Print Report
CEGL001545 Artemisia tridentata / Sporobolus cryptandrus - Achnatherum hymenoides Shrub Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Big Sagebrush / Sand Dropseed - Indian Ricegrass Shrub Grassland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association is known only from the upper Rio Puerco watershed in northwestern New Mexico where it occurs on alluvial flats with weakly developed, loamy to mixed shallow soils (Entisols) at an average elevation of 2135 m (7000 feet). Bare soil is extensive and total plant cover is low (21.8%). Although there is high species diversity, only seven species contributed to more than 80% of this cover. They are in order of percent cover: Sporobolus cryptandrus, Artemisia tridentata, Eriogonum spp., Sporobolus contractus, Achnatherum hymenoides, Asteraceae spp., and Machaeranthera pinnatifida. Canopy cover for Achnatherum hymenoides is very low (0.4%) and therefore probably should not be considered in the community type name.
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: This is a poorly described association, with only one stand of data collected. It is a grassland association dominated by the perennial bunchgrass Sporobolus cryptandrus, which averages 13% cover. Several other species of perennial grass are present, including Achnatherum hymenoides (= Oryzopsis hymenoides) and Pascopyrum smithii. A very sparse shrub layer (4% cover) is present, composed of the evergreen shrub Artemisia tridentata and occasionally Ericameria nauseosa (= Chrysothamnus nauseosus). Forbs contribute little cover.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association occurs in a semi-arid basin of northwestern New Mexico, at about 2135 m (7000 feet) elevation. Annual precipitation is variable, ranging from 21 to 33 cm, with a peak during July through September. These summer rains are convectional, of short duration and high intensity. Summers are hot. This association is found on alluvial flats, with 0-2% slopes and fine-textured alluvial parent materials. Soils are Typic Torriorthents, calcareous soils with loamy, mixed textures. Soil depth is less than 25 cm, with little to no rock in the profile. Litter cover of the soil surface averages 17%.
Geographic Range: This association is known only from the upper Rio Puerco watershed in northwestern New Mexico.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NM
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684238
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2?
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 | A3194 Basin Big Sagebrush - Foothill Big Sagebrush Dry Steppe & Shrubland Alliance | A3194 | 3.B.1.Ne.3.a |
| Association | CEGL001545 Big Sagebrush / Sand Dropseed - Indian Ricegrass Shrub Grassland | CEGL001545 | 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 / Sporobolus cryptandrus - Oryzopsis hymenoides Plant Community (Francis 1986)
- 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.
- Francis, R. E. 1986. Phyto-edaphic communities of the Upper Rio Puerco Watershed, New Mexico. Research Paper RM-272. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 73 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.