DLIA - Botany Twig Report 1999
draft 12/03/99

Summary of Activities and Support

The action plan adopted during the 1998 ATBI Meeting for 1999 addressed the need to begin the botany inventory with a realistic, doable project to practice procedures for: 1) accessing legacy specimen data into the BIOTA database shell, and 2) set up an initial draft of the PLANTS web page.

The twig core group decided to begin with the Pteridophytes [Ferns] since the number of taxa currently known is approximately 80 species. Many of the voucher specimens for the legacy collections are currently housed in the herbarium [TENN] and this seemed like a good place to begin the data accumulation.

Trichomanes petersii is our trial species web page. This site is located at domain http://www.goldsword.com/sfarmer/ATBI/t-petersii.html

1. DLIA Funding

A. DLIA awarded the herbarium $2500 to develop the Web Page from species template to kingdom framework. Susan Farmer is being supported, in part, by these funds to develop the Trichomanes petersii as our trial species page. These pages are located at domain http://www.goldsword.com/sfarmer/ATBI/t-petersii.html and will be available for transfer to the DLIA upon receipt of instruction.

B. DLIA awarded $1800 to the herbarium (Sept. 1999) for equipment to support the data-basing and imaging of specimens. This award accomplished the purchase of: 1) a rewritable CD-ROM for image storage and web page back up, 2) a digital camera for direct image capture for transfer to web pages,and 3) a limited amount of wage-based technical support.

2. Other Funding to DLIA Activities

A. Dr. Patricia Cox has received a $3500 Hesler Professorship Grant [University of Tennessee] that is devoted to the Pteridophyte data basing, and will begin to support the Gymnosperms data base..

B. Other and institutional support already expended has included purchase of the BIOTA databasing program, and a copy of WORDPERFECT Suite 8 for web page construction and image manipulation. Valuation ca. $300.

C. A double, matching grant of $3600 was pledged to the Sept. DLIA Grant by the Division of Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

D. TN-NC Natural Heritage Programs Grant of $16,000 to support the Fraser Fir Rare Bryophyte Study.

3. DLIA Projects

The Pteridophyte data base [Version 1.0] should be completed by Dec. 10, 1999. The template for entering data was created by Dr. Victor Ma (Herbarium, University of Tennessee) in MICROSOFT ACCESS. This work is being accomplished by two Botany undergraduate volunteers.

The data entered into the field structure will need to be groomed by Drs. B. E. Wofford and Patricia Cox [TENN] before a transparent conversion is attempted into BIOTA. At this time, we are not confident of the BIOTA package and will wait for the ATBI Data Base Twig to offer suggestions or make decisions on the structure to be used.

Also, there have been discussions among Susan Farmer, Chuck Parker, and Norm Johnson to standardize the codes for park locations. These discussions will continue to and through the Dec. 1999 ATBI Meeting.

4. Related Projects

A. Topoco Project - Panther Creek Survey, GSMNP. Tapoco Inc. is the property owner on the west side of GSMNP. Tapoco manages the watershed and impoundments of the Little Tennessee River for hydroelectric power production serving ALCOA, Alcoa, TN. As part of the requirements for FERC relicensing to continue power production, RTE plant surveys have been conducted along contiguous boundaries between GSMNP and Tapoco. To date, one significant area of GSMNP is the Panther Creek drainage, a tributary of Abrams Creek.

B. 1999. Fir bark bryophyte survey. A survey of remaining Fraser fir trees was proposed to assess populations of six rare bryophytes which grow on its bark. These are: Bazzania nudicaulis Evans., Leptodontium excelsum (Sull.) Britt., Leptoscyphus cuneifolius (Hook.) Mitt., Metzgeria fruticulosa Dicks.) Evans, Plagiochila corniculata (Dumort.) Dumort. (=P. tridenticulata Dumort), and Sphenolobopsis pearsoni (Spr.) Schust. & Kitag. These species are rare at state and national levels. Nearly all are limited in North America to the Southern Appalachian spruce - fir ecosystem.

The study was conducted by collaborative support of Tennessee and North Carolina Natural Heritage Programs (TNH & NCH), US Forest Service (USF), The University of Tennessee (UT), and The University of North Alabama (UNA). The following personnel were instrumental in formulating the scope of research and conducting field surveys to inventory the target taxa: Carl Nordman (TNH), Jame Amoroso (NCH), David Danley and Jamey Donaldson (USF), David K. Smith and Kenneth D. McFarland (UT), Paul G. Davison (UNA).
Final Report due Dec. 31, 1999

C. Harold W. Keller, Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg, MO 64093 -proposed project to survey and collect Myxomycetes, macrofungi, lichens, mosses, and liverworts from the canopy of living trees in the GSMNP. This project is currently in the proposal stage. If funded, this will represent a collaborative effort with the team of Drs. Keller, Paul Davison (University of North Alabama), David K. Smith (University of Tennessee), and a lichenologist (to be identified).
This proposal is currently in the review process.

