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CEGL006140 Empetrum nigrum - Vaccinium uliginosum - Vaccinium oxycoccos / Rubus chamaemorus Dwarf-shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Black Crowberry - Bog Blueberry - Small Cranberry / Cloudberry Dwarf-shrubland
Colloquial Name: Black Crowberry Wet Alpine Bog
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These heath-sedge bogs occur in alpine and subalpine depressions in the montane regions of the northeastern United States. Found at elevations above 1067 m (3500 feet), these peatlands form where bedrock basins retain water (or ice) through all or most of the year. The bog vegetation covers the flat portion of the basin and may also creep upslope on the margins. The bogs may receive small amounts of runoff from upslope bedrock, but conditions are extremely nutrient-poor. Combined with the cold temperatures and frequent clouds and fog, this creates conditions suitable for only a limited number of subalpine and boreal species. The substrate is acidic, permanently saturated organic soil, where lenses of peat beneath the surface may remain frozen through much of the growing season. Trees are generally absent, although a few small islands of stunted Picea mariana and Abies balsamea may occur. Dwarf-shrubs are the dominant vascular layer, with coverage of up to about 50%. Among the dwarf-shrubs, herbs (primarily sedges) are scattered, with up to 20% cover. Bryoids are generally more extensive than the vascular vegetation, approaching 100% cover. The dwarf-shrub cover is generally a mixture of Vaccinium uliginosum, Empetrum nigrum, Chamaedaphne calyculata, Ledum groenlandicum, Kalmia polifolia, Kalmia angustifolia, and Vaccinium oxycoccos. Eriophorum vaginatum var. spissum and Trichophorum cespitosum are typically the most abundant graminoids; Carex magellanica ssp. irrigua, Carex canescens, and Carex pauciflora may be present in lower abundance. Rubus chamaemorus is a diagnostic herb, although it may not always be present. Sphagnum spp. are the most abundant bryophytes, particularly Sphagnum capillifolium, Sphagnum fuscum, Sphagnum fallax, and Sphagnum magellanicum. The combination of subalpine species such as Vaccinium uliginosum and bog species such as Eriophorum vaginatum var. spissum is diagnostic. This community is related to, and may be adjacent to, ~(Picea mariana, Abies balsamea) / Kalmia angustifolia - Ledum groenlandicum Dwarf-shrubland (CEGL006031)$$; that association is less wet and lacks the true bog species such as Eriophorum vaginatum var. spissum, Chamaedaphne calyculata, and Sphagnum spp. It is also related to ~Kalmia angustifolia - Chamaedaphne calyculata / Rubus chamaemorus / Cladonia spp. Dwarf-shrubland (CEGL006425)$$, but that type is not constantly saturated and occurs on subalpine or alpine slopes rather than basins.
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: Trees are generally absent, although a few small islands of stunted Picea mariana and Abies balsamea may occur. Dwarf-shrubs are the dominant vascular layer, with coverage of up to about 50%. Among the dwarf-shrubs, herbs (primarily sedges) are scattered, with up to 20% cover. Bryoids are generally more extensive than the vascular vegetation, approaching 100% cover. The dwarf-shrub cover is generally a mixture of Vaccinium uliginosum, Empetrum nigrum, Chamaedaphne calyculata, Ledum groenlandicum, Kalmia polifolia, Kalmia angustifolia, and Vaccinium oxycoccos. Eriophorum vaginatum var. spissum and Trichophorum cespitosum (= Scirpus cespitosus) are typically the most abundant graminoids; Carex magellanica ssp. irrigua (= Carex paupercula), Carex canescens, and Carex pauciflora may be present in lower abundance. Rubus chamaemorus is a diagnostic herb, although it may not always be present. Sphagnum spp. are the most abundant bryophytes, particularly Sphagnum capillifolium, Sphagnum fuscum, Sphagnum fallax, and Sphagnum magellanicum.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: These heath-sedge bogs occur in alpine and subalpine depressions in the montane regions of the northeastern United States. Found at elevations above 3500 feet, these peatlands form where bedrock basins retain water (or ice) through all or most of the year. The bog vegetation covers the flat portion of the basin, and may also creep upslope on the margins. The bogs may receive small amounts of runoff from upslope bedrock, but conditions are extremely nutrient-poor. Combined with the cold temperatures and frequent clouds and fog, this creates conditions suitable for only a limited number of subalpine and boreal species. The substrate is acidic, permanently saturated organic soil, where lenses of peat beneath the surface may remain frozen through much of the growing season.
Geographic Range: No Data Available
Nations: CA?,US
States/Provinces: ME, NH, NY, QC?, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684125
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 4 Polar & High Montane Scrub, Grassland & Barrens Class | C04 | 4 |
| Subclass | 4.B Temperate to Polar Alpine & Tundra Vegetation Subclass | S12 | 4.B |
| Formation | 4.B.1 Temperate & Boreal Alpine Tundra Formation | F037 | 4.B.1 |
| Division | 4.B.1.Na Eastern North American Alpine Tundra Division | D042 | 4.B.1.Na |
| Macrogroup | 4.B.1.Na.1 Eastern North American Alpine Tundra Macrogroup | M131 | 4.B.1.Na.1 |
| Group | 4.B.1.Na.1.d <i>Vaccinium uliginosum - Diapensia lapponica - Carex bigelowii</i> Temperate Alpine Tundra Group | G909 | 4.B.1.Na.1.d |
| Alliance | A3286 Bog Labrador-tea / Tufted Bulrush / Peatmoss species Alpine Bog & Fen Alliance | A3286 | 4.B.1.Na.1.d |
| Association | CEGL006140 Black Crowberry - Bog Blueberry - Small Cranberry / Cloudberry Dwarf-shrubland | CEGL006140 | 4.B.1.Na.1.d |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Cotton-grass - Heath Alpine Bog (Gawler 2002)
- CDPNQ [Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec]. No date. Unpublished data. Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec, Québec.
- Doyle, K. M., T. J. Fahey, and R. D. Paratley. 1987. Subalpine heathlands of the Mahoosuc Range, Maine. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 114:429-436.
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Edinger, G. J., D. J. Evans, S. Gebauer, T. G. Howard, D. M. Hunt, and A. M. Olivero, editors. 2014a. Ecological communities of New York state. Second edition. A revised and expanded edition of Carol Reschke''s ecological communities of New York state. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY.
- Gawler, S. C. 2002. Natural landscapes of Maine: A guide to vegetated natural communities and ecosystems. Maine Natural Areas Program, Department of Conservation, Augusta, ME.
- Gawler, S. C., and A. Cutko. 2010. Natural landscapes of Maine: A classification of vegetated natural communities and ecosystems. Maine Natural Areas Program, Department of Conservation, Augusta.
- Sperduto, D. D., and C. V. Cogbill. 1999. Alpine and subalpine vegetation of the White Mountains, New Hampshire. New Hampshire Natural Heritage Inventory, Concord, NH. 25 pp. plus figures.
- Sperduto, D. D., and W. F. Nichols. 2004. Natural communities of New Hampshire: A guide and classification. New Hampshire Natural Heritage Bureau, DRED Division of Forests and Lands, Concord. 242 pp.
- Thompson, E. H., and E. R. Sorenson. 2005. Wetland, woodland, wildland: A guide to the natural communities of Vermont. The Nature Conservancy and the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife. University Press of New England, Hanover, NH. 456 pp.