Rare Plant Inventory at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park - Open Format Dataset (sensitive version)

EnviroScience completed a systematic rare plant survey in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CUVA). CUVA staff use the visitor use management planning (VUMP) process to draft proposed management zones for the park to track resource degradation and guide management decisions. The VUMP process has identified a critical need for a park-wide rare plant inventory to supplement outdated surveys conducted from 1986 to the early 2000s. This systematic transect-based survey was designed to provide current rare plant data to inform the VUMP process. These updated rare plant data will support the National Park Service (NPS) in their efforts to: Prioritize ongoing conservation efforts, Support and improve the quality of the VUMP products and validate the proposed management zones, Support early stages of Comprehensive River Management Planning, Inform ongoing management decisions in sometimes contentious areas of the park, and Help prioritize ongoing management efforts. A total of 98 species and 675 rare plant locations were inventoried during the survey. Of the 23 surveyed management zones, A-P North Sensitive Resources, Virginia Kendall High Value Experience and Blossom Woods Natural zones had the highest number of rare plant records while those zones with fewer records had relatively high population size and densities. Invasive species were dominant in Virginia Kendall High Value Experience and Blossom Woods Natural zones in locations where rare plants were found. Among management zones, no discernible variation in habitat and disturbance-based measures was observed. Most zones were characterized as containing some levels of human disturbance, earthworm infestation and deer browsing effects collocated with rare plants. Correlations among population and species-based parameters did not show any clear positive or negative associations with the exception of a weak positive relationship between areal percent cover of rare species and percent cover of invasive species. Patterns of negative but weak correlations were observed between earthworm infestation, deer browsing and density and cover of rare species. Results from canonical correspondence analyses showed that the vegetation type was one of the most important factors in structuring rare plant assemblages with floodplain and oak dominated habitats showing strong associations with groupings of rare species.EnviroScience完成了凯霍加谷国家公园（Cuyahoga Valley National Park, CUVA）的系统性珍稀植物调查。凯霍加谷国家公园工作人员依托游客使用管理规划（Visitor Use Management Planning, VUMP）流程，起草公园拟设管理分区方案，以监测资源退化状况并指导管理决策制定。该规划流程明确提出亟需开展全公园范围的珍稀植物普查，以补充1986年至21世纪初开展的陈旧调查成果。本次基于样线法的系统性调查旨在获取最新珍稀植物数据，为游客使用管理规划流程提供决策支撑。这些更新后的珍稀植物数据集将助力美国国家公园管理局（National Park Service, NPS）开展以下工作：优先推进后续保护工作、支撑并优化游客使用管理规划成果质量并验证拟设管理分区的合理性、支撑河流综合管理规划的前期阶段、为公园内部分争议区域的日常管理决策提供参考，以及协助优先推进后续管理工作。本次调查共记录到98个珍稀植物物种与675处珍稀植物分布点位。在所调研的23个管理分区中，A-P北敏感资源区、弗吉尼亚·肯德尔高价值体验区与布鲁姆伍德自然区的珍稀植物记录数量最多；而记录量较少的分区则拥有相对更高的种群规模与种群密度。在分布有珍稀植物的点位中，弗吉尼亚·肯德尔高价值体验区与布鲁姆伍德自然区的入侵物种占绝对优势。各管理分区在生境特征与基于干扰的监测指标上未呈现显著差异。多数分区均存在不同程度的人为干扰、蚯蚓入侵与鹿类啃食现象，且这些干扰因子与珍稀植物的分布存在共存关系。种群与物种相关参数之间未显现明确的正负关联，仅珍稀植物的面积盖度百分比与入侵物种盖度百分比之间存在微弱的正相关关系；蚯蚓入侵、鹿类啃食与珍稀植物种群密度、盖度之间则呈现出微弱的负相关模式。典范对应分析结果显示，植被类型是塑造珍稀植物群落组成的关键影响因素之一，河漫滩与栎树主导的生境与珍稀物种类群呈现出显著的关联。