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CEGL002023 Andropogon gerardii - Panicum virgatum Sandhills Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Big Bluestem - Switchgrass Sandhills Grassland
Colloquial Name: Sandhills Wet-Mesic Prairie
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This big bluestem sandhills prairie community type occurs in the central Great Plains of the United States. Stands typically occur in interdunal valleys and floodplains of streams and rivers, and on level ground where drainage systems are poorly developed. Soils are somewhat poorly drained sandy loam or sands with organic matter (but no peat accumulation) and are formed in eolian sand or alluvium. Vegetation cover is dense and is primarily composed of tall mesophytic grasses, mostly Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans in undisturbed sites, with Agrostis stolonifera, Phleum pratense, and Poa pratensis often replacing them in disturbed sites. Other common grasses include Calamagrostis canadensis, Calamagrostis stricta, Elymus trachycaulus, and Panicum virgatum. Typical forbs include Helianthus nuttallii, Lotus unifoliolatus, and Rudbeckia hirta. Thickets of shrubs, such as Salix exigua, are occasional.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type is geographically defined to include areas of the Nebraska (and adjacent South Dakota) Sandhills region.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This community is dominated by a dense layer of mesophytic tall grasses 1-2 m tall, with Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans most abundant in undisturbed sites. In moist swales and wetter areas along the margin of this community, Calamagrostis canadensis and Spartina pectinata may be abundant. Cool-season Eurasian (exotic) grasses such as Phleum pratense and invasive natives Agrostis stolonifera and Poa pratensis are commonly seeded in these sites and may dominate. Forbs are usually common, but are seldom mentioned in the literature. Conspicuous forbs species include Euthamia gymnospermoides, Helianthus nuttallii, Rudbeckia hirta, Solidago canadensis, and Solidago gigantea. Woody plants are uncommon, though scattered thickets of Salix exigua may be present. In the eastern portion of its range, this community often contains forbs typical of tall-grass prairie to the east, such as Sisyrinchium campestre and Viola pedatifida. Species diversity is relatively high in undisturbed sites, and often much lower in sites seeded to exotic cool-season grasses (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community occurs mostly in interdunal valleys and floodplains of streams and rivers, and on level ground where drainage is poor. Soils are poorly drained sandy loams and sands with considerable organic matter (but no peat accumulation) and are formed in eolian sand or alluvium. These sites are rarely, if ever, flooded but are subirrigated; that is, constantly supplied by high groundwater levels (about 1 m below the surface) (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003).
Geographic Range: This big bluestem sandhills community type occurs in the central Great Plains of the United States, particularly in the Sandhills region of Nebraska and adjacent South Dakota.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: ND?, NE, SD
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688263
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3?
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.B Temperate & Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Subclass | S18 | 2.B |
| Formation | 2.B.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Nb Central North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D023 | 2.B.2.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nb.2 Needle-and-Thread - Western Wheatgrass - Plains Rough Fescue Grassland Macrogroup | M051 | 2.B.2.Nb.2 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nb.2.c Western Wheatgrass - Needle-and-Thread - Little Bluestem Mixedgrass Prairie Group | G141 | 2.B.2.Nb.2.c |
| Alliance | A4382 Big Bluestem - Indiangrass Northern Mixedgrass Grassland Alliance | A4382 | 2.B.2.Nb.2.c |
| Association | CEGL002023 Big Bluestem - Switchgrass Sandhills Grassland | CEGL002023 | 2.B.2.Nb.2.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Andropogon gerardii - Panicum virgatum Sandhills Herbaceous Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
< Hay Meadow Association (Pool 1914)
= Mesophytic tall-grass zone (Tolstead 1942)
= Subirrigated subclimax tall-grass area (Frolik and Keim 1933)
< Tallgrass Prairie (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003)
< Hay Meadow Association (Pool 1914)
= Mesophytic tall-grass zone (Tolstead 1942)
= Subirrigated subclimax tall-grass area (Frolik and Keim 1933)
< Tallgrass Prairie (Steinauer and Rolfsmeier 2003)
- Butler, J., D. Crawford, S. Menard, and T. Meyer. 2002. Lacreek National Wildlife Refuge, South Dakota. USGS-USFWS Vegetation Mapping Program. Final report. Technical Memorandum 8260-02-02, Remote Sensing and GIS Group, Technical Service Center, Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, CO.
- 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.).
- Frolik, A. L., and F. D. Keim. 1933. Native vegetation in the prairie hay district of north central Nebraska. Ecology 14:298-305.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- Pool, R. J. 1914. A study of the vegetation of the sandhills of Nebraska. Minnesota Botanical Studies 4:189-312.
- Rolfsmeier, S. B., and G. Steinauer. 2010. Terrestrial ecological systems and natural communities of Nebraska (Version IV - March 9, 2010). Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Lincoln, NE. 228 pp.
- SDNHP [South Dakota Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. South Dakota Natural Heritage Program, Pierre, SD.
- Steinauer, G., and S. Rolfsmeier. 2003. Terrestrial natural communities of Nebraska. (Version III - June 30, 2003). Nebraska Natural Heritage Program, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Lincoln. 163 pp.
- Tolstead, W. L. 1942. Vegetation of the northern part of Cherry County, Nebraska. Ecological Monographs 12(3):257-292.