Assessing Species Vulnerability

The endangered Bradshaw’s desert-parsley (Lomatium bradshawii) is believed to be moderately vulnerable and highly sensitive to climate change (photo: DNR).
 Endangered Lomatium bradshawii (yellow) is
 believed to be moderately vulnerable and  highly
sensitive to climate change (photo: DNR).

The aim of NatureServe’s Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI)   is to provide a means of rapidly distinguishing species likely to be most vulnerable to change, defined as the degree to which a species is susceptible to detrimental change (Young et al. 2012). The index considers two primary components of a species’ vulnerability to climate change: exposure to changes in climate and sensitivity of the species to changes in climate.
 
The CCVI scores a species on 17 factors related to its anticipated vulnerability to climate change, such as dispersal ability and habitat specificity. Vulnerability incorporates a species' sensitivity, exposure, and adaptive capacity (Dawson et al. 2011 ). Four factors addressing indirect exposure to climate change, such as presence in areas likely to be affected by rising sea levels are also evaluated. When available, documented responses to climate change (from prior field and/or modeling studies) are also included. The outcome is one of six possible Index categories: three degrees of “Vulnerable” (Extremely, Highly, Moderately), two degrees of “Not Vulnerable” (Presumed Stable, Increase Likely), and “Insufficient Evidence”. The Index also provides a report on the key factors that have contributed to the ranking, which can help inform conservation actions.
 
The results are summarized in the table, below, and reports are available for each of the species. Additional species will be added as assessments are completed for them. Species are listed alphabetically by scientific name.
 
Click on a species' CCVI score to open the assessment report (PDF).
 
