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This paper reports the presence of Dipsacus strigosus Willd. ex Roem. & Schult. in Indiana. The species, native to western Asia, is naturalized in several locations in Europe. This is the first documented occurrence in North America. The new record was collected along a recently constructed bike path in a moist wooded area of the Butler University campus in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Like the two other species of the genus known in the Indiana, D. strigosus is likely to be invasive, so efforts will be made to eradicate this population. The plant should be monitored and looked for in other sites. Keywords: invasive plants, teasel, Midwest, Indiana flora, Dipsacus strigosus, Teasels, members of the genus Dipsacus L. (Dipsacaceae), are biennial or short-lived perennial plants native to Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa (Gleason & Cronquist 1991). Two species, D. fullonum [...]

ABSTRACT. Urban forest fragments face challenges to habitat quality due to small size, isolation from larger natural areas, and close association with anthropogenic disturbance. Monitoring changes in vegetation can inform [...]

ABSTRACT. Surprising biodiversity can be found in cities, but urban habitats are understudied. We report on a bioblitz conducted primarily within a 24-hr period on September 16 and 17. 2016 [...]

Invasive plant species are widely appreciated to cause significant ecologic and economic damage in agricultural fields and in natural areas. The presence and impact of invasives in cities is less well documented. This paper characterizes invasive plants in Indianapolis, Indiana. Based on historical records and contemporary accounts, 69 of the 120 species on the official Indiana state list are reported for the city. Most of these plants are native to Asia or Eurasia, with escape from cultivation as the most common mode of introduction. Most have been in the flora of Indianapolis for some time. Eighty percent of Indianapolis' invasive herbaceous plants were present before 1940, but only 14% of woody invasive plants were known to be present in the city at that time. The largest group of woody invasives is shrubs. Newly present invasive plants continue to be reported for Indianapolis. Expert opinion rates Callery Pear, Japanese knotweed, and Japanese stiltgrass as the greatest emerging threats. Keywords: Indianapolis, invasive plants, invasive species, urban flora, INTRODUCTION An invasive species is defined in the United States by Executive Order as 'a species that is: 1) non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and 2) whose [...]

ABSTRACT. Bacon's Swamp was identified in the 1920s as a ca. 12 ha glacial kettle lake bog system at the southernmost limits of these habitats in Indiana. Located just 9.6 [...]

Carter's mustard (Warea carteri) is an endangered, fire-stimulated annual endemic of the Lake Wales Ridge, Florida, USA. This species is characterized by seed banks and large fluctuations in plant numbers, with increases occurring in postdisturbance habitat. We investigated the mating system, patterns of isozyme variation, and effective population sizes of W. carteri to better understand its population biology and to comment on reserve designs and management proposals relevant to this species. Warea carteri is self-compatible and autogamous, and probably largely selfing. Measures of genetic variation in W. carteri were lower than values reported for species with similar ecological and life history traits (6.6% of loci polymorphic within populations, 1.87 alleles per polymorphic locus, and 0.026 and 0.018 expected and observed heterozygosity, respectively). The high average value for Nei's genetic identity (0.989) reflects the paucity of genetic diversity. Genetic variation within populations was not correlated with aboveground population size, effective population size estimates (Ne), or recent disturbance history. Much of the diversity detected was found among populations (F(sub ST) = 0.304). A significant cline in allele frequencies at one locus and a significant negative correlation between geographic distance and Nei's genetic identity also point to spatial organization of genetic diversity. As a result we propose that reserve design should include the entire geographic range of W. carteri. We also recommend that the natural fire regime be mimicked. Key words: Brassicaceae; effective population sizes; genetic diversity; mating system; Warea carteri.

Despite their importance, the dynamics of urban floras are not well understood, and quantitative historical data are rare. The current study used three data sets for trees in Indianapolis/Marion County, Indiana, U.S., to document change over 200 years to the original beech-maple forest and to examine future implications of contemporary tree planting efforts in light of these changes. Data on tree composition and size collected before significant settlement in the early 1800s are compared with recent surveys of trees in remnant natural areas and with trees found on city streets and rights-of-way. All the species recorded in historical surveys are still present in either remnant natural area forests or among city street trees, but frequencies and sizes have changed, and many additional species are now present. Comparison of the composition of the original forest with current remnants shows a 95% decline of American beech (Fagus grandifolia), the most common species in presettlement forests. Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) has more than doubled in number. Silver maple (Acer saccharinum) is the most important street tree, with eight species of non-native broadleaf trees among the most common on city streets, along with evergreen gymnosperms that are not documented in the presettlement flora. Data for contemporary tree planting efforts in the city show a focus on native species that targets replacement of species that have declined in frequency, especially oaks, in proportions that should be sustainable. Patterns reported here are likely representative of those in many forested areas undergoing land conversion and development, so the findings apply to many cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]