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CEGL000975 Quercus toumeyi / Bouteloua curtipendula Scrub
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Toumey Oak / Sideoats Grama Scrub
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This shrubland occurs in the "Borderlands" of southwestern New Mexico and likely extends into southeastern Arizona and possibly the northern Sierra Madre Occidentale of Mexico. Stands occur in the foothills zone of isolated desert mountain ranges such as the Animas and Peloncillo mountains. Elevation ranges from 1700-1780 m. Sites are on gentle to moderately steep (4-27%), rocky slopes. Aspects are south to west. Soils are gravelly loam with high amounts of surface gravel and rocks (50-75% total cover). Parent material is andesite and rhyolite. This association has a moderately dense (25-40% cover) tall-shrub layer (2-5 m) with a moderately sparse herbaceous layer (10-25% cover). The shrub layer is dominated by the broad-leaved evergreen oaks Quercus toumeyi and Quercus emoryi, which occasionally reach small tree size. Scattered individuals of the evergreen needle-leaved tree Pinus discolor may also occur. Several other shrubs may be present, particularly Arctostaphylos pungens and succulents such as Nolina microcarpa, Dasylirion wheeleri, Cylindropuntia imbricata, Yucca baccata, and Agave palmeri. The herbaceous layer averages 15-20% cover and is dominated by perennial grasses. The most abundant species are Bouteloua curtipendula, Elionurus barbiculmis, and Schizachyrium cirratum. The diversity of graminoid and forb species is high, but most have cover less than 1%. The diagnostic characteristics of this association are the dominance or codominance of Quercus toumeyi in the shrub layer and an herbaceous layer dominated by Bouteloua curtipendula, Elionurus barbiculmis, or Schizachyrium cirratum.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is closely related to ~Quercus toumeyi / Muhlenbergia emersleyi Scrub (CEGL000976)$$, but tends to have more grass cover and less surface rock. Further analysis may lump these two; however, with only five known occurrences of the two types, the global rank will remain high. This association is also similar to the Pinus discolor / Quercus toumeyi of Bassett et al. (1987) and Stuever and Hayden (1997b). Bourgeron et al. (1995) described three phases of this association (Arctostaphylos pungens, Elionurus barbiculmis, and Schizachyrium cirratum phases) from three plots at Gray Ranch, New Mexico.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This is a shrubland association dominated by the broad-leaved evergreen oaks Quercus toumeyi and Quercus emoryi, which occasionally reach small tree size. Occasional individuals of the evergreen needle-leaved tree Pinus discolor may occur. Several other shrubs may be present, particularly Arctostaphylos pungens and succulents such as Nolina microcarpa, Dasylirion wheeleri, Cylindropuntia imbricata (= Opuntia imbricata), Yucca baccata, and Agave palmeri. The shrubs Dasylirion wheeleri and Arctostaphylos pungens can be abundant in some stands. Cover of this layer averages 30%. The herbaceous layer is moderately sparse, averaging 15-20% cover. Perennial grasses are the most abundant species, particularly Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua hirsuta, and Schizachyrium cirratum. Many forb species can occur, none with cover over 1%.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association occurs in the foothills zone of isolated desert mountain ranges. Most of the annual precipitation of about 41 cm (16 inches) 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. Little detailed information is available. It occurs on moderate to somewhat steep, rocky slopes in the Animas Mountains foothills. Soils are gravelly loams derived from andesite and rhyolite, with high amounts of surface gravel and rocks (typically over 40%). Elevation ranges from 1675 to 1800 m (5500-5900 feet).
Geographic Range: Only documented from the southwestern corner of New Mexico, but it probably occurs elsewhere in the "borderlands" region of southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico and northern Mexico.
Nations: MX?,US
States/Provinces: AZ?, MXCHH?, NM
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684843
Confidence Level: Moderate
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 | CEGL000975 Toumey Oak / Sideoats Grama Scrub | CEGL000975 | 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: ? Pinus discolor / Quercus toumeyi (Bassett et al. 1987)
? Pinus discolor / Quercus toumeyi (Stuever and Hayden 1997b)
= Quercus toumeyi / Bouteloua curtipendula PA (Muldavin et al. 1998a)
= Quercus toumeyi / Bouteloua curtipendula PA (Bourgeron et al. 1995a)
= Quercus toumeyi / Bouteloua curtipendula PA (Bourgeron et al. 1993b)
? Pinus discolor / Quercus toumeyi (Stuever and Hayden 1997b)
= Quercus toumeyi / Bouteloua curtipendula PA (Muldavin et al. 1998a)
= Quercus toumeyi / Bouteloua curtipendula PA (Bourgeron et al. 1995a)
= Quercus toumeyi / Bouteloua curtipendula PA (Bourgeron et al. 1993b)
- Bassett, D., M. Larson, and W. Moir. 1987. Forest and woodland habitat types of Arizona south of the Mogollon Rim and southwestern New Mexico. Edition 2. USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Albuquerque, NM.
- 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.
- NHNM [Natural Heritage New Mexico]. No date. Unpublished data on file. Natural Heritage New Mexico, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
- 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.
- Stuever, M. C., and J. S. Hayden. 1997b. Plant associations of Arizona and New Mexico. Volume 2: Woodlands. USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Habitat Typing Guides. 196 pp.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.
- Willing, R. C. 1987. Status, distribution and habitat use of Gould''s turkey in the Peloncillo Mountains, New Mexico. Unpublished M.S. thesis, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces. 95 pp.