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CEGL002205 Andropogon gerardii - Schizachyrium scoparium Northern Plains Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Big Bluestem - Little Bluestem Northern Plains Grassland
Colloquial Name: Northern Plains Big Bluestem Prairie
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This bluestem prairie type is found in the unglaciated regions of the northwestern Great Plains of the United States. Stands occur on lower slopes and bottomlands of narrow gullies and draws. It requires more moisture than is generally provided by direct precipitation. The extra water comes from runoff from upslope areas and meltwater from snow which often accumulates in drifts on this community. The soil is loam to sandy loam and moderately deep to deep. The vegetation is dominated by moderately dense to dense tall and mid grasses. Most of the species are 0.7-1.5 m tall. Common grasses are Andropogon gerardii, Bouteloua curtipendula, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sporobolus heterolepis, and Hesperostipa spartea. Other grasses that may occur include Elymus trachycaulus, Carex pensylvanica, and Panicum virgatum. Forbs such as Artemisia ludoviciana, Echinacea angustifolia, Helianthus pauciflorus ssp. pauciflorus, Avenula hookeri, Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis, Liatris scariosa, and Lilium philadelphicum are common. Shrubs, especially Symphoricarpos occidentalis, are often present but never abundant.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type occurs in the unglaciated parts of the northern plains. Compare with the glaciated type ~Andropogon gerardii - Sporobolus heterolepis - Schizachyrium scoparium - Pascopyrum smithii Grassland (CEGL002376)$$.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The vegetation is dominated by moderately dense to dense tall and mid grasses. Most of the species are 0.7-1.5 m tall. Common grasses are Andropogon gerardii, Bouteloua curtipendula, Schizachyrium scoparium, Sporobolus heterolepis, and Hesperostipa spartea (= Stipa spartea). Other grasses that may occur include Carex pensylvanica, Elymus trachycaulus (= Agropyron trachycaulum), and Panicum virgatum. Forbs such as Artemisia ludoviciana, Echinacea angustifolia, Helianthus pauciflorus ssp. pauciflorus, Avenula hookeri (= Helictotrichon hookeri), Juncus arcticus ssp. littoralis (= Juncus balticus), Liatris scariosa, and Lilium philadelphicum are common. Shrubs, especially Symphoricarpos occidentalis, are often present but never abundant.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community is found in unglaciated areas on lower slopes and bottomlands of narrow gullies and draws. It requires more moisture than is generally provided by direct precipitation. The extra water comes from runoff from upslope areas and meltwater from snow which often accumulates in drifts on this community. The soil is loam to sandy loam and moderately deep to deep (Hanson and Whitman 1938).
Geographic Range: This bluestem prairie type is found in unglaciated regions of the northwestern Great Plains of the United States, particularly the Dakotas.
Nations: CA?,US
States/Provinces: MT, ND, SD, SK?, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688290
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G5
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 | CEGL002205 Big Bluestem - Little Bluestem Northern Plains Grassland | CEGL002205 | 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 - Schizachyrium scoparium Northern Plains Herbaceous Vegetation (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
= Andropogon gerardii Habitat Type (USFS 1992)
= Big Bluestem Type (Hanson and Whitman 1938)
= Andropogon gerardii Habitat Type (USFS 1992)
= Big Bluestem Type (Hanson and Whitman 1938)
- BHCI [Black Hills Community Inventory]. 1999. Unpublished element occurrence and plot data collected during the Black Hills Community Inventory. Available upon request from the South Dakota Natural Heritage Program, Pierre, and Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie.
- Cogan, D., H. Marriott, J. Von Loh, and M. J. Pucherelli. 1999. USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program, Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota. Technical Memorandum No. 8260-98-08. USDI Bureau of Reclamation Technical Services Center, Denver, CO. 225 pp.
- 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.).
- Hanson, H. C., and W. Whitman. 1938. Characteristics of major grassland types in western North Dakota. Ecological Monographs 8:58-114.
- Marriott, H. J., D. Faber-Langendoen, A. McAdams, D. Stutzman, and B. Burkhart. 1999. The Black Hills Community Inventory: Final report. The Nature Conservancy, Midwest Conservation Science Center, Minneapolis, MN.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- NDNHI [North Dakota Natural Heritage Inventory]. 2018. Unpublished data. Vegetation classification of North Dakota. North Dakota Natural Heritage Inventory, North Dakota Parks & Recreation Department, Bismarck.
- SDNHP [South Dakota Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data. South Dakota Natural Heritage Program, Pierre, SD.
- USFS [U.S. Forest Service]. 1992. Draft habitat types of the Little Missouri National Grasslands. Medora and McKenzie ranger districts, Custer National Forest. Dickinson, ND.