Activity 2.1 Intensive native grassland sampling (Bennett/Prager/Cattani/Gibbs)

To develop the ecosystem service indicators and identify their relationship with plant diversity, we will intensively study at least 12 native grasslands, although this number may increase if sites containing all focal species cannot be found. To select appropriate sites for our study, we will work with our partner organizations to identify sites managed by these groups or their members that contain the species of interest. In addition to working with our partners, we will use publicly available resources to identify observations of the focal species (e.g., iNaturalist, Global Biodiversity Information Facility). Observations of the five focal species selected in Act1.1 will be integrated to identify potential sampling sites where the range of all focal species overlap. Potential sites will be surveyed by one of three teams of students (one graduate plus one undergraduate student) to determine whether the populations of the focal species are sufficiently large for sampling (>20 individuals). As the sites are likely to cover significant geographic area and the flowering windows are time sensitive, student teams will be assigned one of three regions (southern Manitoba, southern Saskatchewan & Alberta, and central Saskatchewan & Alberta), although the precise regions will depend on the location of the potential sites. Sites with less than 15 mature individuals per species for at least three focal species will be excluded from sampling.