Print Report
CEGL000688 Quercus emoryi / Sporobolus flexuosus Scrub Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Emory Oak / Mesa Dropseed Scrub Woodland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This broad-leaved evergreen woodland association occurs in the southern Animas Valley in the "Borderlands" area of southwestern New Mexico. The only known occurrence is found on the edge of an old playa lake bottom, at the base of the Animas Mountains foothills. The site receives runoff moisture from the uplands. The substrate is sandy alluvium, which has resulted in a relatively dry soil with little structure or pedogenic development. However, deep, subsurface moisture must be available to support the large oaks. Tall Quercus emoryi trees, similar to individuals growing in riparian areas, dominate the open woodland canopy. Scattered Juniperus deppeana individuals may also be present in the canopy. The moderately dense herbaceous layer is composed of drought-tolerant grasses and forbs, the most abundant of which are the perennial grasses Sporobolus flexuosus and Bouteloua parryi. This association can be distinguished from other Quercus emoryi woodlands by an open tree canopy, no significant shrub cover, and a graminoid-dominated herbaceous layer composed mainly of Sporobolus flexuosus and Bouteloua parryi.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Little is known of the structure and species composition of this association. It is an open woodland, dominated by the broad-leaved evergreen oak Quercus emoryi. The oak has a tall growth form, ''riparian-like,'' similar to that found along draws in the surrounding mountains. Subsurface moisture must be available to support this growth form. The dry, sandy substrate supports drought-tolerant grasses and forbs, the most abundant of which are the perennial grasses Sporobolus flexuosus and Bouteloua parryi. Juniperus deppeana individuals are apparently scattered throughout the site where this association is found, but many are dying.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association occurs in the lower foothills zone of an isolated desert mountain range. Most of the annual precipitation occurs during the summer months as the result of convectional thunderstorms and during winter as occasional rains. Late spring and early summer are typically dry. Summers are hot, and winters can have periods of cold weather and occasional snows.
Only occurrence known is found on the edge of an old playa lake bottom, at the base of the Animas Mountains foothills. The substrate is sandy alluvium, which has resulted in a relatively dry soil with little structure or pedogenic development. Deep, subsurface moisture must be available to support the large oaks.
Only occurrence known is found on the edge of an old playa lake bottom, at the base of the Animas Mountains foothills. The substrate is sandy alluvium, which has resulted in a relatively dry soil with little structure or pedogenic development. Deep, subsurface moisture must be available to support the large oaks.
Geographic Range: Known only from the southern Animas Valley of New Mexico.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NM
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683251
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 1 Forest & Woodland Class | C01 | 1 |
| Subclass | 1.B Temperate & Boreal Forest & Woodland Subclass | S15 | 1.B |
| Formation | 1.B.1 Warm Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F018 | 1.B.1 |
| Division | 1.B.1.Nd Madrean-Balconian Forest & Woodland Division | D060 | 1.B.1.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.1.Nd.1 Alligator Juniper - Mexican Pinyon - Arizona White Oak Madrean Lowland Evergreen Woodland Macrogroup | M010 | 1.B.1.Nd.1 |
| Group | 1.B.1.Nd.1.a Arizona White Oak - Emory Oak - Mexican Blue Oak Woodland Group | G201 | 1.B.1.Nd.1.a |
| Alliance | A3101 Arizona White Oak - Emory Oak - Gray Oak Scrub Woodland Alliance | A3101 | 1.B.1.Nd.1.a |
| Association | CEGL000688 Emory Oak / Mesa Dropseed Scrub Woodland | CEGL000688 | 1.B.1.Nd.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Quercus emoryi / Sporobolus flexuosus PA (Muldavin et al. 1998a)
= Quercus emoryi / Sporobolus flexuosus PA (Bourgeron et al. 1993b)
= Quercus emoryi / Sporobolus flexuosus PA (Bourgeron et al. 1995a)
= Quercus emoryi / Sporobolus flexuosus PA (Bourgeron et al. 1993b)
= Quercus emoryi / Sporobolus flexuosus PA (Bourgeron et al. 1995a)
- Bourgeron, P. S., L. D. Engelking, H. C. Humphries, E. Muldavin, and W. H. Moir. 1993b. Assessing the conservation value of the Gray Ranch: Rarity, diversity and representativeness. Unpublished report prepared for The Nature Conservancy by the Western Heritage Task Force, Boulder, CO. (Volume I and II).
- Bourgeron, P. S., L. D. Engelking, H. C. Humphries, E. Muldavin, and W. H. Moir. 1995a. Assessing the conservation value of the Gray Ranch: Rarity, diversity and representativeness. Desert Plants 11(2-3):3-68.
- Bourgeron, P. S., and L. D. Engelking, editors. 1994. A preliminary vegetation classification of the western United States. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, Western Heritage Task Force, Boulder, CO. 175 pp. plus appendix.
- Muldavin, E., V. Archer, and P. Neville. 1998a. A vegetation map of the Borderlands Ecosystem Management Area. Final report submitted to USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Experiment Station, Flagstaff, AZ, by the New Mexico Natural Heritage Program, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM. 58 pp.
- Reid, M. S., L. S. Engelking, and P. S. Bourgeron. 1994. Rare plant communities of the conterminous United States, Western Region. Pages 305-620 in: D. H. Grossman, K. L. Goodin, and C. L. Reuss, editors. Rare plant communities of the conterminous United States, an initial survey. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.