  Element
  Scientific Name		   Element
  Common Name		   CCVI
  Score
Vascular Plants    
Achnatherum richardsonii Richardson's needlegrass Moderately Vulnerable
Actaea laciniata Mt. Hood bugbane Highly Vulnerable
Agoseris aurantiaca var. carnea pink Agoseris Extremely Vulnerable
Agrostis mertensii northern bentgrass Extremely Vulnerable
Allium campanulatum Sierra onion Less Vulnerable
Allium constrictum constricted onion Moderately Vulnerable
Allium dictuon Blue Mountain onion Presumed Stable
Anemone patens var. multifida pasqueflower Highly Vulnerable
Antennaria corymbosa meadow pussytoes Highly Vulnerable
Arabis olympica Olympic rockcress Highly Vulnerable
Arcteranthis cooleyae Cooley's buttercup Moderately Vulnerable
Artemisia campestris var. wormskioldii Wormskiold's northern
wormwood		 Moderately Vulnerable
Astragalus arrectus Palouse milkvetch Moderately Vulnerable
Astragalus arthurii Arthur's milkvetch Moderately Vulnerable
Astragalus asotinensis Asotin milkvetch Highly Vulnerable
Astragalus australis var. cottonii Cotton's milkvetch Highly Vulnerable
Astragalus columbianus Columbia milkvetch Moderately Vulnerable
Astragalus microcystis least bladdery milkvetch Moderately Vulnerable
Astragalus misellus var. pauper pauper milkvetch Moderately Vulnerable
Astragalus sinuatus Whited's milk-vetch Presumed Stable
Bolandra oregana Oregon bolandra Moderately Vulnerable
Botrychium lineare skinny moonwort Presumed Stable
Botrychium michiganense Michigan moonwort Highly Vulnerable
Botrychium paradoxum two-spiked moonwort Presumed Stable
Campanula lasiocarpa Alaska harebell Moderately Vulnerable
Carex anthoxanthea yellow-flowered sedge Moderately Vulnerable
Carex chordorrhiza cordfoot sedge Highly Vulnerable
Carex circinata coiled sedge Moderately Vulnerable
Carex heteroneura smooth-fruited sedge Highly Vulnerable
Carex media intermediate sedge Extremely Vulnerable
Carex obtusata blunt sedge Highly Vulnerable
Carex pauciflora few-flowered sedge Highly Vulnerable
Carex proposita Smoky Mountain sedge Moderately Vulnerable
Carex rostrata beaked sedge Highly Vulnerable
Carex scirpoidea ssp. scirpoidea Canadian single-spike sedge Extremely Vulnerable
Carex sychnocephala many-headed sedge Moderately Vulnerable
Carex tenuiflora sparse-flowered sedge Highly Vulnerable
Carex vallicola valley sedge Highly Vulnerable
Cassiope lycopodioides clubmoss cassiope Extremely Vulnerable
Castilleja cryptantha obscure paintbrush Highly Vulnerable
Castilleja levisecta golden paintbrush Highly Vulnerable
Chaenactis thompsonii Thompson's chaenactis Moderately Vulnerable
Chrysolepis chrysophylla var. chrysophylla golden chinquapin Moderately Vulnerable
Chrysosplenium tetrandrum northern golden-carpet Moderately Vulnerable
Cicuta bulbifera bulb-bearing water-hemlock Moderately Vulnerable
Cirsium remotifolium var. remotifolium weak thistle Highly Vulnerable
Claytonia multiscapa ssp. pacifica Pacific lanceleaved springbeauty Highly Vulnerable
Collinsia sparsiflora var. sparsiflora few-flower blue-eyed Mary Extremely Vulnerable
Coptis aspleniifolia spleenwort-leaved goldthread Moderately Vulnerable
Corydalis aquae-gelidae Clackamas corydalis Moderately Vulnerable
Cryptantha leucophaea gray cryptantha Moderately Vulnerable
Cryptantha rostellata beaked cryptantha Moderately Vulnerable
Cryptantha spiculifera Snake River cryptantha Moderately Vulnerable
Cryptogramma stelleri Steller’s rockbrake Extremely Vulnerable
Cypripedium parviflorum yellow lady's-slipper Moderately Vulnerable
Dactylorhiza viridis long-bract frog orchid Highly Vulnerable
Damasonium californicum fringed water-plantain) Moderately Vulnerable
Delphinium viridescens Wenatchee larkspur Moderately Vulnerable
Dendrolycopodium dendroideum treelike clubmoss Moderately Vulnerable
Dodecatheon austrofrigidum frigid shooting-star Moderately Vulnerable
Draba cana lance-leaved draba Extremely Vulnerable
Draba taylori Taylor's draba Highly Vulnerable
Dryopteris cristata crested shield-fern Extremely Vulnerable
Epilobium mirabile Olympic Mountain willowherb Highly Vulnerable
Erigeron aliceae Alice's fleabane Moderately Vulnerable
Erigeron basalticus basalt daisy Moderately Vulnerable
Erigeron howellii Howell's daisy Presumed Stable
Erigeron salishii Salish fleabane Moderately Vulnerable
Eriogonum codium Umtanum desert buckwheat Moderately Vulnerable
Eriophorum viridicarinatum green keeled cottongrass Moderately Vulnerable
Eritrichium argenteum pale alpine forget-me-not Highly Vulnerable
Eryngium petiolatum Oregon coyote-thistle Moderately Vulnerable
Erythranthe pulsiferae Pulsifer's monkeyflower Moderately Vulnerable
Erythranthe suksdorfii Suksdorf's monkeyflower Extremely Vulnerable
Erythronium quinaultense Quinault fawn-lily Presumed Stable
Eurybia merita subalpine aster Highly Vulnerable
Gaultheria hispidula creeping snowberry Moderately Vulnerable
Gentiana douglasiana swamp gentian Highly Vulnerable
Geum rivale water avens Extremely Vulnerable
Geum rossii var. depressum Ross' avens Highly Vulnerable
Githopsis specularioides common bluecup Highly Vulnerable
Hackelia cinerea gray stickseed Highly Vulnerable
Hackelia hispida var. disjuncta sagebrush stickseed Moderately Vulnerable
Hackelia taylorii Taylor's stickseed Highly Vulnerable
Hackelia venusta showy stickseed Moderately Vulnerable
Hedysarum occidentale western hedysarum Highly Vulnerable
Heterotheca oregona Oregon goldenaster Moderately Vulnerable
Howellia aquatilis water howellia Highly Vulnerable
Iliamna longisepala longsepal globemallow Presumed Stable
Impatiens noli-tangere western jewel-weed Moderately Vulnerable
Isoetes minima midget quillwort Extremely Vulnerable
Isoetes nuttallii Nuttall’s quillwort Extremely Vulnerable
