The Audubon Kern River Preserve is a riparian nature reserve owned by the National Audubon Society in the US state of California , near Weldon in Kern County .
55-404: The preserve is located in one of the largest contiguous riparian forests remaining in the state. The 3,000-acre (12 km) preserve provides habitat for rare and Audubon's endangered birds, one of which is the federally listed endangered southwestern willow flycatcher, a subspecies of the willow flycatcher . The preserve is located within a designated Globally Important Bird Area, a program of
110-530: A pseudanthium , or reduced inflorescence , with three flowers that are distinctly either female or male and which are derived from the spadix in the Araceae. Evolution of the duckweed inflorescence remains ambiguous due to the considerable evolutionary reduction of these plants from their earlier relatives. The flower of the duckweed genus Wolffia is the smallest known, measuring merely 0.3 mm long. The fruit produced through this occasional reproduction
165-515: A general store in Kernville, and expanded into Weldon township with the purchase of a second store and a ranch. Brown raised cattle, sheep, hogs and wheat. He built a flour mill in Weldon and later a sawmill near what is now Wofford Heights. Business success enabled Brown to purchase and trade for other ranch and farm land, and he incorporated all his interests into the A. Brown Company in 1901. Brown
220-534: A role in conservation of water because a cover of duckweed will reduce evaporation of water when compared to the rate of a similarly sized water body with a clear surface. Duckweed also functions as a bioremediator by effectively filtering contaminants such as bacteria, nitrogen, phosphates, and other nutrients from naturally occurring bodies of water, constructed wetlands, and wastewater. A start-up, microTERRA, based in Mexico has attempted to use duckweed to clean
275-503: A taxonomic mystery, and usually have been considered to be their own family, the Lemnaceae. They primarily reproduce asexually. Flowers, if present at all, are small. Roots are either very much reduced, or absent entirely. They were suspected of being related to the Araceae as long ago as 1876, but until the advent of molecular phylogeny , testing this hypothesis was difficult. Starting in 1995, studies began to confirm their placement in
330-653: A visitor center, a self-guided nature trail, monthly nature events, monthly volunteer work days and a variety of festivals during the year. The Preserve is located on the former cattle ranch of Andrew Brown, which dates to the 1860s. The ranch was bought by The Nature Conservancy in 1979 and the deed transferred to National Audubon Society in 1998. Andrew Brown was born in Ireland in 1829, arrived in California in 1852, and eventually settled in Kern County. He operated
385-427: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Duckweed Lemnaceae Lemnoideae is a subfamily of flowering aquatic plants , known as duckweeds , water lentils , or water lenses . They float on or just beneath the surface of still or slow-moving bodies of fresh water and wetlands . Also known as bayroot , they arose from within the arum or aroid family ( Araceae ), so often are classified as
440-603: Is a utricle , and a seed is produced in a bag containing air that facilitates flotation. One of the more important factors influencing the distribution of wetland plants, and aquatic plants in particular, is nutrient availability. Duckweeds tend to be associated with fertile, even eutrophic conditions. They can be spread by sticking to the feathers of waterfowl and the skin or fur of other amphibious animals, and thus transported inadvertently to new bodies of water. The plants may also be transported by flooding or other moving water. In water bodies with constant currents or overflow,
495-713: Is a cooperative conservation agreement between federal, state and private entities modeled after the joint venture projects of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. It was started in 1994 by Partners in flight . It took eight years, working with multiple agencies, to form the conservation easement for the Hafenfeld Ranch. The South Fork Kern River is the heart of the preserve and the South Fork Valley. The river begins at elevation 10,400 feet (3,200 m) in
550-689: Is a forested or wooded area of land adjacent to a body of water such as a river , stream , pond , lake , marshland , estuary , canal , sink or reservoir . The term riparian comes from the Latin word ripa , 'river bank'; technically it only refers to areas adjacent to flowing bodies of water such as rivers, streams, sloughs and estuaries. However, the terms riparian forest and riparian zone have come to include areas adjacent to non-flowing bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, playas and reservoirs. Riparian forests are subject to frequent inundation . Riparian forests help control sediment , reduce
