COOPERATIVE LAKES MONITORING PROGRAM TRAINING FOR. Aquatic Plant Identification

Transcription

1 COOPERATIVE LAKES MONITORING PROGRAM TRAINING FOR Aquatic Plant Identification

2 Jo Latimore Michigan State University

3 Erick Elgin Michigan State University Extension

4 Outline for Today 9:00 10:30 Learn to identify aquatic plants 10:30 11:00 Break 11:00 Noon CLMP Aquatic Plant Mapping How to map your lake s plants

5 Plant Identification - Session Outline Aquatic Plant Identification the Basics Practice! Focus on invasive species How to create a plant collection

6 Plant Identification Plant Communities Credit: Water on the Web

7 An Underwater Forest Michigan trivia 28 pondweed species 10 submersed carnivorous species 8 milfoil species Photo credit: Through the Looking Glass

8 IMPORTANCE OF AQUATIC PLANTS Shoreline & Sediment Protection Habitat No for Submersed fish & other Plants critters Oxygen Production Reduced Nutrient Cycling Algae Competition Water Quality Beauty Wave Height Invasion Resistance Reduced Water Clarity Sediment Resuspension Submersed Plants A. De Palma Dow Wave Energy Reduced Sediment Deposition Increases Modified from Beudin et al. 2017

9 LAKE STEWARDSHIP 1. Protect native plants Reduce disturbance & removal Avoid seawalls 2. Enjoy them! Snorkeling Fishing Etc

10 General Plant Identification University of Minnesota Extension

11 Aquatic Plant Anatomy Leaf Type Simple P. Skawinski Finely Divided (compound) Leaflet Leaflet M. Smith University of Minnesota Extension

12 Aquatic Plant Anatomy Leaf Margin P. Skawinski P. Skawinski University of Minnesota Extension

13 Aquatic Plant Anatomy Leaf Arrangement Basal University of Minnesota Extension

14 Aquatic Plant Anatomy Leaf Attachment Clasping Stalked/petiolate Petiole Sessile P. Skawinski

15 Quick Aquatic Plant ID Emergent (e.g. Cattail) Free floating (e.g. Star Duckweed) Floating leaf plants (e.g. Water Shield) Submersed (e.g. Whitestem Pondweed)

16 Submersed Plants Plants with simple leaves Opposite, whorled, or alternate leaf arrangement Plants with simple leaves Basal leaf arrangement Plants with finely divided leaves

17 Simple Leaves Alternate with Midvein 28 Species in Michigan! Broad leaf (Whitestem Pondweed) Pondweeds (Potamogeton spp.) Narrow leaf (Fries Pondweed) P. Skawinski

18 Pondweed Features P. Skawinski

19 Simple Leaves Alternate, without Midvein Water Stargrass (Zosterella dubia) P. Skawinski

20 Simple Leaves Opposite/Whorled Horned Pondweed (Zannichellia palustris)

21 Simple Leaves Whorled Waterweed (Elodea canadensis) Invasive look alike (Hydrilla verticillata)

22 Simple Leaves Whorled Musk Grasses: Characeae Starry Stonewort Chara R. Vanderhoff P. Skawinski It was grayish green, coated with lime, and smelled like a skunk.

23 Submersed Plants Plants with simple leaves Opposite, whorled, or alternate leaf arrangement Plants with simple leaves Basal leaf arrangement Plants with finely divided leaves

24 Simple Leaves Basal (aka rosette) Water Celery (Vallisneria americana) Quillwort (Isoetes spp.) Pipewort (Eriocaulon spp.) Tight parallel cells along midvein

25 Submersed Plants Plants with simple leaves Opposite, whorled, or alternate leaf arrangement Plants with simple leaves Basal leaf arrangement Plants with finely divided leaves

26 Finely Divided Leaves Forked Feather like or Christmas Tree like Branched (forked multiple times) P. Skawinski

27 Finely Divided Feathered Leaves Water milfoil (Myriophyllum spp.) The feathery stems of northern watermilfoil rose from the soft bottom like spires on a gothic cathedral

28 Finely Divided Forked Leaves Coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum)

29 Finely Divided Branched, Alternate Alternate Buttercup (Ranunculus longirostris ) Alternate with bladders Bladderworts (Utricularia spp.)

30 Finely Divided Branched, Opposite Opposite, but looks whorled Water marigold (Bidens beckii ) Opposite Fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana)

31 Aquatic Plant Identification Tips Tips Identify fresh specimens Collect entire plant (flowers and seeds if present) Be aware of plasticity Ask the following questions: 1. What plant community did the specimen come from? 2. What is the leaf arrangement? 3. Simple or finely divided leaf?

