Appendix D. Demographic monitoring 



Introduction 



Ute ladies '-tresses {Spiranthes diluvialis) is a threatened plant species at the northern end of its 

 range in Montana. The purpose of this monitoring study is to document the demographic trends in 

 the population represented by EO#001, and to identify critical life history stages. It may serve in the 

 future for management response monitoring at a site where management practices are under review. 



Mature plants may be in any of three stages from year-to-year, including flowering, non-flowering 

 (vegetative) and seasonally dormant (persisting belowground). They are only dependably located 

 when they are in flower, or when precise locations are recorded, so that repeat years of monitoring 

 will establish base population numbers. Mature plants do not remain in a vegetative state for more 

 than one year (Arft 1995b, Riedel et al. 1995), but the unknown duration of seasonal dormancy has 

 not been determined. Reports in the literature indicate that Spiranthes magnicamporum may go for 

 20 years without flowering (Magrath 1979 in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1995a). 



Arft (1995b) identified the flowering stage as the critical life history phase among mature plants in 

 plots subject to early-season haying and grazing, as well as to vole herbivory. The information from 

 this previous monitoring study warrants further consideration in its application to this monitoring 

 project. 



Methods 



The monitoring quadrat was established to track the entire population represented in EO#001 . One 

 meter rebar stakes povmded to within 0.3 m of the surface mark the four comers of the plots above 

 the wetland margins. The northern pair of rebar stakes do not quite extend as far north as the 

 population, but are placed within 2 m of the maximum population extent at locations selected for 

 their inconspicuousness among the shrubs in casual observation and non-interference with livestock 

 movement. 



The plot is read like an x,y graph with a 30 meter tape spread along the southern boundary as the "x 

 axis" (facing north), and a 30 m stretched along the northern boundary, for consistent orientation of 

 the "y axis" between tapes. A single tape was moved along the y axis and a meter stick was used to 

 delimit 1 x 1 m areas. Individual plants are mapped by their coordinates to within at least 0.1m 

 within each occupied 1 x 1 m subplot. The numbers of buds (unopened flowers; B), open flowers 

 (F), and fruits (R), and any aborted flowers (a) were recorded per flowering stem. Stems closer than 

 2 cm together were treated as shoots from the same plant. The total number of basal leaves for 

 vegetative plants was noted. Any browsing (b) or trampling (t) were also noted. 



Emergence and bolting of flowering stalks in the population have been staggered over 3-4 weeks 

 (pers. obs.) so monitoring was timed at the end of the emergence period when all late stalks have 

 emerged in bud, and flowering or already matured stalks are still visible (August x, 1996 and 

 September 4, 1997). Some of the plants flowering at the beginning of the period were browsed by 

 the end of the period, but remnants of the plants were still discernible. 