605-444: Is a good candidate as a biofuel because it grows rapidly, produces five to six times as much starch as corn per unit of area, and does not contribute to global warming . The rapid nature of duckweed has shown that it can double biomass within four and a half days. Duckweed removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and it may have value for climate change mitigation . The plants can provide nitrate removal, if cropped, and
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#1732780037447660-458: Is adapted to rapid growth and an aquatic lifestyle. Duckweed is being studied by researchers around the world as a possible source of clean energy. In the U.S., in addition to being the subject of study by the DOE, both Rutgers University and North Carolina State University have ongoing projects to determine whether duckweed might be a source of cost-effective, clean, renewable energy . Duckweed
715-576: Is also cultivated as a vegetable in Israel . It produces more protein per square meter than soybeans , so sometimes it is cited as a significant potential food source. Some initial investigations, into what extent duckweed could be introduced to European markets, show little consumer objection to the idea. NASA 's Caves of Mars Project identified duckweed as a top candidate for Martian food production projects. Despite some of these benefits, because duckweed thrives in high-nutrient wetland environments,
770-533: Is unique in California, as three of the ten floristic provinces in the nation meet and overlap here. The floristic provinces are: Great Basin Desert , Mojave Desert, and Californian Province (in which one finds numerous ecotypes: grassland, riparian forest, oak woodland, interior chaparral, mixed conifer, sequoia, red fir, subalpine.) The resulting diversity is evident in the numbers of species: There are 31 species dragonfly , of and 53 species of butterfly , including
825-668: The Inyo National Forest at Mulkey Meadows, named after Cyrus Mulkey, sheriff of Inyo County, California from 1871 to 1874. The river flows down the South Fork Valley, through the Audubon Kern River Preserve to Lake Isabella at 2,605 feet (794 m) elevation. The South Fork Valley, only a few miles wide and 15 miles (24 km) in length, is at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in northeastern Kern County. Although
880-828: The Miocene of the Czech Republic . Unusually complete specimens from the Paleocene of Alberta , Canada, range from single leaves up to about 4 cm (1.6 in) in diameter to rosettes of up to four leaves, some of which were connected to adjacent plants by stolons , and a few of which bear remains of flowers with anthers that contain Pandaniidites pollen. Occurrences of lemnoid seeds described as Lemnospermum have also been reported. Research and applications of duckweeds are promoted by two international organizations, The International Lemna Association and
935-773: The University of Minnesota studied migration of hummingbirds at the preserve. Mitchell is a federally permitted hummingbird bander and has served as Vice President of the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. Audubon's Kern River Preserve hosts four festivals annually, monthly nature education programs, and monthly volunteer days. The preserve is open sunrise to sunset all year, including holidays. US Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Program. Dirkson, Diane and James, Recreational Lakes of California 12th ed. Recreation Sales Publishing 1999 Riparian forest A riparian forest or riparian woodland
990-519: The W. M. Keck Foundation . The Nature Conservancy acquired adjacent acreage through a program of land trades which swapped pasture land parcels for riparian forest parcels with nearby Sprague Ranch and the Prince Ranch in 1980. The preserve now bordered the Army Corps of Engineers' (now Sequoia National Forest) South Fork Wildlife Area on the west and the eastern end of Lake Isabella where
1045-446: The brown-crested flycatcher , a cavity-nester; the yellow warbler , the yellow-breasted chat , and the southwestern willow flycatcher. The federally listed endangered southwestern willow flycatcher has small populations in the preserve and is closely monitored by Audubon volunteers and staff. The US Fish and Wildlife Service designated critical habitat for the southwestern willow flycatcher which includes 9.6 miles (15.4 km) of
1100-552: The 26-acre (110,000 m) Vig property was purchased by Audubon, and November 20, the 80-acre (320,000 m) Pond Ranch sale closed a gap between Fay Ranch Road and Sierra Way Road. The Pond Ranch purchase added one-quarter mile of the South Fork Kern River frontage to the preserve In addition to real estate purchases, the Audubon California organization continues to work with private land owners in
1155-586: The Alexander Ranch that flanks the South Fork Kern River was completed with funds from the Resources Legacy Foundation. The riverfront property has nesting sites of vermilion flycatchers , yellow warblers , Bullock's orioles and southwestern willow flycatcher. The land is in good condition, with ponds of duckweed and other wetland plants that harbor several pond turtles. There were two land acquisitions in 2009: On August 28,
