The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 is "one of the
most comprehensive wildlife conservation laws in the world." Its purpose
is "to conserve the ecosystems upon which endangered and threatened
species deepened to conserve and recover listed species."
1. Endangered species:
Common Name: Gowen Cypress
Common Name: Gowen Cypress
Taxonomic Order: Pinales
Taxonomic Family: Cupressaceae
2.
Photographs of
Gowen Cypress in its natural environment:
The
Central Coast of California
Gowen Cypress seed cones
3. The
Gowen Cypress trees are native and endemic to California. They are specialist species that occupy
narrow niches: they can only survive in
a narrow range of climatic and environmental conditions! They are a primary producers and foundation
species that provide and enhance their habitat for other species. Without this species the habitat will change
and species that rely upon this tree will have to find another source of food
within the habitat or leave the area.
When fires occur this serotinous tree reestablishes its population and
the vegetation in its ecosystem. Without
this species its ecosystem may collapse or its environmental conditions will make
it uninhabitable for species that currently survive in the ecosystem.
4. Two ecological services this organism provides for humans and other species occur through chemical cycling of CO2 through the process of photosynthesis. These trees also provide nutrients to other species: rodents and deer eat their seedlings and livestock will occasionally forage the young plants. The wood is used by humans in a range of ways including shingles, boats, moulding, and paneling and is good for firewood.
5. Population
Chart:
According to Kate Kent from the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Services, “No records exist that document the historical extent of
the two populations.” The California
Native Plant Society is currently collecting data on this species population in
the two endemic California locations.
Therefore, a data chart for the population of this species over a period
of time is not possible.
6. The
characteristics that endanger this species are its specialized niche, narrow
distribution and rarity of the species, and the species being commercially
valuable. Their specialized niche or one
type of habitat and narrow range of environmental conditions that they can survive
and thrive are: full sunlight;
bare mineral soils, i.e. shallow Cieneba or podzolic soil types, and a shallow
hardpan soil below; with no plant cover or litter; and their reproduction is
reliant upon high heat or fires (serotinous).
They are rare and have a narrow distribution due to being confined to
acidic, poorly drained, podzolic soils and as a result of loss of population
due to fragmentation by human urban development. The wood of this species is commercially
valuable for building boats, and shingles and paneling for homes.
7. This
species is density independent, in other words, their effect is not dependent
on the density of the population but other factors. In this case, habitat destruction by humans
has caused a decline in their populations along with climate changes.
8. A non-profit organization, California Native
Plant Society, is run by volunteers and professionals that work to identify and
protect California’s native plants. They
have been working with volunteers to create a fine scale map of cypress tree
stands throughout California. This group
is particularly focused on gaining more information about this species due to
its threatened status on the Endangered Species list and this will be the first
official map and population record of this species. CNPS also runs conservation projects, rare
plant monitoring, plant community sampling, and community outreach programs for
this species as well as other species.
9. “Gowen
cypress 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation” by Kristina Barry for the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Department is a required 5 year scientific review of the
threatened Gowen Cypress species. The
review discusses that the Gowen Cypress species classification of threatened
should remain the same due to original threats still being present and few
efforts for implementing management actions that would improve habitat
conditions and protect the species from further urban development. This review was done in March 2012 and will
be done again in 2017. There were no
current scientific articles about the species.
References:
Barry, Kristina. Gowen
cypress 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation. U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Services and Department of Interior. March 2012. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.
ECOS: Species Profile for Gowen cypress. ecos.fws.gov. U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Services and Department of Interior. 12 June, 1998. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.
Endangered Species. fws.gov. U.S. Department of Interior. 15 Oct. 2015.
Web. 4 Nov. 2015.
Miller, Tyler, and
Spoolman, Scott. Essentials of Ecology. Canada:
Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.
Vegetation Program. Cnps.org. N.p. 2015. Web. 4 Nov. 2015
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