TESTS FOR HYDROPHYTIC VEGETATION 1. RAPID TEST 2. 5:2 DOMINANCE TEST 3. PREVALENCE TEST
TESTS FOR HYDROPHYTIC VEGETATION 1. RAPID TEST NO YES Carex trisperma, cinnamon fern, black spruce, larch cottongrass, tussock sedge, black spruce, larch REQUIREMENT: THE COMMUNITY DOMINANTS ARE OBL OR W
5:2 Dominance Test Assesses Dominance in Plant Community By Layers or Strata * only gets data on vascular plants..ie. not mosses or lichens (as with Rapid Test)
5:2 TEST is carried out at points along the delineated line. Recommended that minimum of two points are assessed for large wetlands. Paired points should not be far from the flagged line. Each point is waypointed for reference
CIRCULAR PLOTS 1. Herb Stratum = 1.5 m radius 2. Shrub Stratum = 5m 3. Tree Stratum = 1m note: Plots must make sense: Upland tree or shrub plot cannot go too near delineated line
Assesses Dominance in Plant Community By Layers or Strata TWO STRATA: Herbs and Trees THREE STRATA: Herbs, Shrubs and Trees
METHOD Divide Community into woody and non-woody plants HERBS are all Herbaceous plants PLUS all woody plants under One Metre in height
METHOD Divide Community into woody and non-woody plants Now you quantify this Herb stratum by estimating percent cover of the most common plants
PERCENT COVER OF HERB STRATUM 9% Cinnamon fern 25% Carex trisperma N.B. Total combined covers of 115% or even 14% not uncommon since layers and leaves overlap
METHOD 5:2 Identify the Shrub Stratum = All Woody plants > 1m in height and < 8 cm in stem diameter at breast height (DBH at 1.4m)
METHOD 5:2 Estimate and record the percent cover value for all common shrubs = The Shrub Stratum and so on.. the Tree Stratum
HERB LAYER Cinn. Fern TW Aster 3 Seed Sedge Velvetleaf blueberry Sheep- Laurel TOTAL 5% Threshold 2% Threshold % COVER 95 18 25 1 2 15 75 3
HERB LAYER Cinn. Fern TW Aster 3 Seed Sedge Velvetleaf blueberry Sheep- Laurel TOTAL 5% Threshold 2% Threshold % COVER 95 18 25 1 2 15 75 3 DOM yes no no no no
SHRUB LAYER Canada Holly Red Maple False Holly % COVER 21 14 6 TOTAL 5% 2%
TREE LAYER Red Maple White Pine TOTAL % COVER 25 5
COMMUNITY HERB Cinnamon Fern SHRUB Canada Holly W TREE Red Maple TOTAL DOMINANTS Percent, W or OBL VEG HYDROPHYTIC 3 3 of 3 1% YES
HERBS WET DRY Cinnamon fern 4 Broom Crowberry 45 UPL Labrador tea 1 W Lowbush Blueberry 15 Sheep-Laurel 5 1 Teaberry 1 TOTAL 82 13 5 Threshold 41 51.5 2 Threshold 16 2 DOM 1 UPL DOM 2 n/a n/a HYDRO YES NO
SHRUBS WET DRY NS (US) Rhodora 3 (w) Huckleberry 2 5 (u) False Holly 3 (O) Wild Raisin 5 (O) Jack Pine 5 U TOTAL 64 17 5 Threshold 32 8.5 2 Threshold 12.8 3.4 DOM 1 DOM 2 DOM 3 n/a U HYDRO YES YES
TREE WET DRY Jack Pine 5 U Red Maple 3 TOTAL 8 5 Threshold n/a 4 2 Threshold n/a 1.6 DOM 1 n/a UPL DOM 2 n/a
COMMUNITY HERB SHRUB WET DRY UPL SHRUB SHRUB TREE TREE PERCENT > or = HYDRO VEG n/a n/a n/a 1% YES U UPL 5% NO
COMMUNITY HERB SHRUB WET DRY UPL SHRUB SHRUB TREE TREE PERCENT > or = HYDRO VEG n/a n/a n/a 1% YES U UPL 5% NO * Extreme difference here between Upland and Wetland: Granite rock vs. peat. Note how the 5:2 errs on HYDROPHYTIC Diagnosis
PREVALENCE INDEX USES 1) Standard Practice = a follow up test if the 5:2 is negative (ie. says veg not hydrophytic) 2) An Additional Test in cases where Dominants are all but subordinates suggest Upland (U) or Wetland (W) tendencies (cf. Wakeley and Lichvar, 1997. Wetlands 17:31-39)
5:2 Insights 1) 5:2 Ignores all non-dominants. Strata with 2 s at 3% each and 2 Us at 1% is scored as.. 2) After 5:2 selects dominants, their relative abundances (e.g. 8% Huckleberry, 2% Labrador tea) are forgotten
Prevalence Index is a weighted average method. It applies a sliding weight, a factor, to the summed cover values of all plants in particular moisture classes (e.g. OBL, W, etc.). *All species having any cover are used in the calculation. Factors range from 1 for OBL to 5 for UPL The Products, B, (summed covers x factors) is divided by the sum of all plant cover values, A. If the Index is equal to or less than 3, the vegetation is HYDROPHYTIC
Prevalence Index on Upland at Extreme Site GROUP Species Absolute Total Factor Product cover group cover (1-5) OBL none 1 W none 2 Lowbush 15 blueberry Sheep- 1 laurel Teaberry 1 Huckleberry 5 Wild raisin 5 Red maple 3 48 3 144 U Jack pine 1 1 4 4 UPL Broom crowberry 45 45 5 225 SUM A=13 B=49 49/13= 3.9
This site has: 1 U, 5, and 1 W dominant. 6 species of a total of 7 = or wetter, 6/7x1= 83%. Soil is a fibrous peat over granite but it is not a histosol (A1) No evidence of soil saturation. No hydrology indicators. Note Bracken and dead Jack pines (not used in calculation)
Prevalence Index on Peaty Upland..close but.. GROUP Species Absolute Total Factor Product cover group cover (1-5) OBL none 1 W Labrador Tea 1 Black Spruce 5 15 2 3 Sheep- 8 laurel Teaberry 5 Lowbush B. 2 False Holly 3 Mt. Ash 1 Fir 15 16 3 48 U Bracken 2 2 4 8 SUM 195 59 59/195= 2.9
Morphological Adaptations Eastern Hemlock U Evidence of seasonal high water through site and long-term response of most hemlock by making STILT rooting systems Document that most trees show this THEN recalculate the 5/2 with hemlock as a based on morphology
LASTLY..Using your plant list as a Secondary Indicator of Hydrology. The neutral test. This uses the list of dominant plants over all strata BUT drops the s Then if the remaining W and OBL dominants outnumber U and UPL, this passes the Neutral Test and you check the NEUTRAL box under Secondary Indicators of Hydrology