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CEGL005109 Spartina pectinata - Carex spp. - Calamagrostis canadensis Lakeplain Wet Meadow
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Prairie Cordgrass - Sedge species - Bluejoint Lakeplain Wet Meadow
Colloquial Name: Lakeplain Wet Prairie
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This wet lakeland prairie grassland community is found in the southern Great Lakes region of the midwestern United States. Stands occur on level, sandy glacial outwash, sandy glacial lakeplains, and deposits of dune sand in silty/clayey glacial lakeplains. There is often a clay layer below the surface that results in temporary flooding in the winter and spring and drought in the summer and fall. The soil is neutral to somewhat alkaline. Average vegetation height is 1-2 m with little bare ground exposed. The dominant species are graminoids, although forbs and small trees and shrubs are common. Calamagrostis canadensis, Carex aquatilis, Carex pellita, and Spartina pectinata are typical dominants. Andropogon gerardii, Symphyotrichum ericoides, Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis, Panicum virgatum, Oligoneuron ohioense, and Sorghastrum nutans are all common components of this community. The shrubs Cornus sericea and Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, and small Fraxinus pennsylvanica and Populus deltoides trees may also be found.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Faber-Langendoen and Maycock (1994) found that wet lakeplain prairies were floristically distinct from other wet prairies in Michigan and Wisconsin, though no diagnostic species were provided. In Ohio, this type is found at Castalia Prairie. In Vermont this type is found in the Lake Champlain area.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Average vegetation height is 1-2 m with little bare ground exposed. The dominant species are graminoids, although forbs and small trees and shrubs are common. Calamagrostis canadensis, Carex aquatilis, Carex pellita (= Carex lanuginosa), and Spartina pectinata are typical dominants. Andropogon gerardii, Symphyotrichum ericoides (= Aster ericoides), Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis (= Juncus balticus), Panicum virgatum, Oligoneuron ohioense (= Solidago ohioensis), and Sorghastrum nutans are all common components of this community. The shrubs Cornus sericea and Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides floribunda), and small Fraxinus pennsylvanica and Populus deltoides trees may also be found (Faber-Langendoen and Maycock 1987, 1994, Comer et al. 1995b).
Dynamics: The wide range of moisture conditions experienced by these sites reduces the ability of woody vegetation to invade (Comer et al. 1995b). Wildfires may have played a role in maintaining these systems in the past (Faber-Langendoen and Maycock 1987). Fires are likely to have periodically moved through this prairie community before effective fire suppression in the twentieth century.
Environmental Description: This community occurs on level, sandy glacial outwash, sandy glacial lakeplains, and deposits of dune sand in silty/clayier glacial lakeplains. Soils are sandy or sandy loam soil, rarely with clay or silt loam. There is often a clay layer below the surface that impedes drainage and prevents groundwater from moving to the surface (Comer et al. 1995b). These conditions result in temporary flooding in the winter and spring and drought in the summer and fall. The soil is neutral to somewhat alkaline (Chapman 1984). The subsurface clay was deposited on the beds of glacial lakes, whereas the sand was deposited on lake beaches or by alluvial processes (Comer et al. 1995b).
Geographic Range: This lakeplain wet prairie grassland community occurs in the southern Great Lakes region of the midwestern United States, ranging from northern Indiana, northern Ohio, southern Michigan, and southern Ontario, eastward to possibly Vermont. In Michigan, lakeplain wet prairies are most commonly found close to the shoreline of Saginaw Bay and within the St. Clair River Delta.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: IL, IN, MI, OH, ON
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685176
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2G3
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 | A4433 Big Bluestem - Bluejoint - Ohio Goldenrod Grassland Alliance | A4433 | 2.C.4.Nd.2.e |
| Association | CEGL005109 Prairie Cordgrass - Sedge species - Bluejoint Lakeplain Wet Meadow | CEGL005109 | 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: = Spartina pectinata - Carex spp. - Calamagrostis canadensis Lakeplain Herbaceous Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Lakeplain Wet Prairie (Chapman et al. 1989)
= Lakeplain wet prairie (Comer et al. 1995b)
= Wet loam prairie (Faber-Langendoen and Maycock 1987)
= Wet prairie (Faber-Langendoen and Maycock 1994)
= Lakeplain Wet Prairie (Chapman et al. 1989)
= Lakeplain wet prairie (Comer et al. 1995b)
= Wet loam prairie (Faber-Langendoen and Maycock 1987)
= Wet prairie (Faber-Langendoen and Maycock 1994)
- Chapman, K. A. 1984. An ecological investigation of native grassland in southern Lower Michigan. Unpublished Master''s thesis, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo. 235 pp.
- Chapman, K. A., D. A. Albert, and G. A. Reese. 1989. Draft descriptions of Michigan''s natural community types. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Lansing, MI. 35 pp.
- Comer, P. J., W. A. MacKinnon, M. L. Rabe, D. L. Cuthrell, M. R. Penskar, and D. A. Albert. 1995b. A survey of Lakeplain Prairie in Michigan. CZM Project 94D-0.04. Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Lansing, MI.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., and P. F. Maycock. 1987. Composition and soil-environment analysis of prairies on Walpole Island, southwestern Ontario. Canadian Journal of Botany 65:2410-2419.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., and P. F. Maycock. 1994. A vegetation analysis of tallgrass prairie in southern Ontario. Pages 17-32 in: R. G. Wickett, P. D. Lewis, A. Woodliffe, and P. Pratt, editors. Proceedings of the Thirteenth North American Prairie Conference, Windsor, Ontario.
- 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.).
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- Lee, H., W. Bakowsky, J. Riley, J. Bowles, M. Puddister, P. Uhlig, and S. McMurray. 1998. Ecological land classification for southern Ontario: First approximation and its application. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Southcentral Science Section, Science Development and Transfer Branch. SCSS Field Guide FG-02.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- ONHD [Ohio Natural Heritage Database]. No date. Vegetation classification of Ohio and unpublished data. Ohio Natural Heritage Database, Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Columbus.
- ONHIC [Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre]. 2018. Unpublished data. Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario, Canada.
- White, J., and M. Madany. 1978. Classification of natural communities in Illinois. Pages 311-405 in: Natural Areas Inventory technical report: Volume I, survey methods and results. Illinois Natural Areas Inventory, Urbana, IL.