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CEGL006528 Polypodium (virginianum, appalachianum) Cliff Sparse Vegetation
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: (Rock Polypody, Appalachian Polypody) Cliff Sparse Vegetation
Colloquial Name: Northern Appalachian Acidic Cliff
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This sparsely vegetated cliff association occurs in the spruce-fir forest region of northern New England and New York, and adjacent Canadian provinces. The setting is dry vertical exposures of resistant acidic bedrock such as granite, quartzite, sandstone or schist, with little or no soil development. These cliffs are mostly dry, but may contain small areas of seepy conditions, with associated floristic variation. The patchy vegetation is restricted to cracks and crevices, and can vary from well-vegetated to barren across the cliff face. The association presents itself as a mixture of open rock, scrubby trees and shrubs, herbaceous plants, and bryoids. Typical woody species include Picea rubens, Abies balsamea, Sorbus decora, Sorbus americana, Betula papyrifera var. papyrifera, Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia, Diervilla lonicera, Ribes triste, Acer rubrum, Acer spicatum, and Alnus viridis. The herbaceous component may feature graminoids such as Deschampsia flexuosa, Danthonia spicata, or Carex brunnescens; wiry ferns, such as Polypodium virginianum, Polypodium appalachianum, Cystopteris fragilis, Dryopteris marginalis, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, and Woodsia ilvensis; and herbs, such as Solidago simplex var. randii, Campanula rotundifolia, and Sibbaldiopsis tridentata. Paronychia argyrocoma occurs on some cliffs. Bryoids are not well documented, but the lichen flora often includes Umbilicaria spp. This association differs from other northeastern cliff vegetation types by the absence of calciphiles and the characteristically subboreal flora, lacking Quercus spp. and Juniperus virginiana, and with little or no Tsuga canadensis. Cliffs intermediate between the acidic versus calcareous substrate and subboreal versus temperate setting do occur.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Cliff vegetation in the Northeast has not been well studied, and comparative work is needed across the Northeast, upper Midwest, and adjacent Canada.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The patchy vegetation is restricted to cracks and crevices, and can vary from well-vegetated to barren across the cliff face. The association presents itself as a mixture of open rock, scrubby trees and shrubs, herbaceous plants, and bryoids. Typical woody species include Picea rubens, Abies balsamea, Sorbus decora, Sorbus americana, Betula papyrifera var. papyrifera, Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia, Diervilla lonicera, Ribes triste, Acer rubrum, Acer spicatum, and Alnus viridis. The herbaceous component may feature graminoids such as Deschampsia flexuosa, Danthonia spicata, or Carex brunnescens; wiry ferns, such as Polypodium virginianum, Polypodium appalachianum, Cystopteris fragilis, Dryopteris marginalis, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, and Woodsia ilvensis; and herbs, such as Solidago simplex var. randii, Campanula rotundifolia, and Sibbaldiopsis tridentata (= Potentilla tridentata). Paronychia argyrocoma occurs on some cliffs. Bryoids are not well documented, but the lichen flora often includes Umbilicaria spp.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This sparsely vegetated cliff association occurs in the spruce-fir forest region of northern New England and New York, and adjacent Canadian provinces. The setting is dry vertical exposures of resistant acidic bedrock such as granite, quartzite, sandstone or schist, with little or no soil development. These cliffs are mostly dry, but may contain small areas of seepy conditions, with associated floristic variation.
Geographic Range: This type is found in northern New England, the Adirondacks, and adjacent Canadian provinces.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: ME, NH, NY, QC?, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688235
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 6 Open Rock Vegetation Class | C06 | 6 |
| Subclass | 6.B Temperate & Boreal Open Rock Vegetation Subclass | S04 | 6.B |
| Formation | 6.B.1 Temperate & Boreal Cliff, Scree & Other Rock Vegetation Formation | F034 | 6.B.1 |
| Division | 6.B.1.Na Eastern North American Temperate Cliff, Scree & Rock Vegetation Division | D051 | 6.B.1.Na |
| Macrogroup | 6.B.1.Na.1 Shrubby Fivefingers - Rock Polypody / Cup Lichen species Eastern North American Cliff & Rock Vegetation Macrogroup | M111 | 6.B.1.Na.1 |
| Group | 6.B.1.Na.1.b Laurentian-Acadian-Great Lakes Cliff & Rock Vegetation Group | G839 | 6.B.1.Na.1.b |
| Alliance | A4007 Laurentian-Acadian-Great Lakes Acidic Cliff Alliance | A4007 | 6.B.1.Na.1.b |
| Association | CEGL006528 (Rock Polypody, Appalachian Polypody) Cliff Sparse Vegetation | CEGL006528 | 6.B.1.Na.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Acidic Cliff - Gorge (Gawler 2002)
- 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.
- Lubinski, S., K. Hop, and S. Gawler. 2003. Vegetation Mapping Program: Acadia National Park, Maine. Report produced by U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, and Maine Natural Areas Program in conjunction with M. Story (NPS Vegetation Mapping Coordinator) NPS, Natural Resources Information Division, Inventory and Monitoring Program, and K. Brown (USGS Vegetation Mapping Coordinator), USGS, Center for Biological Informatics and NatureServe. [http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/ftp/vegmapping/acad/reports/acadrpt.pdf]
- 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.