Print Report
CEGL006081 Carex bigelowii Alpine Meadow
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Bigelow''s Sedge Alpine Meadow
Colloquial Name: Bigelow''s Sedge Alpine Meadow
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These alpine meadows are restricted to the highest elevations of the Northern Appalachians. Low temperatures, heavy fog and high winds result in an unusually severe climate. These meadows are typically found at the highest elevations, generally over 1460 m (4800 feet), on north and west slopes, where there is both high moisture intercept (from precipitation or fog) and lower snow cover than in some other alpine habitats. The soils are typically thin, acidic and have a low moisture-holding capacity, consisting of organic turf over stone, gravel or coarse sediment. The ground cover is graminoid litter. Graminoids, almost entirely Carex bigelowii, dominate the vegetation. Associated species include Minuartia groenlandica, Sibbaldiopsis tridentata, and minor amounts of Vaccinium vitis-idaea or other heaths. This association may grade into the more widespread alpine sedge-rush-heath association, ~Vaccinium uliginosum - Rhododendron lapponicum / Juncus trifidus Dwarf-shrubland (CEGL006298)$$, but is distinguished by the greater abundance of Carex bigelowii than of all other species combined.
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: Graminoids, almost entirely Carex bigelowii, dominate the vegetation. Associated species include Minuartia groenlandica, Sibbaldiopsis tridentata (= Potentilla tridentata), and minor amounts of Vaccinium vitis-idaea or other heaths.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: These alpine meadows are restricted to the highest elevations of the Northern Appalachians. Low temperatures, heavy fog and high winds result in an unusually severe climate. These meadows are typically found at the highest elevations, generally over 1460 m (4800 feet), on north and west slopes, where there is both high moisture intercept (from precipitation or fog) and lower snow cover than in some other alpine habitats. The soils are typically thin, acidic and have a low moisture-holding capacity, consisting of organic turf over stone, gravel or coarse sediment. The ground cover is graminoid litter.
Geographic Range: These alpine meadows are restricted to the highest elevations of the Northern Appalachians from New York to Maine and Quebec.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: ME, NH, NY, QC?, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687539
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2
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.Na Eastern North American Alpine Tundra Division | D042 | 4.B.1.Na |
| Macrogroup | 4.B.1.Na.1 Eastern North American Alpine Tundra Macrogroup | M131 | 4.B.1.Na.1 |
| Group | 4.B.1.Na.1.d <i>Vaccinium uliginosum - Diapensia lapponica - Carex bigelowii</i> Temperate Alpine Tundra Group | G909 | 4.B.1.Na.1.d |
| Alliance | A1295 Bigelow''s Sedge Alpine Meadow Alliance | A1295 | 4.B.1.Na.1.d |
| Association | CEGL006081 Bigelow''s Sedge Alpine Meadow | CEGL006081 | 4.B.1.Na.1.d |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Sedge Meadow (Bliss 1963)
- Bliss, L. C. 1963. Alpine plant communities of the Presidential Range, New Hampshire. Ecology 44:678-697.
- CDPNQ [Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec]. No date. Unpublished data. Centre de données sur le patrimoine naturel du Québec, Québec.
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Edinger, G. J., D. J. Evans, S. Gebauer, T. G. Howard, D. M. Hunt, and A. M. Olivero, editors. 2014a. Ecological communities of New York state. Second edition. A revised and expanded edition of Carol Reschke''s ecological communities of New York state. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY.
- Gawler, S. C. 2002. Natural landscapes of Maine: A guide to vegetated natural communities and ecosystems. Maine Natural Areas Program, Department of Conservation, Augusta, ME.
- Gawler, S. C., and A. Cutko. 2010. Natural landscapes of Maine: A classification of vegetated natural communities and ecosystems. Maine Natural Areas Program, Department of Conservation, Augusta.
- Kimball, K. D., and D. M. Weihrauch. 2000. Alpine vegetation communities and the alpine-treeline ecotone boundary in New England as biomonitors for climate change. USDA Forest Service, Proceedings RMRS-P-15 3:93-101.
- Sperduto, D. D., and C. V. Cogbill. 1999. Alpine and subalpine vegetation of the White Mountains, New Hampshire. New Hampshire Natural Heritage Inventory, Concord, NH. 25 pp. plus figures.
- Sperduto, D. D., and W. F. Nichols. 2004. Natural communities of New Hampshire: A guide and classification. New Hampshire Natural Heritage Bureau, DRED Division of Forests and Lands, Concord. 242 pp.
- Thompson, E. H., and E. R. Sorenson. 2005. Wetland, woodland, wildland: A guide to the natural communities of Vermont. The Nature Conservancy and the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife. University Press of New England, Hanover, NH. 456 pp.