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#17327800374471210-458: The Araceae and since then, most systematists consider them to be part of that family. Their position within their family has been slightly less clear; however, several twenty-first century studies place them in the position shown below. Although they are in the same family as Pistia , another aquatic plant, they are not closely related. Gymnostachydoideae Orontioideae (skunk cabbages and golden club) Lemnoideae (duckweeds) most of
1265-518: The Fish and Wildlife Foundation. As of July 2010, 17 juvenile turtles were released from captivity. This process is known as headstarting , where hatchlings are raised in captivity until they are large enough to avoid predators and then released to the wild. The Southern Sierra Research Station, a non-profit organization, conducts research at the preserve on the western yellow-billed cuckoo and southwestern willow flycatcher. Biologist Donald Mitchell from
1320-726: The International Steering Committee on Duckweed Research and Applications. In July 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute announced that the Community Sequencing Program would fund sequencing of the genome of the giant duckweed, Spirodela polyrhiza . This was a priority project for DOE in 2009. The research was intended to facilitate new biomass and bioenergy programs. The results were published in February 2014. They provide insight into how this plant
1375-753: The Kern River Preserve. There are three species of amphibians and 24 species of reptiles, including the common garter snake , California kingsnake , several lizard species and the California toad . The only venomous snake at the preserve is the Northern Pacific rattlesnake . Also found at the preserve is the Pacific pond turtle , a species of concern in California and listed as endangered in Washington state . The South Fork Valley
1430-477: The National Audubon Society with its partner BirdLife International to identify and protect critical avian habitats. The South Fork Kern River, designated a national Wild and Scenic River since 1987. flows down the South Fork Valley, through the Kern River Preserve and then into Lake Isabella . The South Fork is the source for irrigation water for agriculture and the rare riparian forests of
1485-499: The South Fork Kern River Valley. It is one of four subspecies of Bell's vireo , which disappeared from California's Central Valley by the 1960s, and has been federally listed as endangered since 1986. The US Fish and Wildlife Service's 5-year review of least Bell's vireo, dated September 2006, attributes the primary cause of population declines to loss of riparian habitat in California. Another threat listed by
1540-423: The South Fork Kern River and excludes Hafenfeld Ranch which has the conservation easement in place. Another notable bird is the summer tanager . The summer tanager breeds in lowlands along streams and is known as a bee and wasp specialist . The summer tanager will remove the bee's stinger before ingesting by rubbing the bee on a branch. The least Bell's vireo is a species that will hopefully reestablish nesting in
1595-645: The South Fork Kern River enters the reservoir. In 1981, a fence was constructed to protect the streamside vegetation from grazing cattle. On March 31, 2005, Audubon California chapter and California Department of Fish and Game bought 4,358 acres (17.64 km) of the Sprague Ranch. The purchase was in part to mitigate for the flooding of the South Fork Wildlife Area from Lake Isabella during high water years and resulting loss of willow flycatcher habitat. A total of 1,640 acres (6.6 km)
1650-532: The South Fork Kern River, as well as the surrounding counties and in the state of Nevada. It is a perennial bulb that blooms in April and May, and is threatened by grazing, trampling, road construction, urbanization and horticultural collecting. Water diversions can also impact this primarily wetland species. The streamside habitat provides nesting sites for riparian-dependent bird species: The federally threatened western yellow-billed cuckoo , endangered in California;
1705-568: The South Fork Valley on conservation issues. Bruce Hafenfeld, of the California Cattlemen's Association, operates a family ranch raising commercial calves and cows on both private property and public lands on a federal grazing allotment. Hafenfeld has entered into a perpetual conservation easement with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) to ensure
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1760-471: The University of California, Berkeley from 1908 until his death in 1939. Grinnell undertook a biological survey project in 1908, which lasted 30 years and covered more than 700 locations in the state of California. The resulting database has more than 20,000 specimens, 13,000 pages of field notes, and 2,000 photographs. The Grinnell Survey database is one of the most comprehensive collections of its kind in
1815-586: The alkali skipper ( grass skipper ) and the rare San Emigdio blue butterfly. The San Emigdio blue butterfly is a species of concern due to its limited local range consisting of Southern California from Inyo County south through the Mojave Desert , San Joaquin Valley , Bouquet and Mint canyons of Los Angeles County . Joseph Grinnell was one of the founding directors of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at
