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CEGL001043 Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis / Elymus elymoides Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Wyoming Big Sagebrush / Squirreltail Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: Little environmental information is available for this association. Some authorities believe that this association is either ecotonal or the result of grazing or burning other types of sagebrush shrublands. Documented sites occur between 1689 and 2134 m (5540-7000 feet) elevation on gentle to moderate slopes in northwestern Colorado, northeastern Nevada, southern Idaho and possibly in eastern Idaho and southeastern Oregon. Aspect is not important in determining the distribution of this association. Soils are deep and well-developed and may have a loam or clay loam texture. The unvegetated surface is dominated by bare soil, with little litter present in grazed stands. The vegetation of this sagebrush shrubland is characterized by an open layer of Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis with between 20 and 35% cover, and a mixed grass understory dominated or codominated by Elymus elymoides with between 5 and 15% cover. Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, Purshia tridentata, Sarcobatus vermiculatus, Symphoricarpos oreophilus, Atriplex confertifolia, and Krascheninnikovia lanata may also be present in the shrub layer, although cover of these species is generally very low. Other important graminoids include Pascopyrum smithii, Festuca idahoensis, Poa secunda, Achnatherum hymenoides, Hesperostipa comata, Leymus cinereus, and Poa fendleriana. Bromus tectorum may be important in disturbed stands. Forbs are generally sparse and vary greatly from site to site. Some common species include Achillea millefolium, Eriogonum ovalifolium, Lupinus argenteus, Packera multilobata, Cryptantha spp., Sphaeralcea coccinea, and Phlox hoodii.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: The grass layer in this association is generally mixed. It may sometimes be difficult in the field to distinguish this association from closely related sagebrush / grass communities.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The vegetation of this sagebrush shrubland is characterized by an open layer of Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis with between 20 and 35% cover, and a mixed grass understory dominated or codominated by Elymus elymoides with between 5 and 15% cover. Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, Purshia tridentata, Sarcobatus vermiculatus, Symphoricarpos oreophilus, Atriplex confertifolia, and Krascheninnikovia lanata may also be present in the shrub layer, although cover of these species is generally very low. Other important graminoids include Pascopyrum smithii, Festuca idahoensis, Poa secunda, Achnatherum hymenoides, Hesperostipa comata, Leymus cinereus, and Poa fendleriana. Bromus tectorum may be important in disturbed stands. Forbs are generally sparse and vary greatly from site to site. Some common species include Achillea millefolium, Eriogonum ovalifolium, Lupinus argenteus, Packera multilobata (= Senecio multilobatus), Cryptantha spp., Sphaeralcea coccinea, and Phlox hoodii.
Dynamics: Elymus elymoides is a species that increases in cover under heavy, prolonged grazing regimes, while other grasses such as Leymus cinereus, Poa fendleriana, and Hesperostipa comata generally decline under the same conditions. It is possible that this association represents degraded forms of sagebrush shrublands with more palatable grasses in the understory, such as ~Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis / Poa fendleriana Shrubland (CEGL002775)$$, ~Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis / Hesperostipa comata Shrubland (CEGL001051)$$ or ~Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis / Pseudoroegneria spicata Shrubland (CEGL001009)$$. Hironaka et al. (1983) surmise that smaller stands of ~Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis / Elymus elymoides Shrubland (CEGL001043)$$ are either ecotonal or early-seral examples of other associations.
Environmental Description: Little environmental information is available for this association. Documented sites occur between 1689 and 2134 m (5540-7000 feet) elevation on gentle to moderate slopes in northwestern Colorado, northeastern Nevada, southern Idaho and possibly in eastern Idaho and southeastern Oregon. Aspect is not important in determining the distribution of this association. Soils are deep and well-developed and may have a loam or clay loam texture. The unvegetated surface is dominated by bare soil, with little litter present in grazed stands.
Geographic Range: This association has been documented from isolated sites in northwestern Colorado, southern Idaho (Hironaka et al. 1983), southeastern Oregon, and northeastern Nevada (Jensen et al. 1988a, 1988b). It may also occur in eastern Idaho (Winward 1970) and Wyoming.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, ID, NV, OR, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683771
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4G5
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 3 Desert & Semi-Desert Class | C03 | 3 |
| Subclass | 3.B Cool Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Subclass | S11 | 3.B |
| Formation | 3.B.1 Cool Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Formation | F033 | 3.B.1 |
| Division | 3.B.1.Ne Western North American Cool Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Division | D040 | 3.B.1.Ne |
| Macrogroup | 3.B.1.Ne.3 Big Sagebrush - Threetip Sagebrush - Antelope Bitterbrush Steppe & Shrubland Macrogroup | M169 | 3.B.1.Ne.3 |
| Group | 3.B.1.Ne.3.a Wyoming Big Sagebrush - Basin Big Sagebrush Steppe & Shrubland Group | G303 | 3.B.1.Ne.3.a |
| Alliance | A3184 Wyoming Big Sagebrush Dry Steppe & Shrubland Alliance | A3184 | 3.B.1.Ne.3.a |
| Association | CEGL001043 Wyoming Big Sagebrush / Squirreltail Shrubland | CEGL001043 | 3.B.1.Ne.3.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis / Sitanion hystrix Community Type (Jensen et al. 1988a)
= Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis / Sitanion hystrix Community Type (Jensen et al. 1988b)
= Artemisia wyomingensis / Sitanion hystrix Habitat Type (Hironaka et al. 1983)
= Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis / Sitanion hystrix Community Type (Jensen et al. 1988b)
= Artemisia wyomingensis / Sitanion hystrix Habitat Type (Hironaka et al. 1983)
- Coles, J., D. Cogan, D. Salas, A. Wight, G. Wakefield, J. Von Loh, and A. Evenden. 2008a. Vegetation classification and mapping project report, Dinosaur National Monument. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCPN/NRTR-2008/112. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 814 pp.
- Hironaka, M., M. A. Fosberg, and A. H. Winward. 1983. Sagebrush-grass habitat types of southern Idaho. Forestry, Wildlife, and Range Experiment Station Bulletin No. 15, University of Idaho, Moscow. 44 pp.
- Jensen, M. E., L. S. Peck, and M. V. Wilson. 1988a. A sagebrush community type classification for mountainous northeastern Nevada rangelands. Great Basin Naturalist 48(4):422-433.
- Jensen, M. E., L. S. Peck, and M. V. Wilson. 1988b. Vegetation characteristics of mountainous northeastern Nevada sagebrush community types. The Great Basin Naturalist 48(4):403-421.
- Peterson, E. B. 2008. International Vegetation Classification alliances and associations occurring in Nevada with proposed additions. Nevada Natural Heritage Program, Carson City, NV. 348 pp.
- WNDD [Wyoming Natural Diversity Database]. No date. Unpublished data on file. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.
- Winward, A. H. 1970. Taxonomic and ecological relationships of the big sagebrush complex in Idaho. Unpublished dissertation, University of Idaho, Moscow. 90 pp.