Shifting Baselines in a California Oak Savanna: Nineteenth Century Data to Inform Restoration Scenarios

Whipple, Alison; Grossinger, Robin M.; Davis, Frank W.

doi:10.1111/j.1526-100x.2009.00633.x

Cited by 44 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Endemic to California, the valley oak has also been more impacted by human activities than any other oak in the state. In remnant populations, adult mortality exceeds recent recruitment of new trees (Brown and Davis 1991, Sork et al 2002, Kelly et al 2005, Whipple et al 2011). This population decline, combined with conversion of valley oak habitats to agricultural and residential uses, has motivated many public and private conservation and restoration projects (Giusti et al 2004, Alagona 2008.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumer control of oak demography in a Mediterranean-climate savanna

2011

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Abstract. Tree recruitment is rare and oak populations are declining in many Mediterranean-climate oak savannas. Factors affecting acorn production, seedling establishment and initial seedling growth have been much studied in short-term experiments. However, fecundity and early survival rates have not been placed in a demographic framework that also considers sapling survival and growth and adult tree mortality. We use matrix models and life table response experiments to analyze long-term experimental and observation data on California valley oak (Quercus lobata Neé) near its southern range limit in Santa Barbara County to answer three questions: (1) How sensitive is oak population growth rate to variation in acorn production and initial seedling establishment vs. sapling survivorship and growth? (2) How do mammalian consumers-specifically, cattle, deer and rodents-impact valley oak seedling establishment and sapling survival and growth? (3) Can vertebrate consumers account for the observed population decline of valley oak in savannas in its southern range? We find that population growth is far more sensitive to consumermediated variation in sapling survivorship and growth than to variation in fecundity or seedling establishment and that consumers exert strong influence on the demography of the species. Deterministic, finite population growth rate (k) is ,1 for unprotected plants and for plants that are protected from cattle but still exposed to mule deer and rodents. Population growth rate increases to 1.03 with protection from both cattle and deer, mainly because plants are able to quickly reach the tree layer when they are protected from ungulate browsing. Population growth rate jumps to 1.15 for plants protected from both ungulates and rodents as a result of increased survivorship and height growth of established individuals and because of increased seedling establishment during the first year. Our experimental findings are consistent with observed patterns in natural populations in Santa Barbara County, where tree recruitment is rare in both grazed and non-grazed savannas but more common in areas such as roadsides that are refuges from cattle and deer.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumer control of oak demography in a Mediterranean-climate savanna

2011

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“…Therefore, knowledge of past landscape history could provide critical inspiration for regreening cities and re-connecting them with their past. Many of California's urban areas were constructed in landscapes historically rich in oak woodlands: this disappearance of oaks within the urban landscape has since motivated plans to return oaks even within heavily urbanized areas (Grossinger et al, 2007;Whipple et al, 2011). The utility of historical data to drive environmental niche models, generating past species distributions and reconstructions of vegetation communities is an unexplored theme in urban planning.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, photographs, maps, and data originally captured for purposes such as taxation or land surveying have become useful data sources in reconstructing historical vegetation conditions (Grossinger et al, 2007;Stein et al, 2010;Whipple, Grossinger, & Davis, 2011). In addition to mining historical archives, detailed distribution maps of past vegetation conditions are predicted using species distribution modeling (Schussman, Geiger, Mau-Crimmins, & Ward, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Threats and Conservation Status of Historical Centers of Oak Richness in California

Easterday¹,

McIntyre²,

Thorne³

et al. 2016

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Oak trees are emblematic of California landscapes, they serve as keystone cultural and ecological species and as indicators of natural biological diversity. As historically undeveloped landscapes are increasingly converted to urban environments, endemic oak woodland extent is reduced, which underscores the importance of strategic placement and reintroduction of oaks and woodland landscape for the maintenance of biodiversity and reduction of habitat fragmentation. This paper investigated the effects of human urban development on oak species in California by first modeling historical patterns of richness for eight oak tree species using historical map and plot data from the California Vegetation Type Mapping (VTM) collection. We then examined spatial intersections between hot spots of historical oak richness and modern urban and conservation lands and found that impacts from development and conservation vary by both species and richness. Our findings suggest that the impact of urban development on oaks has been small within the areas of highest oak richness but that areas of highest oak richness are also poorly conserved. Third, we argue that current policy measures are inadequate to conserve oak woodlands and suggest regions to prioritize acquisition of conservation lands as well as examine urban regions where previous centers of oak richness were lost as potential frontiers for oak reintroduction. We argue that urban planning could benefit from the adoption of historical data and modern species distribution modelling techniques primarily used in natural resources and conservation fields to better locate hot spots of species richness, understand where habitats and species have been lost historically and use this evidence as incentive to recover what was lost and preserve what still exists. This adoption of historical data and modern techniques would then serve as a paradigm shift in the way Urban Planners recognize, quantify, and use landscape history in modern built environments.

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“…Historical conditions may be poorly understood, such that there is controversy about the plant communities present and the nature of disturbance regimes (Whipple et al 2011;Lanner 2012). This may be especially problematic for plant and animal species that rely on a variety of states (Fuhlendorf et al 2012).…”

Section: Reference States History and Novel Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

State and Transition Models: Theory, Applications, and Challenges

et al. 2017

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State and transition models (STMs) are used to organize and communicate information regarding ecosystem change, especially the implications for management. The fundamental premise that rangelands can exhibit multiple states is now widely accepted and has deeply pervaded management thinking, even in the absence of formal STM development. The current application of STMs for management, however, has been limited by both the science and the ability of institutions to develop and use STMs. In this chapter, we provide a comprehensive and contemporary overview of STM concepts and applications at a global level. We first review the ecological concepts underlying STMs with the goal of bridging STMs to recent theoretical developments in ecology. We then provide a synthesis of the history of

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Shifting Baselines in a California Oak Savanna: Nineteenth Century Data to Inform Restoration Scenarios

Cited by 44 publications

References 43 publications

Consumer control of oak demography in a Mediterranean-climate savanna

Consumer control of oak demography in a Mediterranean-climate savanna

Assessing Threats and Conservation Status of Historical Centers of Oak Richness in California

State and Transition Models: Theory, Applications, and Challenges

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