32 An Underwater Forest In the end, we will only conserve what we love we will love only what we understand we will understand only what we are taught Chinese Philosopher, Lao Tsu Photo credit: Through the Looking Glass

33 Available Resources

34 MSU Extension WQ-55

35 Available through UW- Extension Lakes Program or Amazon $ uwexlakes/publications

36 Available through UW- Extension Lakes Program or Amazon $

37 PDF at Additional copies available for $10 through the MSU Extension Bookstore

38

39

40 Plant on slide

41

42

43 Practice with Plants!

44 Invasive Plants

45 Eurasian Watermilfoil Myriophyllum spicatum Allison Fox, University of Florida, Bugwood.org

46

47 Curly leaf Pondweed Potamogeton crispus Key Characters: Simple leaves Obvious midvein Alternate leaf arrangement Serrated leaf margin P. Skawinski Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org

48 Starry Stonewort Nitellopsis obtusa G. Douglas Pullman, Aquest Corporation

49 Starry Stonewort Macroalgae Tiny, white/cream colored star shaped bulbils produced on clear filaments Long, uneven length branchlets Smooth stem Eurasian invasive; found in the St. Lawrence River in 1978 Forms mats several feet thick, at depths 3 20 Crowds out other plants Prevents fish spawning B. Grabill P. Skawinski B. Grabill

50 Starry Look a like Native Muskgrass (Chara) Macroalgae No star bulbils Smells skunky Shorter branching or reach of the plant compared to Starry Rough feel No Smell? Then it might be Starry!

51 Hydrilla Hydrilla verticillata Robert Vidéki, Doronicum Kft., Bugwood.org Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org

52

53 European Frog bit hydrocharis morsus ranae Jo Latimore Todd Losee, MDEQ

54 Water lettuce Pistia stratiotes Paige Filice Robert Burns Karen Brown, University of Florida, Bugwood.org

55 Water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes

56 Parrot feather milfoil Myriophyllum aquaticum Matt Preisser Allison Fox, University of Florida, Bugwood.org

57 European water clover Marsilea quadrifolia

58 Yellow floating heart Nymphoides pelata

59

60 Making a Plant Collection Helps with identification when mapping the lake Educational tool for your community or lake association Can be a reference for future work

61

62 COOPERATIVE LAKES MONITORING PROGRAM TRAINING FOR Aquatic Plant Identification and Mapping

63 Why map aquatic plants? Plants are a beneficial part of a lake ecosystem Excess nutrients, invasive species, and other disturbances can upset their balance A plant map provides a basis for comparison, informs management, and reveals problems

64 Benefits of enrolling in the CLMP Aquatic Plant Identification and Mapping program Standard procedure Hands-on training One day of field assistance from MiCorps staff Ongoing assistance with plant ID, field procedures, and data reporting Data are shared with DEQ Baseline information for future lake management 2018 enrollment cost only $250

65 When to sample? July - August Northern lakes can begin later Can spread effort out over the course of several days/weeks

66 How do I start? Get a map! Locate: 1) Boat Ramps 2) Public Beaches / Parks 3) Attached inlets (streams, creeks, canals) 4) Quiet Bays and Coves Where to sample? Inlet Stream!

67 Example Lake < 100 acres = 15 transects foot depth contour

68 How Many Transects? Lake Size (Acres) Less than 100 No. of Transects 5 to to to 30 Over to 50

69 Got an island? Add more transects! foot depth contour

70 Example of Field Sampling Transect Map IDEAL LAKE 135 acres

71 AQUATIC PLANT SAMPLING RAKE Cut the handles off of two garden rakes and bolt the rakes back to back with two C bolts. Use a small hose clamp between the rake tines to prevent side to side slipping. Drill a hole in the remaining wooden handle core and twist into the hole a moderately large eye bolt. The rope should be about 20 feet long. File off any sharp edges. Wear gloves when using the rake to protect the hands from cuts. ROPE EYE BOLT TWO C BOLTS SMALL HOSE CLAMP

72 1. Pitch rake at each clock position and drag along lake bottom. 2. Haul rake back to boat. 3. Sort collected plants. Adapted from: Simpson, J.T Volunteer Lake Monitoring: a methods manual. EPA 440/

73 Example Field Recording Sheet

74 3 x Stonewort Coontail X X X X X X

75 Aquatic Plant Density Rating Dense Heavy Moderate Sparse Found Species fills rake in all 4 casts Species found, mixed with other plants, in all 4 casts Species found in 3 casts Species found in 2 casts Species found in 1 cast

76 3 x Stonewort Coontail X X X X X X Sparse Heavy/ Dense

77 3 x Stonewort Coontail X X X X X X Sparse * Moderate * Found on all rake throws but only in minor amounts.

78 How to Show Your Data 45 field sheets not very practical Map: Shows distribution Table: Shows relative abundance Do both!

79

80 Data Codes for Your Map Transect 5 1-foot depth: White water lily (Sparse), Stonewort (Found) 4-foot depth: Stonewort (Found), Large-leaf pondweed (Sparse), Coontail (Sparse) 8-foot depth: Wild celery (Sparse), Native milfoil (Moderate), Illinois pondweed (Sparse) Becomes... 5/ 1ft: 12S, 20F 4ft: 20F, 30S, 41S 8ft: 34S, 40M, 46S

81

82 Mapping Options: By Hand

83 Mapping Options: Google Maps

84 Mapping Options: Google Earth

85 Example Data Table

86 Example Data Sheet Calculation 2 6

87 41 Coontail Stonewort Waterweed

88 Plant Identification Photography Take lots of pictures Delete blurry photos Include key characteristics Ex.) milfoil leaflets Scale Location

89 No ruler? A hand will do!

90 Submitting Your Data 1. Make copies of your data for your records. 2. Enter your data into the online MiCorps Data Exchange ( by October Send complete report to MiCorps a. Completed report and map b. Any photographs

91 What s growing in your lake? Oh, no! It s Eurasian Milfoil!