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CEGL001893 Dryas octopetala - Carex spp. Alpine Dwarf-shrub Meadow
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Eight-petal Mountain-avens - Sedge species Alpine Dwarf-shrub Meadow
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This is an alpine dwarf-shrubland known from southwestern Montana and western Wyoming. Stands occur on calcareous substrates on windswept, exposed slopes. Elevations range from 2800 to 3145 m (9200-10,318 feet). Soils are thin, gravelly sandy loams and are poorly developed. Dryas octopetala is the most abundant species with Carex elynoides, Carex rupestris, Lupinus sericeus, and Oxytropis sericea.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type is very similar to ~Dryas octopetala - Carex rupestris Alpine Dwarf-shrub Meadow (CEGL001892)$$ and is differentiated by the more abundant and consistently present Carex elynoides or other Carex spp. It is also very closely related to ~Dryas octopetala - Polygonum viviparum Alpine Dwarf-shrub Meadow (CEGL001894)$$, although no Polygonum viviparum was observed in the Dryas octopetala - Carex spp. type. A crosswalk between these alpine dwarf-shrub communities seems warranted.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The dwarf-shrub Dryas octopetala is the most abundant species with Carex elynoides, Carex rupestris, Lupinus sericeus, and Oxytropis sericea. Polygonum viviparum was notably absent from both the Montana and Wyoming plots. Wyoming stands also include Salix rotundifolia, Carex albonigra, and Trisetum spicatum.
Dynamics: Stands of Dryas octopetala may become meadows of Carex elynoides with sufficient build up of the turf and humus layer (Bamberg and Major 1968).
Environmental Description: Stands occur on calcareous substrates on windswept, exposed slopes. Elevations range from 2800 to 3145 m (9200-10,318 feet). Soils are thin, gravelly sandy loams and are poorly developed. Stands occur on north-facing slopes.
Geographic Range: This association occurs in alpine areas of southwestern Montana and western Wyoming.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, MT, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684861
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3?
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.Nb Western North American Alpine Tundra Division | D043 | 4.B.1.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 4.B.1.Nb.2 Eight-petal Mountain-avens - Blackroot Sedge - Moss Campion Alpine Tundra Macrogroup | M099 | 4.B.1.Nb.2 |
| Group | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a Eight-petal Mountain-avens - Mountain-heath species - Arctic Willow Alpine Dwarf-shrubland & Krummholz Group | G316 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a |
| Alliance | A3178 Entireleaf Mountain-avens - Eight-petal Mountain-avens - Kinnikinnick Rocky Mountain Fell-field Dwarf-shrubland Alliance | A3178 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a |
| Association | CEGL001893 Eight-petal Mountain-avens - Sedge species Alpine Dwarf-shrub Meadow | CEGL001893 | 4.B.1.Nb.2.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- Bamberg, S. A., and J. Major. 1968. Ecology of the vegetation and soils associated with calcareous parent materials in three alpine regions of Montana. Ecological Monographs 38(2):127-167.
- 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.
- Cogan, D., K. Varga, and G. Kittel. 2005. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Grand Teton National Park and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. Final Project Report 2002-2005 Vegetation Mapping Project. Technical Memorandum 8260-06-02. USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, CO. 87 pp. plus Appendixes A-F.
- MTNHP [Montana Natural Heritage Program]. 2002b. List of ecological communities for Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, Helena, MT.
- Salas, D. E., J. Stevens, K. Schulz, M. Artmann, B. Friesen, S. Blauer, E. W. Schweiger, and A. Valdez. 2010b. Vegetation classification and mapping project report: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Natural Resource Report NPS/ROMN/NRR--2010/179. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.