Juncus howellii Howell's rush Moderately Vulnerable
Juncus tiehmii Tiehm’s rush Moderately Vulnerable
Juncus uncialis inch-high rush Moderately Vulnerable
Kalmia procumbens alpine azalea Extremely Vulnerable
Lathrocasis tenerrima delicate gilia Highly Vulnerable
Leptosiphon bolanderi Baker's linanthus Less Vulnerable
Lomatium bradshawii Bradshaw's desert-parsley Moderately Vulnerable
Lomatium knokei Knoke’s desert-parsley Highly Vulnerable
Lomatium laevigatum smooth desert-parsley Moderately Vulnerable
Lomatium lithosolamans Hoover's tauschia Moderately Vulnerable
Lomatium rollinsii Rollins’ desert-parsley Extremely Vulnerable
Lomatium roneorum Rone’s biscuitroot Highly Vulnerable
Lomatium serpentinum Snake Canyon desert-parsley Highly Vulnerable
Lomatium suksdorfii Suksdorf's desert-parsley Presumed Stable
Lomatium tuberosum Hoover's desert-parsley Moderately Vulnerable
Lupinus oreganus var. kincaidii Kincaid's sulfur lupine Presumed Stable
Luzula arcuata ssp. unalaschcensis curved woodrush Highly Vulnerable
Micranthes tischii Tisch's saxifrage Highly Vulnerable
Muhlenbergia glomerata marsh muhly Moderately Vulnerable
Myosurus alopecuroides foxtail mousetail Moderately Vulnerable
Navarretia tagetina marigold navarretia Moderately Vulnerable
Nicotiana attenuata coyote tobacco Less Vulnerable
Orthocarpus bracteosus rosy owl's-clover Highly Vulnerable
Oxytropis campestris var. gracilis slender crazyweed Highly Vulnerable
Oxytropis campestris var. wanapum Wanapum crazyweed Moderately Vulnerable
Packera porteri Porter's butterweed Highly Vulnerable
Parnassia kotzebuei Kotzebue's grass-of-Parnassus Highly Vulnerable
Pedicularis pulchella mountain lousewort Extremely Vulnerable
Pedicularis rainierensis Mt. Rainier lousewort Highly Vulnerable
Pediocactus nigrispinus snowball cactus Moderately Vulnerable
Pellaea brachyptera Sierra cliffbrake Moderately Vulnerable
Pellaea breweri Brewer's cliffbrake Moderately Vulnerable
Penstemon barrettiae Barrett's beardtongue Presumed Stable
Penstemon eriantherus var. whitedii Whited's fuzzytongue penstemon Moderately Vulnerable
Penstemon pennellianus Blue Mountain beardtongue Moderately Vulnerable
Penstemon wilcoxii Wilcox's beardtongue Moderately Vulnerable
Petrophytum caespitosum ssp. caespitosum Rocky Mountain rockmat Highly Vulnerable
Petrophytum cinerascens Chelan rockmat Moderately Vulnerable
Phacelia lenta sticky phacelia Moderately Vulnerable
Phlox solivaga yeti phlox Extremely Vulnerable
Physaria douglasii ssp. tuplashensis White Bluffs bladderpod Moderately Vulnerable
Polemonium carneum great polemonium Less Vulnerable
Polemonium pectinatum Washington polemonium Moderately Vulnerable
Polemonium viscosum skunk polemonium Extremely Vulnerable
Polyctenium fremontii Fremont's combleaf Moderately Vulnerable
Polygonum austiniae Austin's knotweed Highly Vulnerable
Polystichum californicum California swordfern Moderately Vulnerable
Potentilla breweri Brewer’s cinquefoil Extremely Vulnerable
Potentilla nivea snow cinquefoil Extremely Vulnerable
Pyrrocoma hirta var. sonchifolia sticky goldenwed Moderately Vulnerable
Ranunculus californicus California buttercup Moderately Vulnerable
Ranunculus populago mountain buttercup Moderately Vulnerable
Ribes cereum var. colubrinum wax currant Highly Vulnerable
Ribes oxyacanthoides var. irriguum Idaho gooseberry Extremely Vulnerable
Ribes wolfii wolf’s currant Moderately Vulnerable
Rubus arcticus ssp. acaulis nagoonberry Moderately Vulnerable
Sabulina basaltica Olympic Mountain sandwort Highly Vulnerable
Sabulina nuttallii var. fragilis Nuttall’s sandwort Moderately Vulnerable
Sabulina sororia Twin Sisters sandwort Highly Vulnerable
Salix candida hoary willow Highly Vulnerable
Salix glauca var. villosa glaucous willow Moderately Vulnerable
Salix maccalliana MacCalla's willow Highly Vulnerable
Salix pseudomonticola false mountain willow Moderately Vulnerable
Sanicula arctopoides bear's-foot sanicle Moderately Vulnerable
Saxifraga cernua nodding saxifrage Highly Vulnerable
Scribneria bolanderi Scribner's grass Moderately Vulnerable
Sericocarpus oregonensis ssp. oregonensis Oregon white-top aster Moderately Vulnerable
Sidalcea hirtipes hairy-stemmed checker-mallow Moderately Vulnerable
Sidalcea nelsoniana Nelson's checker-mallow Presumed Stable
Sidalcea oregana var. calva Wenatchee Mountain
checker-mallow		 Highly Vulnerable
Silene seelyi Seely’s catchfly Moderately Vulnerable
Silene spaldingii Spalding's silene Moderately Vulnerable
Sisyrinchium montanum var. montanum strict blue-eyed-grass Extremely Vulnerable
Sisyrinchium sarmentosum pale blue-eyed grass Highly Vulnerable
Spartina pectinata prairie cordgrass Moderately Vulnerable
Spiranthes diluvialis Ute ladies' tresses Moderately Vulnerable
Sullivantia oregana Oregon sullivantia Moderately Vulnerable
Swertia perennis swertia Moderately Vulnerable
Thelypodium sagittatum ssp. sagittatum arrow thelypody Moderately Vulnerable
Trifolium douglasii Douglas' clover Moderately Vulnerable
Trifolium thompsonii Thompson's clover Presumed Stable
Trillium albidum ssp. parviflorum small-flowered trillium Moderately Vulnerable
Utricularia intermedia flat-leaved bladderwort Moderately Vulnerable
Vaccinium myrtilloides velvetleaf blueberry Moderately Vulnerable
Veronica dissecta ssp. lanuginosa cut-leaf synthyris Highly Vulnerable
 
 
RELEVANT RESOURCES
 
 
 
 
 
Young B.E., Hall K.R., Byers E., Gravuer K., Hammerson G., Redder A., and Szabo K. 2012. Rapid assessment of plant and animal vulnerability to climate change. In: J. Brodie, E. Post, and D. Doak, editors. Wildlife Conservation in a Changing Climate. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p 129-152.