1870-429: The damaging effects of flooding and aid in stabilizing stream banks . Riparian zones are transition zones between an upland terrestrial environment and an aquatic environment. Organisms found in this zone are adapted to periodic flooding. Many not only tolerate it, but require it in order to maintain health and complete their lifestyles. Threats to riparian forests: This article about environmental habitats
1925-567: The distribution of this type of riparian forest as "Formerly extensive along the major low-gradient (depositional) streams throughout the Great Valley, but [are] now reduced to scattered, isolated remnants or young stands because of flood control, water diversion, agricultural development, and urban expansion..." Rare wildflowers include the alkali mariposa lily . Listed by California Native Plant Society as "rare, threatened or endangered in California and elsewhere", it has been observed near
1980-571: The duckweeds are important in the process of bioremediation because they grow rapidly, absorbing excess mineral nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphates . For these reasons, they are touted as water purifiers of untapped value. The Swiss Department of Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries, associated with the Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology, asserts that as well as
2035-438: The food and agricultural values, duckweed also may be used for wastewater treatment to capture toxins and for odor control, and that if a mat of duckweed is maintained during harvesting for removal of the toxins captured thereby, it prevents the development of algae and controls the breeding of mosquitoes . The same publication provides an extensive list of references for many duckweed-related topics. These plants also may play
2090-418: The largest genome size (1,500 MB). DNA sequencing has shown that Wolffiella and Wolffia are more closely related than the others. Spirodela is at the basal position of the taxon, followed by Lemna , Wolffiella , and Wolffia , which is the most derived. Spirodela Lemna Wolffiella Wolffia To identify different duckweed genomes, a DNA-based molecular identification system
2145-466: The lemnoid pollen genus Pandaniidites . Fossils of floating leaves with rootlets from the Paleocene of southern Saskatchewan , Canada , that were originally described as Lemna ( Spirodela ) scutata by John William Dawson in 1885, have been redescribed as Limnobiophyllum . In addition to western North America, Limnobiophyllum has been reported from the Paleocene of eastern Russia and
2200-458: The plants are carried down the channels and do not typically proliferate greatly, as they prefer still waters. However, in some locations, a cyclical pattern exists, driven by weather patterns, in which the plants proliferate greatly during periods of low water movement before they are carried away as rainy periods ensue. Duckweed is an important, high- protein food source for waterfowl and many species of fish . The tiny plants provide cover for
2255-545: The plants can be seen as a nuisance species when conditions favor excessive proliferation in environments that are traditionally low in nutrients or oligotrophic . One example of this problem occurs within the Everglades , a mostly oligotrophic environment, when excess chemicals (that include fertilizers) are carried by storm runoff, or surface runoff , into its waterways. Urban runoff and agricultural pollution then begin to introduce increased levels of nutrients into
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2310-520: The property is maintained as a working ranch. "We developed a management plan for 1.3 acres along the Kern River Preserve, went after a wetland reserve grant, and developed habitat that increased opportunities for species to come onto my land. We were trying to show that we were not a liability, but an asset." Hafenfeld said, speaking at the 2007 Conference of the Riparian Habitat Joint Venture. The Riparian Habitat Joint Venture
2365-440: The rest of the family Araceae The genera of duckweeds are: Spirodela , Landoltia , Lemna , Wolffiella , and Wolffia . Duckweed genome sizes have a ten-fold range (150~1,500 MB), potentially representing diploids to octaploids . The ancestral genus of Spirodela has the smallest genome size (150 MB, similar to Arabidopsis thaliana ), while the most derived genus, Wolffia , contains plants with
2420-487: The resurvey of California are completed, including Yosemite National Park , and show changing trends in wildlife territory and range; some expanding, some contracting and some species moving to higher elevations. A subspecies of the Pacific (western) pond turtle is the southern Pacific pond turtle ( Actinemys marmorata pallida ). A project for headstarting pond turtle hatchlings on the preserve began in 2006 with grants from