D. Dr. (Rick) Loy R. Phillippe, Collection Manager (Vascular Plants & Fungi), Illinois Natural History Survey (ILLS). In 1999 Rick made two trips [to GSMNP](each trip about a week or less long). The first trip was 25 April 1999 to 1 May 1999. The second trip was 25 July to 30 July 1999. During the first trip he made 179 collections, 70 lichens and 109 vascular plants. During the second trip he made 175 collections, all vascular plants. Total for the year 284 vascular plants and 70 lichens for a grand total of 354 collections.
Four [4] RTE plants of special concern in the park are detailed in the report.
See attached Phillippe report.

E. Pepoon Collections at Illinois Natural History Survey (ILLS). The historical collections by Pepoon from GSMNP are archived at ILLS. These records are in the museum data base and are available for the ATBI inventory whenever requested. The data base will be delivered to TENN when the Angiosperm data basing operation begins the inventory of legacy collections.

Report of Field Activities by Dr. Rick Phillippe, 1999

I received no funding of from the DLIA, however the park did allow me a few nights free camping in the Cosby Area.

Here are the results of the rare plants found as best I am aware at this time. I have not identified all my collections as yet. I have personally spoken with Keith Langdon about these collections, he is aware.

1.) Gymnoderma lineare (Evans) Yoshimura & Sharp "Rock Gnome Lichen" Phillippe, Feist, & Larimore 30219 (27 April 1999) Raven Fork Watershed Area. On boulders (common here) in Raven Fork across from junction with Enloe Creek and Raven Fork. Elevation 3530 feet. This is a Federally Endangered lichen and I gave the specimen to Keith Langdon, he called the Feds involved, then sent the specimen to them with a request that it be sent to me so we could retain the specimen in our collection at the ILLS herbarium. I have never heard from them. This was a new
unknown location and new watershed for this species.

The following plants (3) are all listed as Rare for the GSMNP.

2.) Carex umbellata Schkuhr "Umbel Sedge" Phillippe & Phillippe 30179 (23 April 1999) LeConte Watershed Area. Twin Creeks Special Use Picnic Area. Elevation about 1900 feet.
Young second growth woods dominated by Liriodendron. Twenty plants (clumps) seen here.

3.) Adlumia fungosa (Aiton) Greene "Climbing Fumitory" Phillippe 31052 (25 July 1999) Cosby Watershed Area. Elevation about 2670 feet, growing near Gabes Mountain Trail at Henwallow Falls. Growing on sweet birch below falls and 100 feet along (down) stream. Pink flowered vine.

4.) Bartonia virginica (Linnaeus) BSP. "Bartonia" Phillippe 31099 (26 July 1999) Elevation about 2400 feet. Lower Mount Crammer Trail. Dry southwest-facing slope along trail with trailing
arbutus, wintergreen, Galax, & Andropogon.

In 1999 I only was able to find time to make two trips (each trip about a week or less long). The first trip was 25 April 1999 to 1 May 1999. The second trip was 25 July to 30 July 1999. During the first trip we made 179 collections, 70 lichens and 109 vascular plants. During the second trip I made 175 collections, all vascular plants. Total for the year 284 vascular plants and 70 lichens for a grand total of 354 collections, much fewer than I had planned.

The following are a list of the ferns we collected during these two trips.

Raven Fork Watershed Area

Aspleniaceae
Asplenium montanum Willdenow Phillippe 31147

Dryopteridaceae
Dryopteris marginalis (Linnaeus) A. Gray Phillippe 31151

Lycopodiaceae
Huperzia lucidula (Michaux) Trevisan Feist, Larimore, & Phillippe 168

Polypodiaceae
Polypodium virginianum Linnaeus Feist, Larimore, & Phillippe 150

Cosby Watershed Area

Aspleniaceae
Asplenium platyneuron (Linnaeus) Britton, Sterns, & Poggenburg Phillippe 31020

Dennstaedtiaceae
Dennstaedtia punctilobula (Michaux) T. Moore Phillippe 31036
Pteridium aquilinum (Linnaeus) Kuhn in Decken var. latiusculum
(Desvaux) L. Underwood ex A. Heller Phillippe 31082

Dryopteridaceae
Athyrium filix-femina (Linnaeus) Roth ex Mertens var. asplenioides
(Michaux) Farwell Phillippe 31031
Cystopteris protrusa (Weatherby) Blasdell Phillippe 31069
Dryopteris intermedia (Muhlenberg ex Willdenow) A. Gray
Phillippe 31123
Polystichum acrostichoides (Michaux) Schott Phillippe 31016

Lycopodiaceae
Diphasiastrum digitatum (Dillenius ex A. Braun) Holub Phillippe 30247
Huperzia lucidula (Michaux) Trevisan Phillippe 30246
Lycopodium obscurum Linnaeus Phillippe 30318

Ophioglossaceae
Ophioglossum vulgatum Linnaeus Phillippe 30299

Polypodiaceae
Polypodium virginianum Linnaeus Phillippe 30295

Thelypteridaceae
Phegopteris hexagonoptera (Michaux) Fée Phillippe 31039
Thelpyteris noveboracensis (Linnaeus) Nieuwland Phillippe 31027

Of the remaining collections I have only identified about 33% of them, If you need them let me know and maybe I can have those and a few more by Monday. Also I believe I have a Euphorbiaceae, genus Euphorbia from Raven Fork that is Rare for the GSMNP but have yet to determine the species, Keith told me there was a rare Euphorbia in the Raven Fork Area and this is
most likely it but I am having difficulty determing the species.

