Abstract Detail

Donald J. Pinkava's legacy - the ASU Herbarium in the Sonoran Desert

Solves, Jean-Philippe [1].

The Flora of Las Cienegas National Conservation Area.

Floras represent an "environmental snapshot" of the vegetative communities and natural history of an area. These are often defined as an inventory of plants growing within a specific geographic boundary. This list provides a comprehensive assessment of vegetative biodiversity and is often accompanied by supporting contextual data (i.e. geology, hydrology, etc). Floras are valuable resources for understanding plant distributions and have a gamut of applications in both agencies and academic settings. These include providing occurence data of exotic, rare or endangered species, or informing restoration efforts and ecological consulting. In Arizona, local floras have been used to fill gaps in species distribution data, study geographic endemism patterns, and even document range extensions of various taxa. The primary objective of my research is to establish the occurrence and distribution of vascular plant species and communities within Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (LCNCA) in southeastern Arizona. LCNCA contains five of the rarest plant community types in the Southwest; cienegas, cottonwood-willow riparian forest, sacaton grasslands, mesquite bosques, and semi-desert grasslands. This study will categorize these communities and highlight notable occurrences of species such as the federally listed Huachuca Water Umbel (Lilaeopsis schaffneriana subsp. recurva). This list is being generated by personal field collections, and will be supplemented by historical collection vouchers, as well as additional distribution data from SEINET. This study aims to provide a reference point from which to measure ongoing effects increasing anthropogenic use. This information is intended to help inform ongoing management of the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area and its inhabitants. Dr. Pinkava established the tradition of ‘Floras’ at Arizona State, and guided many students through this ‘rite of passage’. As many aspiring botanists before us, we are honored to contribute to Dr. Pinkavas’ life work and passion for understanding the flora of Arizona.

1 - Arizona State University, Herbarium, 734 W. Alameda Dr. , Tempe, AZ, 85287, United States

Keywords:
Grasslands
Cienegas
Floras
riparian
wetlands
Donald J. Pinkava
SEINet
conservation
Floristics.

Presentation Type: Colloquium Presentations
Session: CO10, Donald J. Pinkava’s legacy - the ASU Herbarium in the Sonoran Desert
Location: San Pedro 2/Starr Pass
Date: Wednesday, July 31st, 2019
Time: 10:45 AM
Number: CO10010
Abstract ID:412
Candidate for Awards:None