2019 - Robert's botanical adventures in Northern California

[Robert]

A few more scenes from the other day.

Wrights Lake.



An autumn trail scene – the landscape in this scene is still fairly green considering it is mid-September. Generally many similar meadows in this area can be much drier this late in the season. Other meadows habitats are consistently dry - every season.



Agrostis scabra growing in another mountain meadow.



There are still many species in bloom – Solidago elongata and Anaphalis margaritacea.



Lower down the mountain, there are sheets of Lessingia leptoclada in bloom on Peavine Ridge. Here conditions are extremely dry and relatively hot.

Until the next time…

[Maggi Young]

Robert- great photos as ever - what is the  darker  rock outcrop in the  centre  of the hillside on the  far  side  of the image  of Wrights  Lake?  Seems to  be  a quite  different  form of rock?

[Robert]

Hi Maggi,

The short answer to your question is lichens. Crustose lichens such as Brown Tile Lichen, Lecidea atrobrunnea, often cover extensive surfaces on granite cliff faces in the Sierra Nevada Mountains making them appear dark.

A longer answer that has consistently proven helpful for me when attempting to grow difficult to grow species or locating unusual native plant species has been to consider as many habitat variables as possible. Geology and soils derived from different classes of rock can be an important variable to consider.

The dominant plutonic rock of the Crystal Range region is granodiorite. There are four major plutons in the area, the oldest consisting of quartz monzonite. The other plutons are predominantly granite or granodiorite, however, in some areas, there are also distinct intrusions of gabbro and diorite. In other locations the “granite” intrusions are “white” with little or no dark minerals and much orthoclase feldspar. In the northern portion of the Crystal Range there are roof pendants of metamorphic rock and volcanic Mehrten Formation andesite deposits dating back the Miocene Epoch 20 million years ago. During the Pleistocene Epoch, there were alternating periods of glaciation and interglaciation, the last being the Tioga glaciation which ended ~13,000 years ago. The glacial periods, of course, had a major influence on the formation of soils in the area.

Certain plant species appear to have an affinity to soils based on the specific geologic formations. The mineral composition of the soil can have a major influence over the plant species found at any given site. Soil pH, drainage, phosphorus and essential mineral content impact plant growth and influence species distribution. Xenobiotics, such as those found in serpentine based soils, can strongly influence species distribution and plant growth.

This general methodology is what works for me when considering plants in our garden. More esthetic impressionistic consideration are important also.



This is an example of a managed meadow  - Van Vleck area Eldorado National Forest.

Until the next time…

[Hoy]

Lots of information, Robert! You seem to study the weather patterns and climate like a full grown meteorologist

I am sure we are seeing a change in climate. The monthly average here has been above normal (1960-1990 standard) for most years after 2000. In Svalbard it has been 100 consecutive months now with above normal average. It also seems that we get drier summers with occasionally occurring showers. And the showers are more intense. 2018 was very warm but this year although slightly cooler, has set a lot of new all time high temperatures.


I am fascinated by your meadows. Meadows here will be man made in origin except above the tree line. If a meadow isn't managed it will revert to forest in short time. It is of great concern here that the open landscape (read old cultivated and grazed for centuries) is gradually covered with shrubs and trees. Some places they use livestock, mostly sheep, to keep the landscape open. This is often not a good idea. Before 1960 it was a farm on the island where we have our summer house. The farmer had a few cows and also grew vegetables. When the farm closed all the meadows were invaded by trees (mostly aspen). The new owners of the land decided to let sheep graze there to keep the meadows open. And certainly they did but in stead of meadows with a lot of flowering plants we have gotten short cut grassy and mossy "meadows" with almost no flowers at all. The farmer produced hay on the meadows, and didn't let animals graze there at all. Now it is depressing to me to walk there.

You have some showy annuals!

[Maggi Young]

Thank you, Robert. I am learning a  great deal, as well as  enjoying  my  "walks"  in the  landscape with you.

[Robert]

The above photograph is an example of a dry managed meadow ecosystem. It is part of the meadow complex pictured in the previous posting. Here the colonization of the meadow by Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta spp. murrayana, can be seen, both in the foreground (smaller seedlings) and in the background, right (small trees). A number of old stumps are scattered throughout the meadow, especially in the peripheral margins of the meadow.



