springs in Southern Kamchatka, Russian Federation. In about 120 vegetation plots, we recorded soil temperatures as well as a range of co-variables that describe the degree of human impact; e.g., transformation of the geothermal area, exploitation, distance to the road network, trampling, grazing, and balneology. Furthermore, we assessed the presence or absence, coverage and vitality of characteristic thermophiles as well as of adventive plants. Some of the characteristic thermophile vascular plants are: Fimbristylis ochotensis (Meinsh.) Komarov, Bidens kamtschatica Vass., Ophioglossum thermale Kom.. We found only one invasive plant that occurs exclusively in geothermal influenced habitats; Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv. (Poaceae). However, there is a range of invasive plants that occur preferably in these warmer places, especially when they are anthropogenically modified: Heracleum sosnovskyi Mand., Hordeum jubatum L. (both of Poaceae), and Polygonum aviculare L. (Polygonaceae). Data from one field season was analyzed with progressive multiple regression methods to obtain clusters, drivers, robust signals and generalizable predictions. Our preliminary results show that human impact is the most important driver for invasive species colonization in geothermal habitats. Reestablishment of native thermophiles seemed not to have taken place in strongly modified areas. These results support the highly fragile nature of geothermal ecosystem, which in turn underscore the importance of special conservation strategies for these unique habitats and species.

2 The Hot (S)pots: Endemic and Invasive Plants at Geothermal Springs in Kamchatka, RF Lisa Strecker, University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA. Olga A. Chernyagina, Pacific Institute of Geography, Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Petropavlovsk- Kamchatski, RF. Invasive Species Conference, Fairbanks Nov 6, 2013

3 Outline Introduction: Hot springs in Kamchatka and their vegetation Sampling sites, methods and analysis Results and case study Outlook

4 Acknowledgments Thanks to the funders and supporters of this study: Resilience and Adaptation Program (RAP) at UAF Pacific Institute of Geography, FEB RAS, Kamchatka Arctic Institute of North America (AINA) Park Volcanoes of Kamchatka Friends and colleagues in Kamchatka, Jeeper Club Kamchatka, Salford Systems Ltd. for providing TreeNet, Falk Huettmann and many others!

5 Study area: South and Central Kamchatka Boreal zone 236 clusters of hot springs Low human population density Growing tourism

6 Research Question Are geothermal habitats (hot springs) especially prone to plant invasions?

7 Geothermal habitat hot spring (HS) Specific microclimate Higher soil temperatures Small area of influence bigger with hot steam Chemical characteristic of water (salinity, ph, etc.) Specialized vegetation Specific vegetation composition at each site! HS and non-native plants?

8 Classification of plants (Neshataeva 2009) Obligatory thermophiles Facultative thermophiles Forest and meadow plants Ruderal plants

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10 Bidens kamtschatica Vass.

11 Ophioglossum thermale Kom.

12 Kyllinga kamtschatica Meinsh.

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16 Methods Sampling six clusters of hot springs in Central and Southern Kamchatka Qualitative plot description: Species composition (species list), qualitative description and relative coverage (%) Soil temperature at 2 cm, 5 cm and 10 cm (30 cm) Water temperature Air temperature, weather description Assessment of human impact (1 low to 10 very high) or other disturbing factors

17 Data retrieved from literature Chemical water composition, ph Altitude History of scientific exploration and use (study of adventive flora)

18 Analysis 88 sets of plot data 20 to 40 correlates Multiple regression analysis to predict non-native plant coverage Data Mining (Tree Net) to find relevant correlates

19 Importance ranking TSPRING 100 TRAMPLING HUMMODIF TSOIL M_G_L DISTRD PH DISTSETTL ACCESS SOILMOIST SUN MOSSCOV

20 coverage non-native coverage non-native LOW Result I: The more anthropogenic disturbance, the more non-native plants Distance to settlement HIGH Anthropogenic modification Distance to road LOW HIGH Trampling

21 coverage non-native Findings II: Geothermal habitats provide for a preferred temperature envelope for non-native plants HIGH LOW Non-native plant coverage vs. soil temperature at 10 cm

22 Results The more anthropogenic disturbance, the more non-native plants We could not record any plot that showed significant tracks of anthropogenic disturbance and typical hot springs vegetation Adventive and specialized HS plants compete for same niche Question: Do / Can adventive plants outcompete the native HS plants?

23 Discussion: global weed against local endemic? Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) P. Beauv. (barnyard grass) Fimbristylis ochotensis (Meinsh.) Kom. Obligatory thermophile

24 Example: soil 49.6 degr. C. (Malki HS)

25 Conclusion Non-native plants like hot-springs! Native HS plant communities are very vulnerable No techno or chemical fix possible! Outlook: HS, adventive plants and global change?

26 Thank you!

27 References used Yakubov and Chernyagina 2004 Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Kamchatka. Petropavlovsk- Kam., RAN Kamchatka Ligue (ru.) Neshataeva, Valentina 2009 Vegetation of Kamchatka. Moscow, KMK (ru.) Kiryukhin et. al 2010 Hydrogeology of Volcanogenics. Nauka (ru.) All photographs by author Icons from un-known artists, sorry! (internet)