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CEGL001244 Salix brachycarpa / Carex aquatilis Wet Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Short-fruit Willow / Water Sedge Wet Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association is known from the upper montane zones of the Rocky Mountains. Specifically it is known from the upper South Platte River Basin, the Rio Grande National Forest, and the San Juan National Forest in southwestern Colorado. It is likely to occur in Utah. Salix brachycarpa is an abundant low-statured (0.3-1 m [1-3 feet]) willow of first- and second-order streams of subalpine elevations (2805-3110 m [9200-10,200 feet]) in Colorado. It is unusual for Salix brachycarpa to occur with Carex aquatilis since Salix brachycarpa typically grows on drier sites. This association occurs on low floodplains immediately adjacent to the stream channel. Stream reaches are broad, low gradient, and meandering or braided. The water table can be within the first 20 cm (8 inches) of soil early in the season. Since Salix brachycarpa is typically not associated with Carex aquatilis, this plant association may indicate that a site was once wetter and is now becoming drier allowing Salix brachycarpa to establish. Salix brachycarpa is the dominant shrub with 15-20% cover. Other shrubs present include Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, Salix wolfii, and Salix monticola. The understory is a thick carpet of grasses and grass-like plants dominated by 15-30% cover of Carex aquatilis. Forb cover is sparse. In Colorado, occurrences of this plant association also have Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda and Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis which increase in abundance under persistent heavy livestock grazing. These sites may be shifting from wetter plant associations to drier Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda or Salix brachycarpa associations.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: The Salix brachycarpa / Carex aquatilis and the Salix brachycarpa / Calamagrostis canadensis plant associations were previously described by Bierly (1972) from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. However, researchers studying wetlands in the same site as Bierly have since determined that Salix brachycarpa was misidentified, and that in fact Salix wolfii is the dominant willow at that site (Cooper 1990).
This community type is not described elsewhere in the literature (Padgett et al. (1989) mention it as a miscellaneous community type), and is known only from four plots. It consists of an odd combination of mesic and less mesic habitat demanding plant species, suggesting it may be limited to ecotonal habitats, an unusual set of environmental parameters, or sites in a relatively short-lived successional transition between wetter and drier habitats.
This community type is not described elsewhere in the literature (Padgett et al. (1989) mention it as a miscellaneous community type), and is known only from four plots. It consists of an odd combination of mesic and less mesic habitat demanding plant species, suggesting it may be limited to ecotonal habitats, an unusual set of environmental parameters, or sites in a relatively short-lived successional transition between wetter and drier habitats.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Salix brachycarpa is the dominant shrub with 15-70% cover. Other shrubs present include Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda (= Pentaphylloides floribunda), Salix wolfii, and Salix monticola. The understory is a thick carpet of grasses and grass-like plants dominated by 15-30% cover of Carex aquatilis. Other graminoids that may be present include Carex utriculata (2-15%), Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis (= Juncus balticus var. montanus) (1-22%), Carex scopulorum (21%), Carex interior (2-10%), and Deschampsia cespitosa (3-10%). Forb cover is generally sparse to occasionally lush and usually diverse. Forb species include Thermopsis divaricarpa, Maianthemum stellatum, and Potentilla spp.
Dynamics: Salix planifolia, Salix brachycarpa, and Salix wolfii are abundant low-statured (0.3-1 m [1-3 feet]) willows of first- and second-order streams of subalpine elevations of Colorado. Salix planifolia and Salix brachycarpa can form extensive stands, often creating intricate mosaics in broad, subalpine valleys. In general, Salix planifolia occupies the wettest micro-habitats on peat soils, although it can grow well on mineral soils. Salix brachycarpa is more often found on slightly drier and more well-drained micro-habitats than Salix planifolia. Salix brachycarpa grows on lateral moraines, coarse-textured streambanks, ridgetops and on small hummocks (Kittel 1994).