The above photograph is an example of Lodgepole Pine overgrowth. It is a site of an old logging deck. There is a large C:N ratio in the top portion of the soil, which has limited the growth of the trees in the foreground as well as extremely dry conditions during the summer months. This site is located very close to the meadow complex pictured in the first photograph.

I have a great deal scheduled for the next week or so. In the future, I would like to expand on this discussion and hopefully make some relevant connections to our gardening practices.

Trond,

I am keenly interested and enjoyed your comments in the last posting. I wish to continue the discussion in the future.

Maggi,

I am learning a great deal too.

[Hoy]

The above photograph is an example of a dry managed meadow ecosystem. It is part of the meadow complex pictured in the previous posting. Here the colonization of the meadow by Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta spp. murrayana, can be seen, both in the foreground (smaller seedlings) and in the background, right (small trees). A number of old stumps are scattered throughout the meadow, especially in the peripheral margins of the meadow.



The above photograph is an example of Lodgepole Pine overgrowth. It is a site of an old logging deck. There is a large C:N ratio in the top portion of the soil, which has limited the growth of the trees in the foreground as well as extremely dry conditions during the summer months. This site is located very close to the meadow complex pictured in the first photograph.

I have a great deal scheduled for the next week or so. In the future, I would like to expand on this discussion and hopefully make some relevant connections to our gardening practices.

Trond,

I am keenly interested and enjoyed your comments in the last posting. I wish to continue the discussion in the future.

I am ready, Robert!

[Robert]

Trond,

I find your comments about meadow habitats in Norway interesting. Clearly there is a great deal that we can learn by observing meadows and other natural (unmanaged) and managed habitats, after all our gardens are managed habitats.

Here in California, meadow habitats are very dynamic and complex. Even in the small region of the upper western slope of the Crystal Range where I focus my attention, there are many different meadow habitats and often many niche habitats within each meadow. Variables such as light, water, temperature, soil pH, geology, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and even xenobiotic factors play an integral role in meadow ecology (This list is only a partial listing of the many variables involved).

I have only started my review and expansion of my knowledge of the plants and many mountain habitats on the western slope of the Crystal Range. Maybe with 5 or 10 years of intensive study I might begin to become proficient in my knowledge and understanding of this region. Even now, with only a basic understanding, certain plant/habitat/environmental relationships are very evident.

Many of the forumists seem to be avid collectors of plants from very diverse habitats. I can appreciate and personally use an intuitive approach to gardening, however, for me, incorporating analytical methods to my gardening approach has greatly improved not only the aesthetic beauty of our garden, but also the diversity of species with very exacting habitat needs. As might be expected, the number of plant failures has dropped dramatically, the introduction of weedy species has been eliminated (cultivated plants that are highly inbred and weak, so called species that are in reality weedy hybrids, etc.), and the genetic diversity of each species grown in our garden is being maintained or even expanded.

So, for me, carefully analyzing our garden and carefully analyzing the ecology of a new species for introduction to our garden has proven to be extremely helpful. So, I guess the first lesson is to keep the sheep out! 

I hope to add detailed meadow observation in the future. 

[Robert]

I am slowly adjusting into a new rhythm. Work and an intense program of study occupy most of my time. I get out to the Sierra Nevada Mountains each week. This past week my brother and I were out hiking again.

Below is a scene from the previous week.

I will have more to discuss about our meadow habitats and a few photograph to share in the coming week or so.

[Robert]

In the Sierra Nevada Mountains, this is one example of how a managed meadow ecosystem is maintained. The downed trees will be burned. Without such measures much, but not necessarily all, of the meadow would, with time, become over grown with conifers.



My brother and I visited this Snotel site. Site-specific atmospheric data provides essential information on how plants are responding to environmental variables.



Wet meadow ecosystems can become overgrown with conifers, however there can be limits based on the underlying geology at any given site.



Dry meadow ecosystems can remain open and free of conifers depending on the prevailing underlying geology.



