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CEGL002900 Kobresia myosuroides - Thalictrum alpinum Fen
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Bellardi Bog Sedge - Alpine Meadowrue Fen
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This plant association is found in extreme rich fens in the montane valley of South Park, Colorado. It is found at elevations of 2875-2975 m (9440-9760 feet). Extreme rich fens are small-patch communities confined to specific environments defined by groundwater discharge, soil chemistry, and peat accumulation of at least 40 cm. Fens form at low points in the landscape at or near slopes where groundwater intercepts the soil surface. The water chemistry is distinct in that it contains high levels of calcium and magnesium. This association is characterized by Kobresia myosuroides and Thalictrum alpinum occurring on hummocks often up to 50 cm tall in the drier end of the hydrologic gradient of the fen. Thalictrum alpinum is 100% constant in the community and is what separates this association from Kobresia myosuroides-dominated alpine communities. Associated plants include Salix brachycarpa, Ptilagrostis porteri, Juncus arcticus, and Kobresia simpliciuscula, occurring on the hummock environment with Eleocharis quinqueflora, and various Carex spp. occurring in the swales beneath the hummocks. The extreme rich fens also support a number of rare plants and insects, including regional endemics.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: The association is based on 14 extreme rich fen sites in South Park in central Colorado that have been extensively inventoried due to the occurrence of many rare plants and plant associations contained within them.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This association is characterized by Kobresia myosuroides (10-64% cover) and Thalictrum alpinum (5-10% cover) occurring on hummocks often up to 50 cm tall in the drier end of the hydrologic gradient of the fen. Thalictrum alpinum is 100% constant in the community and is what separates this association from Kobresia myosuroides-dominated alpine communities. Associated plants (with percent cover) include Salix brachycarpa (10-30%), Ptilagrostis porteri (= Ptilagrostis mongholica ssp. porteri) (7-10%), Juncus arcticus (5-25%), and Kobresia simpliciuscula (5-60%), occurring on the hummock environment with Eleocharis quinqueflora, and various Carex spp. occurring in the swales beneath the hummocks. The extreme rich fens also support a number of rare plants and insects, including regional endemics.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This plant association is found in extreme rich fens in the montane valley of South Park, Colorado at elevations of 2875-2975 m (9440-9760 feet). Extreme rich fens are small-patch communities confined to specific environments defined by groundwater discharge, soil chemistry, and peat accumulation of at least 40 cm. Fens form at low points in the landscape at or near slopes where groundwater intercepts the soil surface. The water chemistry is distinct in that it contains high levels of calcium and magnesium.
Geographic Range: The range of the association is limited to the geographical region of South Park in central Colorado. The specific hydrologic and chemical gradient needed to support the extreme rich fen communities are limiting factors on the range of the association.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: CO
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689192
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2
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.2 Temperate to Polar Bog & Fen Formation | F016 | 2.C.2 |
| Division | 2.C.2.Na North American Bog & Fen Division | D029 | 2.C.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.2.Na.2 Shrubby cinquefoil - Woolly-fruit Sedge / Star Campylium Moss Alkaline Fen Macrogroup | M877 | 2.C.2.Na.2 |
| Group | 2.C.2.Na.2.c Bellardi Bog Sedge - Buxbaum''s Sedge Alkaline Fen Group | G516 | 2.C.2.Na.2.c |
| Alliance | A3436 Simple Bog Sedge - Bellardi Bog Sedge Alkaline Graminoid Fen Alliance | A3436 | 2.C.2.Na.2.c |
| Association | CEGL002900 Bellardi Bog Sedge - Alpine Meadowrue Fen | CEGL002900 | 2.C.2.Na.2.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Kobresia myosuroides - Thalictrum alpinum Extreme Rich Fen (Carsey et al. 2003a)
- 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. No date. Ecological studies of wetlands in South Park, Colorado: Classification, functional analysis, rare species inventory, and the effects of removing irrigation. Unpublished report prepared for Park County and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region VIII.
- Sanderson, J. 1995a. Field survey of South Park''s extreme rich fens. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Denver.
- Sanderson, J. 1995b. Field survey to Wahl Ranch. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Denver.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.