Loy R. Phillippe
Collection Manager (Vascular Plants & Fungi)
Illinois Natural History Survey (ILLS)
607 East Peabody Drive
Champaign Illinois 61820
Phone (217)-244-2181

A.	DLIA awarded the herbarium $2500 to develop the Web Page from species template to kingdom framework. Susan Farmer is being supported, in part, by these funds to develop the Trichomanes petersii as our trial species page. These pages are located at domain http://www.goldsword.com/sfarmer/ATBI/t-petersii.html and will be available for transfer to the DLIA upon receipt of instruction.
B.	DLIA awarded $1800 to the herbarium (Sept. 1999) for equipment to support the data-basing and imaging of specimens. This award accomplished the purchase of: 1) a rewritable CD-ROM for image storage and web page back up, 2) a digital camera for direct image capture for transfer to web pages,and 3) a limited amount of wage-based technical support.

A.	Dr. Patricia Cox has received a $3500 Hesler Professorship Grant [University of Tennessee] that is devoted to the Pteridophyte data basing, and will begin to support the Gymnosperms data base..
B.	Other and institutional support already expended has included purchase of the BIOTA databasing program, and a copy of WORDPERFECT Suite 8 for web page construction and image manipulation. Valuation ca. $300.
C.	A double, matching grant of $3600 was pledged to the Sept. DLIA Grant by the Division of Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
D.	TN-NC Natural Heritage Programs Grant of $16,000 to support the Fraser Fir Rare Bryophyte Study.

A.	Topoco Project - Panther Creek Survey, GSMNP. Tapoco Inc. is the property owner on the west side of GSMNP. Tapoco manages the watershed and impoundments of the Little Tennessee River for hydroelectric power production serving ALCOA, Alcoa, TN. As part of the requirements for FERC relicensing to continue power production, RTE plant surveys have been conducted along contiguous boundaries between GSMNP and Tapoco. To date, one significant area of GSMNP is the Panther Creek drainage, a tributary of Abrams Creek.
B.	1999. Fir bark bryophyte survey. A survey of remaining Fraser fir trees was proposed to assess populations of six rare bryophytes which grow on its bark. These are: Bazzania nudicaulis Evans., Leptodontium excelsum (Sull.) Britt., Leptoscyphus cuneifolius (Hook.) Mitt., Metzgeria fruticulosa Dicks.) Evans, Plagiochila corniculata (Dumort.) Dumort. (=P. tridenticulata Dumort), and Sphenolobopsis pearsoni (Spr.) Schust. & Kitag. These species are rare at state and national levels. Nearly all are limited in North America to the Southern Appalachian spruce - fir ecosystem. The study was conducted by collaborative support of Tennessee and North Carolina Natural Heritage Programs (TNH & NCH), US Forest Service (USF), The University of Tennessee (UT), and The University of North Alabama (UNA). The following personnel were instrumental in formulating the scope of research and conducting field surveys to inventory the target taxa: Carl Nordman (TNH), Jame Amoroso (NCH), David Danley and Jamey Donaldson (USF), David K. Smith and Kenneth D. McFarland (UT), Paul G. Davison (UNA). Final Report due Dec. 31, 1999
C.	Harold W. Keller, Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg, MO 64093 -proposed project to survey and collect Myxomycetes, macrofungi, lichens, mosses, and liverworts from the canopy of living trees in the GSMNP. This project is currently in the proposal stage. If funded, this will represent a collaborative effort with the team of Drs. Keller, Paul Davison (University of North Alabama), David K. Smith (University of Tennessee), and a lichenologist (to be identified). This proposal is currently in the review process.
D.	Dr. (Rick) Loy R. Phillippe, Collection Manager (Vascular Plants & Fungi), Illinois Natural History Survey (ILLS). In 1999 Rick made two trips [to GSMNP](each trip about a week or less long). The first trip was 25 April 1999 to 1 May 1999. The second trip was 25 July to 30 July 1999. During the first trip he made 179 collections, 70 lichens and 109 vascular plants. During the second trip he made 175 collections, all vascular plants. Total for the year 284 vascular plants and 70 lichens for a grand total of 354 collections. Four [4] RTE plants of special concern in the park are detailed in the report. See attached Phillippe report.
E.	Pepoon Collections at Illinois Natural History Survey (ILLS). The historical collections by Pepoon from GSMNP are archived at ILLS. These records are in the museum data base and are available for the ATBI inventory whenever requested. The data base will be delivered to TENN when the Angiosperm data basing operation begins the inventory of legacy collections.