Date: March 24, 2022, 8:00-8:45 am
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 9°C, calm no wind.
Observations: One of the first things that I noticed on my visit is that the camas lily shoots have begun to come out across the study area. Although they are not in bloom yet, I was able to ID the shoots as camas based on the long and narrow leaves emerging from the base of the plant. The shoots are grass-like up to 2 cm wide and quite long. A couple of the shoot clumps had small florets still in a juvenile form that were waiting to shoot up into the sunshine. It is impossible at this stage to tell if they are great or common camas however, we know for a fact that it is not death camas. Death camas was selectively eliminated in this area by indigenous groups well before settlers came to the land. The camas shoots were not out yet on my last visit.
The second thing that I noticed is that most of the camas shoots have the top half of them shorn off. I did notice that there are some camas shoot clumps that have not been trimmed down yet but those were the exception to the rule. I also noticed that the other flowers such as the purple crocuses and yellow daffodils have not been touched by the deer. Additionally, the grasses surrounding the camas clumps have not been touched. It is possible that camas being selectively targeted by large herbivores (most likely deer) and that they are singling out these plants to eat. It is possible that the deer in the area are no longer afraid to eat this plant as death camas was long ago weeded out. The camas population on campus has been deteriorating for a few decades with this being one of the last strongholds on campus where camas still grows naturally.
One odd thing that I noticed was that on the north side of the study site it appears that camas shoots are growing as individual shoots. I believe that the individual shoots are younger camas plants possibly coming from seed or small root bulbs. These shoots were also shorn down but here some of the surroungding plant matter was also shorn. I am not sure if it was deer or possibly cut down by humans. I know the head of maintenance on campus though so I could always ask if maintenance maybe trimmed some of the plants on this side. I have a feeling that it was herbivory though.
Camas can live up to 20 years and when they are getting old they tend to form dense clumps with fewer flowers as the root bulbs are competing for space and nutrients. This is why the indigenous populations have been cultivating the camas moving the bulbs further apart in the fall so that the populations can thrive at their highest numbers. Camas is a sacred plant as the root bulb is edible and it was a plant that was heavily traded on the Pacific coast.
With these observations, I am wondering if selective herbivory is occurring at this site. Since it is the last stronghold of camas on campus it would be good to know if the large herbivores are specifically targeting this species. I am also wondering if early herbivory affects its reproductive capacity however I do not think this is something I can study as I have to have the class done by the end of may and the reproductive structures are dominant for this plant through the end of May and into June.
- Response Variable: Organism or biological attribute: Camas Lily flower abundance
- Observations of response variable along an environmental gradient: Environmental gradient – what plants are showing signs of being eaten by herbivores and is it to the same degree that the camas is being eaten. Early signs of vase herbivory on camas shoots in the area. Will this early herbivory affect the plants ability to reproduce?
- Underlying process that may cause the pattern observed: Large herbivore selectively targeting camas. Maybe other plants are poisonous or less nutritious. Perhaps the deer no longer fear camas as the death camas variant was cultivated out of the population centuries ago by indigenous peoples. Why would they selectively choose camas over the grasses and other vegetation?
- Hypothesis: Selective herbivory of camas lily is occurring in the native plant garden at Camosun college.
- Formal prediction: Camas lily will show the most signs of herbivory in comparison to the rest of the ground vegetation.
- Variables:
- Potential response variable: plant herbivory
- Potential explanatory variable: eaten vs not eaten (partially or totally eaten leaves, shorn edges, missing plant structures)
