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CEGL002199 Andropogon gerardii - (Panicum virgatum) - Muhlenbergia richardsonis Wet Meadow
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Big Bluestem - (Switchgrass) - Mat Muhly Wet Meadow
Colloquial Name: Northern Wet-Mesic Tallgrass Prairie
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This big bluestem wet-mesic prairie type is found in the Northern Tallgrass Prairie region of the United States and Canada. In South Dakota, soils are moist loams and poorly drained silt loams derived from glacial drift. The vegetation is dominated by a dense layer of tall grasses, such as Andropogon gerardii and Panicum virgatum, with associates of Calamagrostis canadensis, Calamagrostis stricta, and Spartina pectinata. Muhlenbergia richardsonis may be a diagnostic, less dominant species of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie. In the Sheyenne Delta, this type may form a distinctive wet-mesic sand prairie type.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: In the Sheyenne Delta of North Dakota, stands may form a distinct wet-mesic sand subtype in the hummocks and swales that may need to be distinguished from this type. Occurrences there may also match with the wet prairie type ~Spartina pectinata - Calamagrostis stricta - Carex spp. Wet Meadow (CEGL002027)$$. This wet-mesic prairie type may also overlap with mesic prairie types in floristic composition.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The vegetation is dominated by a dense layer of tall grasses, such as Andropogon gerardii and Panicum virgatum, with associates of Calamagrostis canadensis, Calamagrostis stricta, and Spartina pectinata. Muhlenbergia richardsonis may be a diagnostic, less dominant species of the northern tallgrass prairie (Diamond and Smeins 1988). In the Sheyenne Delta, this type may form a distinctive wet-mesic sand prairie type.
Dynamics: In North Dakota and Minnesota, this community was formerly widespread in the Red River Valley. Much of this area has been converted to cropland. There are still widely scattered stands on overflow range sites and moist hillsides throughout North Dakota. Sites studied by Barnes and Tieszen (1978) and Tatina (1987) may be west of the main range of this community. This community is maintained by fire where it is near woodlands or forests. With fire suppression since European settlement, woody species have often invaded former sites of this community.
Environmental Description: In South Dakota, soils are moist loams and poorly drained silt loams derived from glacial drift. Tatina (1987) recorded that clay content is 19%. Soils are moist (soil moisture = 32%), but water seldom stands for long periods. Soil pH ranges from 5.9 to 6.9.
Geographic Range: This big bluestem wet-mesic prairie type is found in the Northern Tallgrass Prairie region of the United States and Canada, extending from northwestern Iowa and the Dakotas north to Manitoba, and possibly Saskatchewan.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: IA, MB, MN, ND, SD, SK
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684153
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G4
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.C Shrub & Herb Wetland Subclass | S44 | 2.C |
| Formation | 2.C.4 Temperate to Polar Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Formation | F013 | 2.C.4 |
| Division | 2.C.4.Nd Eastern North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division | D323 | 2.C.4.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.4.Nd.2 Broadleaf Cattail - White Snakeroot - Rush species Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Macrogroup | M069 | 2.C.4.Nd.2 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nd.2.e Prairie Cordgrass - Bluejoint - Sedge species Midwest Wet Prairie, Wet Meadow & Shrub Swamp Group | G770 | 2.C.4.Nd.2.e |
| Alliance | A4056 Big Bluestem - Panicum virgatum Wet Prairie Alliance | A4056 | 2.C.4.Nd.2.e |
| Association | CEGL002199 Big Bluestem - (Switchgrass) - Mat Muhly Wet Meadow | CEGL002199 | 2.C.4.Nd.2.e |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Andropogon gerardii - (Panicum virgatum) - Muhlenbergia richardsonis Herbaceous Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
- Barnes, P. W., and L. L. Tieszen. 1978. A phytosociological study of 14 selected communities at the Samuel H. Ordway Prairie. Unpublished Paper. Undergraduate Research Project, Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD.
- Diamond, D. D., and F. E. Smeins. 1988. Gradient analysis of remnant true and upper coastal prairie grasslands of North America. Canadian Journal of Botany 66:2152-2161.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., editor. 2001. Plant communities of the Midwest: Classification in an ecological context. Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA. 61 pp. plus appendix (705 pp.).
- Greenall, J. A. 1996. Manitoba''s terrestrial plant communities. MS Report 96-02. Manitoba Conservation Data Centre, Winnipeg.
- Heidel, B. 1984b. Bluestem prairie inventory in the Red River Valley, North Dakota. Pages 160-162 in: Proceedings of the Ninth North American Prairie Conference.
- INAI [Iowa Natural Areas Inventory]. 2017. Vegetation classification of Iowa. Iowa Natural Areas Inventory, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines.
- MNNHP [Minnesota Natural Heritage Program]. 1993. Minnesota''s native vegetation: A key to natural communities. Version 1.5. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, St. Paul, MN. 110 pp.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- Minnesota DNR [Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]. 2003-2005a. Field guide to the native plant communities of Minnesota. Three volumes: The Laurentian Mixed Forest Province (2003), The Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province (2005c), The Prairie Parkland and Tallgrass Aspen Parklands provinces (2005b). Ecological Land Classification Program, Minnesota County Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
- NDNHI [North Dakota Natural Heritage Inventory]. 2018. Unpublished data. Vegetation classification of North Dakota. North Dakota Natural Heritage Inventory, North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department, Bismarck.
- SDNHP [South Dakota Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. South Dakota Natural Heritage Program, Pierre, SD.
- Tatina, R. 1987. Gradient analysis and description of a transition zone prairie in eastern South Dakota. Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Science 66:51-64.