Ecology of The Sierra Nevada - Special-Status Species

Special-Status Species

There are at least 1,300 vascular plant species in the Sierra Nevada, along with numerous bryophytes and lichens. There are at least 450 species of vertebrate animals. A total of 135 plant species in the Sierra Nevada have status as Threatened, Endangered, or Sensitive

Plants that are Federal species of concern (former Category 2 species) under the Federal Endangered Species Act include:

1. Three-bracted Onion (Allium tribracteatum),
2. Yosemite Woolly Sunflower (Eriophyllum nubigenum),
3. Congdon's Lomatium (Lomatium congdonii),
4. Tiehm's Rock-cress (Arabis tiehmii),
5. Slender-stemmed Monkeyflower (Mimulus filicaulis), and
6. Bolander's Clover (Trifolium bolanderi).

Although Category 2 was abolished in 1996, species of concern is an informal term that refers to those species that might be declining or be in need of concentrated conservation actions to prevent decline. Therefore, these six species continue to be evaluated and managed by the National Park Service.

Four state-listed rare plant species are considered restricted and limited throughout all or a significant portion of their range, and may represent disjunct populations at the extreme end of their range:

1. Yosemite Onion (Allium yosemitense),
2. Tompkin's Sedge (Carex tompkinsii),
3. Congdon's Woolly Sunflower (Eriophyllum congdonii), and
4. Congdon's Lewisia (Lewisia congdonii).

Endangered or threatened species of animals that occur in the Sierra Nevada include:

1. Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep
2. California Condor
3. Southwestern Willow Flycatcher
4. Paiute Cutthroat Trout
5. Lahontan Cutthroat Trout
6. Owens Tui chub (Gila bicolor)