Preliminary results of a study to monitor Cirsium pitcheri in Great Lakes national lakeshores
McEachern K, Magnuson JA, Pavlovic NB. 1989. Preliminary results of a study to monitor Cirsium pitcheri in Great Lakes national lakeshores
A study of the distribution, habitats, community ecology, and population structure of the native dune thistle, Cirsium pitcheri, was undertaken at Pictured Rocks and Sleeping Bear National Lakeshores, MI and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, IN to address concerns about threats to its habitat. Trampling of juvenile plants and loss of habitat to recreational use and land development are cited as threats to its survival. Dynamics of dune processes are identified as important to the biology of the species. Nineteen non-random vegetation plots of varying sizes and shapes were established among known populations of C. pitcheri in the three parks. Five plots were established at Indiana Dunes, 9 at Sleeping Bear, and 5 at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. These were either "demographic" or "counting" plots. A species list was compiled for each plot, as well as notes about topography. Percent cover for each species and the amount of litter and bare ground were recorded from each. Trends in species composition are indicated by indices of species diversity and evenness. From the abstract: "Species composition, community structure, and environmental relationships were analyzed by multivariate classification and ordination." Included is a map of the three Lakeshore study areas and individual maps of each plot. Twenty-four slides from Grand Sable Dunes are included in the report filed at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- McEachern, Kathryn; Magnuson, Julie; Pavlovic, Noel
- Date of Issue
- 1989
- Units
- PIRO , SLBE
- Keywords
- Pitcher's Thistle (Cirsium pitcheri), Plant Communities, Plants (Plantae), Rare Species, Sand Dunes, Threatened & Endangered Species