2475-678: The review is from the brown-headed cowbird which lays its eggs in other birds' nests, called brood parasiteism . The Southern Sierra Research Station, which conducts research on the Kern River Preserve, has a cowbird eradication program which has reduced the rate of parasitism to 20 percent from 60 to 70 percent (percentage of willow flycatcher nests studied by Southern Sierra Research Station staff). Common mammals include mule deer, coyote, dusky-footed woodrat , long-tailed weasel , California ground squirrel, American black bear, and bobcat. Uncommon species include mountain lion and an introduced species of beaver. There are 50 species of mammals found on
2530-458: The subfamily Lemnoideae within the family Araceae. Other classifications, particularly those created prior to the end of the twentieth century, place them as a separate family, Lemnaceae . These plants have a simple structure, lacking an obvious stem or leaves . The greater part of each plant is a small organized " thallus " or " frond " structure only a few cells thick, often with air pockets ( aerenchyma ) that allow it to float on or just under
2585-471: The surrounding wetlands and waterways, which can cause a disruption to native ecology. These conditions allow for the invasion of a fast growing species such as duckweed to establish themselves, spread, and displace other native species such as sawgrass , and over time, result in widespread changes to the ecology of native sawgrass and slough habitats within the Everglades. The duckweeds have long been
2640-642: The valley was the first area settled in the county, it contains the largest contiguous riparian forest still remaining in the state. There are several types of riparian forest, the South Fork Valley has the Great Valley Cottonwood Forest, distinguished by a majority of Fremont cottonwood and willow tree species. The understory is dense with wild rose and shade-tolerant Oregon ash. The soils are fine-grained alluvial with annual river flooding that maintains fertility. The University of California, Santa Barbara 's Biogeography Lab report describes
2695-661: The valley. The river's upper reaches have populations of golden trout , California's state fish. The golden trout is being reviewed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service for listing under the Endangered Species Act . Scientific research studies are conducted at the Kern River Preserve, including the Grinnell Resurvey Project, a 2008-09 resurvey by University of California, Berkeley students of zoologist Joseph Grinnell 's 1914 landmark survey of California species. The preserve features
2750-437: The vulnerable fry and tadpoles of many fishes and amphibians . The plants are used as shelter by pond species, such as bullfrogs and newts , and fish such as bluegills . They also provide shade and, although frequently confused with them, can reduce certain light-generated growths of photoautotrophic algae . Duckweed is consumed in some parts of Southeast Asia, namely Laos , Thailand , and Myanmar . In addition, it
2805-415: The water surface. Depending on the species, each plant may have no root or may have one or more simple rootlets. Reproduction is mostly by asexual budding ( vegetative reproduction ), which occurs from a meristem enclosed at the base of the frond. Occasionally, three tiny "flowers" consisting of two stamens and a pistil are produced, by which sexual reproduction occurs. Some view this "flower" as
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#17327800374472860-630: The world. A resurvey of Grinnell's original route was begun by the museum to research, document and model changes in the distribution and habits of animal species in the timespan between the early 1900s and the current century. The Kern River Valley area, called the Whitney transect, was studied in June and September 2008 and in May 2009 by the resurvey teams. The original Grinnell 1911-1914 field notes are online and searchable. (See External links section.) Parts of
2915-484: Was added to the preserve, the remaining 2,718 acres (11.00 km) of Sprague Ranch went to California Department of Fish and Game. Funding was provided by US Army Corps of Engineers; California Wildlife Conservation Board; and the National Audubon Society from a grant from the Packard Foundation 's Conserving California's Landscape Initiative. On January 31, 2006, the purchase of 105 acres (0.42 km) of
2970-559: Was company president until his death in 1909. The Brown family continued operations until the 1970s. when the heirs sold the Brown Ranch to the Kern County Land and Cattle Company. Development of the property was a possibility, however, The Nature Conservancy moved quickly to purchase 1,600 acres (6.5 km) of the ranch. The purchase was accomplished in 1979 with funds from donors, two of which were Getty Oil Company and
3025-748: Was developed based on seven plastid -markers proposed by the Consortium for the Barcode of Life . The atpF-atpH non-coding spacer was chosen as a universal DNA barcoding marker for species-level identification of duckweeds. Extinct free-floating aquatic plants and pollen with affinities to the Lemnoideae first appear in the fossil record during the Late Cretaceous ( Maastrichtian ) as evidenced by floating leaves described as Aquaephyllum auriculatum from Patagonia , Argentina , and
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