FLORISTIC ANALYSIS OF AN INTERIOR VERNAL POND COMPLEX, SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

摘要

In Santa Barbara County, research and restoration on vernal wetlands has historically concentrated on coastal areas. Emerging conservation issues have highlighted the need for more information about the floristic composition of vernal wetlands in theinterior region of the County. This paper provides data on the vegetation of the Long Canyon vernal pond complex on the University of California's Sedgwick Reserve collected during the El Nino-dominated winter and spring of 1997—1998. A multivariate vegetation analysis was used to compare the site's species composition with other localities in the region. The analysis was supplemented by a simulation-based error analysis evaluating the potential impacts of species omission on Sorensen similarity distances. Floristically, the Sedgwick Reserve vernal ponds were expected to align most closely with nearby vernal pools in Northern Santa Barbara County. However, the results do not support this hypothesis; rather, the wetlands are most similar to coastal vernal pools along the south coast of Santa Barbara County.