FLORA AND VEGETATION OF THE KOKIWANEE NATURE PRESERVE

Teresa M. Michaelis and David J. HicksBiology Department, Manchester

College, North Manchester, IN

INTRODUCTION

x

1998

SalamonieState Forest

KokiwaneeNature

Preserve(55 ha)

SalamonieDam & Reservoir

↔ Wabash CR 50S

↕ Wabash CR 600E

SalamonieRiver

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

GEOLOGICAL HISTORY

• Calcareous Silurian rocks overlain by glacial till

x

Howe. 1997. Natural Heritage of Indiana.

Melhorn. 1997. Natural Heritage of Indiana.

Salamonie GorgeFormed in Holocene?(Fleming, 2005)

Upland soils: alfisols (Glynwood-Morley group)Floodplain soil: inceptisol (Genesee series)

(Wabash County Soil Survey)

Humid continental climateClimate data for Wabash, IN

NATURE PRESERVE

ACRES Land Trust, Inc. 2004

1946-1995

ACRES Trail System

LAND-USE HISTORY

1941

1951

Current

1941

1951

Woodlot

1941

1951

Bluff

Pine plantations

1946-1995

FLORA

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Mar Apr May J un J ul Aug Sep Oct

Month

Num

ber

of

collec

ting

trip

s

Collecting tripsTotal: 62

2004: 20 2005: 17 2006: 25

SPECIES LIST

• Currently 449 species

SPECIES LIST

• 43% are county records

SPECIES LIST

• 43% are “county records”• Deam flora (1940)

Most plant illustrations from USDA PLANTS site

?

100

1000

10 100 1000

Area, ha

Num

ber

of

specie

s

r2 = 0.89, p = 0.001

Kokiwanee

Botany Glen, Fogwell Forest, Ginn Woods, Mounds SP, Wright FGA

449 species is not unusually high, given extent of preserve

SPECIES LIST

• 93 families

LARGEST FAMILIES

FamilyNumber of

species

Asteraceae 59

Poaceae 35

Cyperaceae 33

Rosaceae 18

Lamiaceae 17

Liliaceae 17

Ranunculaceae 16

Apiacaeae 15

Fabaceae 14

Caprifoliaceae 1242 families represented by only 1 species

SOME INTERESTING SPECIES

UNUSUAL PLANTS

• Possible state T&E

Carex brunnescens

Species near edge of range

Delphinium tricorne

xxx

xxx

xx

xx x

x

xx x

Melanthium woodii

Species near edge of range

Species near edge of range

Hydrangea arborescens

Hybanthus concolor

Species uncommon in northeastern IndianaMertensia virginica

Species uncommon in northeastern Indiana

Panax quinquefolius

5 Trilliums

Invasives

http://users.manchester.edu/Facstaff/DJHicks/kokiwaneelist.xls

FLORISTIC QUALITY

• “Coefficient of conservatism” (C)• 0 to 10 scale• Ratings from

http://www.in.gov/idem/programs/water/401/plantlist.xls

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Index of conservatism

Num

ber

of sp

ecie

s

Average for native spp. = Cav = 4.42 ± 2.38

15% non-native (vs. 30% for IN)

FLORISTIC QUALITY

• For “the best natural woodland sites in the Central Till Plain… Cav (native species) plateau in the low 4 range.” (Rothrock and Homoya. 2005. Proc. IAS)

FLORISTIC QUALITY

• Floristic quality index = Cav √(number species) = 86

FLORISTIC QUALITY

• >45 indicates “noteworthy remnants of a region’s natural heritage” (Rothrock and Homoya, 2005)

• Higher than any value cited by Rothrock and Homoya (2005)

CURRENT STATUS OF PROJECT

0

100

200

300

400

500

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Number of collecting trips

Cum

ula

tive

num

ber

of

spec

ies

list

ed

The mystery plantLycopodium digitatum

Sheets prepared for 312 of 449 spp.

WETLAND COMMUNITIES

Wetlands

Amon et al. 2002. Wetlands

Limy bedrock

Calcareous tuffin groundwater flow

Slope fen

Fens

“Hanging Fen”

Amon et al. 2002. Wetlands

Kokiwanee fens have 30 of 55 spp.

Lobelia kalmii

Parnassia glauca

Habitat Cav Native %

All species (432 spp.) 4.4±2.4

85

Wetlands (50 spp.) 5.2±2.4

96

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

• Eli Lilly Endowment Incorporated• Office of Academic Affairs,

Manchester College• ACRES Land Trust, especially Tim

Kimmel, Rachel Sherman and Carolyn McNagny

• Kelli Griewank and Dan Chudzynski