Objectives:

Estimates in 2019 placed QUBO at 25 subpopulations encompassing at least 300 individuals in what was believed to be 11 unique populations or elemental occurrences (EOs) were based on the combined knowledge of all accessible resources on the species. Most of the EOs had been documented in the Alabama Plant Atlas, but the reports had not all been verified and submitted to the Alabama Natural Heritage Program, limiting information available to NatureServe and other institutions tracking rare species globally. Multiple EOs of QUBO were known to occur in four counties in Alabama (Etowah, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair), with singular occurrences reported from two additional counties in Alabama (Blount and Chilton) and historically from Texas. Beckman et al. (2019) completed a global ex situ survey for U.S. native oak species that indicates that QUBO is represented in 17 collections in North America, comprised of 320 individuals representing 70% of the full range of the species, but few were geolocated with locality notes. The species also has a high ex situ mortality rate during the establishment period even at the most qualified institutions, leading to sharp decreases in the reported number of ex situ holdings, uncharacteristic of this genus of typically resilient plants. This project aimed to increase the percentage of range represented in ex situ collections and increase the number of safeguarding accessions that have locality notes attached to the coordinates of the in situ locations. In order to increase the likelihood of wider genetic capture, scouting was conducted in areas within the species range and at the peripheries where QUBO had been reported, as well as sites where it was not known, but the species’ uncommon habitat requirements did exist. Specific objectives included: 

1. Scout and document occurrences of QUBO reported from Autauga, Blount, Jefferson, and St. Clair counties. Explore approximately 20 km of backcountry ridgelines on Double Oak Mountain (Shelby County) with potential habitat. 

2. Voucher and submit herbarium specimens of novel occurrences and maternal lines to the Alabama Natural Heritage Section Herbarium (ALNHS, Index Herbarium) in Montgomery, AL. and the United States National Arboretum Herbarium in Washington, D.C. 

3. Record observations on the size, growth habit, and apparent health of individuals, seedling recruitment, and any potential threats to populations. Detailed observations were made at the level of individual trees at as many occurrences as time and funding allowed in order to determine the actual number of living individuals remaining of the species and the viability of EO’s. 

4. Collect acorns for distribution through the Plant Collections Network Quercus multi-site Collection and other botanical institutions within and near its geographic range, prioritizing counties of occurence for which there are few or no ex situ collections recorded. 

Methods 

Individuals were determined by separation from an adjacent individual’s stems or trunks by a distance ≥ 1 m. Stem refers to vertical growth emerging from the ground with a diameter < 12.7 cm and ≥ 1.2 m tall. A trunk refers to vertical growth emerging from the ground with a diameter ≥ 12.7 cm and < 1.2 m tall. Elemental occurrences (EO) refers to individuals separated from other individuals by greater than 3 km. Any crowns with all stoloniferous stems under 61 cm tall and wide were considered juvenile individuals and evidence of recruitment for a field of data in the full detail census.