Our new garden has finally developed to the point where many of my old breeding and genetic projects are now active again and progress is continuing. Studying TFs (transcription factors), as an example, MADS-box TFs (and there are other families of TFs), orthologous gene pairs (especially ones that are TFs), etc. is essential to my activities in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The first snow is flying in the Sierra Nevada (it is a bit early this year). I have made great progress this season; however there is still much to do in the coming years. It is very exciting for me and I am very pleased to be back in the flow again.

[ian mcdonald]

Robert, it is interesting that the meadows are being overgrown with conifers. On our local site the problem is introduced Rhododendron and native birches. Where many of the birches were removed, no painting of the stumps took place after felling and the areas are now more dense than before.

[Robert]

Hi Ian,

Fire, elevation, and ground hydrology/geology are just some of the important key variables regarding meadow ecosystems in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

> Regarding the first photograph: 10,000 years ago (just after the end of the last Ice Age) this site most likely consisted of a number of small shallow lakes/ponds. Over time erosion from the surrounding mountain slopes filled the basin with sediments. As of today, there is only one remaining shallow seasonal pond in the basin. The site was used for livestock grazing from ~ 1870 to ~ 1960. I am sure that during this time frame some effort was made to enlarge whatever existing meadowland may have been present when livestock grazing began. Based on trees rings analyses I did a year or two ago (based on stumps from logging operation in the basin during 1990s) much of this site was forested before livestock grazing began in the 1870’s.

This basin is very rich in vascular plant species, over 215 species counted to date. Considering the small area this site encompasses this is a significant number. At least one rare plant species is found on the margins of this site. There may also be a number of significant ecotypes, however more detailed study is needed.

My understanding is that an effort will be made to alter this ecosystem, turning it into a wetland/meadow. I am not sure that the underlying geology/hydrology will support this type of alteration. It will be very interesting to see how this all pans out.

> It is very fascinating how management methods are influencing the outcome at your site.

Here too, variations in management methods can result in a wide variety of outcomes. As an example, removing all carbon from a site, leaving only bare mineral soil, can result in the rapid colonization by highly invasive nonnative plant species. In our area, a number of invasive species have me very concerned. C4 species, such as Johnson Grass, Sorghum halepense, are noticeably moving up the mountain into higher terrain. To date, it can easily be found at the 4,000-foot elevation. With a warming climate, invasive, nonnative C4 grasses may start to gain a competitive foothold/advantage at higher elevations where they are currently not found. We are already dealing with plenty of tough invasive C3 species in the Sierra Nevada. Species such as Yellow Star-thistle, Centaurea solstitialis, Skeleton Weed, Chondrilla juncea, Medusa Head, Elymus caput-medusae, and Cheat Grass, Bromus tectorum, to name just a few, are quite common and can be problematic in some areas. Compounding these problems are the immense global alterations to the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles, fresh water depletion, planetary pH issues, and a host of other xenobiotic, and abiotic stressors. It would require a lengthy book to properly address these issues. I can appreciate (no necessarily agree with) efforts to genetically engineer rice into a C4 crop, or the genetic manipulation of rubisco to create something more efficient and less susceptible to photorespiration. Unless the major underlying planetary issues are dealt with, these projects will fail to produce meaningful results, if they are indeed workable at all.

[Hoy]

Robert,

Interesting to see the pictures of the meadows. Especially the wet meadow. Here are similar meadows (or bogs!) from mid-Norway (Trøndelag). This kind of habitat is very common there.









One of the dominant species is Narthecium ossifragum which means the soil is very acidic. Due to the high water table no trees will grow except a few stunted pines. I don't think a forest will develop here unless the water table is lowered or the accumulation of organic matter makes the root zone drier.
On less acidic soil tree species like Alnus incana could easily grow despite the wet soil.

Your "garden" looks exiting! Lots of pots like I have but I do not have any breeding projects I remember when I was a student we visited a university in England where they tried to develop nitrogen-fixing plants independent of the symbiotic diazotrophs. No luck so far! Converting C3 plants into C4 plants is easier I think

[ian mcdonald]

Trond, your photos. of the wet meadows/bogs remind me of areas in the Cairngorms of Scotland. Similar climate and geology perhaps.

[Hoy]

Trond, your photos. of the wet meadows/bogs remind me of areas in the Cairngorms of Scotland. Similar climate and geology perhaps.

Ian, I bet you are right! I have never visited Scotland though, Should have