It is unusual for Salix brachycarpa to occur with Carex aquatilis since Salix brachycarpa typically grows on drier sites. Soil data indicate that occurrences of this plant association are perennially wet or have been in the past. It is possible that with heavy grazing and recreational use, these sites have begun to dry out and Salix brachycarpa is becoming established. In the South Platte River Basin, occurrences of this plant association also have abundant Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda and Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis which are increaser species under persistent heavy livestock grazing. These sites may be shifting from wetter Salix monticola or Salix planifolia associations to drier Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda or Salix brachycarpa associations (Kittel et al. 1997).
It is unusual for Salix brachycarpa to occur with Carex aquatilis since Salix brachycarpa typically grows on drier sites. Soil data indicate that occurrences of this plant association are perennially wet or have been in the past. It is possible that with heavy grazing and recreational use, these sites have begun to dry out and Salix brachycarpa is becoming established. In the South Platte River Basin, occurrences of this plant association also have abundant Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda and Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis which are increaser species under persistent heavy livestock grazing. These sites may be shifting from wetter Salix monticola or Salix planifolia associations to drier Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda or Salix brachycarpa associations (Kittel et al. 1997).
Environmental Description: This association occurs on low floodplains immediately adjacent to the stream channel. Stream reaches are broad, low-gradient, and meandering or braided. The water table can be within the first 20 cm (8 inches) of soil early in the season. Since Salix brachycarpa is typically not associated with Carex aquatilis, this plant association may indicate that a site was once wetter and is now becoming drier allowing Salix brachycarpa to establish.
Geographic Range: This association is known from the upper montane zones of the Rocky Mountains. Specifically it is known from the upper South Platte River Basin, the Rio Grande National Forest, and the San Juan National Forest in southwestern Colorado. It is likely to occur in Utah.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO, MT, UT?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685718
Confidence Level: Moderate
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.Nb Western North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division | D031 | 2.C.4.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.4.Nb.5 Sitka Alder - Booth''s Willow / Northwest Territory Sedge Montane Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Macrogroup | M893 | 2.C.4.Nb.5 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nb.5.d Willow species - Alder species - Water Birch Riparian & Seep Shrubland Group | G527 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.d |
| Alliance | A3770 Wolf''s Willow - Short-fruit Willow - Resin Birch Wet Shrubland Alliance | A3770 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.d |
| Association | CEGL001244 Short-fruit Willow / Water Sedge Wet Shrubland | CEGL001244 | 2.C.4.Nb.5.d |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Salix brachycarpa / Carex aquatilis Shrubland (Carsey et al. 2003a)
= Barren willow/water sedge (Salix brachycarpa/Carex aquatilis) Plant Association (Kittel et al. 1997a)
= Barren willow/water sedge (Salix brachycarpa/Carex aquatilis) Plant Association (Kittel et al. 1997a)
- Bierly, K. F. 1972. Meadow and fen vegetation in Big Meadows, Rocky Mountain National Park. Unpublished thesis, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. 102 pp.
- 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.
- CNHP [Colorado Natural Heritage Program]. 2006-2017. Tracked natural plant communities. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins. [https://cnhp.colostate.edu/ourdata/trackinglist/plant_communities/]
- Carsey, K., G. Kittel, K. Decker, D. J. Cooper, and D. Culver. 2003a. Field guide to the wetland and riparian plant associations of Colorado. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Fort Collins, CO.
- Cooper, D. J. 1990. Ecology of wetlands in Big Meadows, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. USDI Fish & Wildlife Service. Biological Report 90(15). Washington, DC. 45 pp.
- Kittel, G. M. 1994. Montane vegetation in relation to elevation and geomorphology along the Cache la Poudre River, Colorado. Unpublished thesis, University of Wyoming, Laramie.
- Kittel, G., E. Van Wie, and M. Damm. 1997a. A classification of the riparian vegetation of the South Platte Basin (and part of Republican River Basin), Colorado. Submitted to Colorado Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII. Prepared by Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
- MTNHP [Montana Natural Heritage Program]. 2002b. List of ecological communities for Montana. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Montana State Library, Helena, MT.
- Owns, T., project coordinator, et al. 2004. U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service Vegetation Mapping Program: Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service. 390 pp.
- Padgett, W. G., A. P. Youngblood, and A. H. Winward. 1989. Riparian community type classification of Utah and southeastern Idaho. Research Paper R4-ECOL-89-0. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.