UC White Mountain Research Station expands GLORIA monitoring in the White Mountains
Daniel W. Pritchett1, Ann Dennis2, Constance I. Millar3, John T. Smiley1, Frank L. Powell1, Angela Jayko4
ABSTRACT
In collaboration with the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station
and the California Native Plant Society, the University of California White Mountain
Research Station established new GLORIA monitoring sites on three summits in the
White Mountains of Eastern California in summer 2005. The GLORIA protocol has
now been implemented on seven summits in the White Mountains in the past two
summers. The GLORIA (Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine
Environments: www.gloria.ac.at/) project is a worldwide initiative for long-term
monitoring of climate effects on alpine peaks. This year the protocol was used on
summits composed primarily of carbonate (limestone and dolomite) rocks, which
ranged from 3478 m to 3735 m in elevation. These summits contrast with those
sampled last year which were composed of granitic and metavolcanic rock. For
each summit we followed the GLORIA sampling design and recorded plant species
composition, cover, and frequency. We installed dataloggers to measure soil
temperature, and researchers from the University of California Merced took soil
samples for analysis of soil composition and micro-biota. We had multiple
botanists make cover estimates of the same Summit Area Section to assess
repeatability of such estimates and we expanded the protocol to include fixed area
(10 m x 10 m) plots within the standard GLORIA Summit Area Sections. Cover and
species composition were measured in the fixed area plots as well as in the full
Summit Area Sections. This addition to the protocol greatly facilitated calibration
of ocular cover estimates for the irregularly-shaped sometimes-very-large Summit
Area Sections and will also facilitate comparisons of data among different sites if it
is implemented elsewhere. A butterfly count was conducted for the first time in
conjunction with sampling. Next year we hope to expand monitoring to gather data
on small mammals and focus on sampling at (current) upper elevation limits of
selected taxa.
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FIXED AREA PLOTS
At left is a diagram of the layout of
the North Summit Area Sections (5
m and 10 m) according to the
standard GLORIA sampling
protocol. At right is a diagram of
the layout of the modified GLORIA
sampling protocol used this
summer in the White Mountains.
The addition of a fixed area (10 m
x 10 m) plot within each Summit
Area Section facilitates
comparisons between sites, and
also helps field workers calibrate
cover estimates for irregularly
shaped Summit Area Sections.
RESULTS TO DATE
Although the primary objective of GLORIA monitoring is to document long term ecosystem change, the fine-scale
data gathered allow description of current patterns of species distribution on the summits being monitored.
As shown in the table to the right, we found 46 species on the three new GLORIA summits sampled in 2005. Of
these 46 species, 19 had not been documented on the four GLORIA summits sampled in 2004. The most
abundant species on the 2005 summits are indicated in the table by shading. All but three of these species were
also abundant on the 2004 summits.
We saw some apparent species replacements in the Fabaceae (Legume family). Astragalus kentrophyta,
important on all three 2005 summits, replaced Astragalus platytropis which was important on the 2004 summits.
In the same way Oxytropis parryi replaced Trifolium andersonii
A striking feature of vegetation on the 2005 summits is the absence of a sub-shrub layer on carbonate substrates.
While sub-shrubs form an important component of vegetation on the 2004 summits (which were all granitic or
meta-volcanic), sub-shrubs were restricted to inclusions of non-carbonate rocks on the 2005 summits.
2004 GLORIA sites
1: WMT (4285 m)
2: BAR (3975 m)
3: RNA (3722 m)
4: SHF (3258 m)
2005 GLORIA sites
5: SME (3734 m)
6: CWS (3612 m)
7: PGS (3490 m)
WMRS Facilities
A: Summit Lab (4342 m)
B: Barcroft Station (3801 m)
C: Crooked Creek Station (3094 m)
D: Owens Valley Lab (1252 m)
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IMPLEMENTING GLORIA
Above, working on summit SME. View is from the East 5 m Summit Area Section
(SAS) looking downslope into the East 10 m SAS. Each of the 8 SAS’s are defined
by aspect (N, S, E, W) and elevation (0 – 5 m downslope from the summit, and 5-10
m downslope from summit. The yellow paint on the rocks will assist in reestablishment of the sampling grid when the summit is monitored again in 2010.
Below, lunch break on summit SME.
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Affiliations
1 White Mountain Research Station, Bishop, CA
2 CalFlora, 937 San Pablo Ave, Albany, CA 94706
3 USDA Forest Service, PSW Research Station,
Box 245, Berkeley, CA 94701
4 US Geological Survey, Bishop, CA
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