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CEGL001288 Atriplex canescens / Pleuraphis jamesii Shrubland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Fourwing Saltbush / James'' Galleta Shrubland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This shrubland association occurs on the Colorado Plateau and Uinta Basin and may occur in the Chihuahuan Desert and eastern California. The vegetation is characterized by a sparse to moderately dense shrub layer (10-40% cover) dominated by Atriplex canescens with Pleuraphis jamesii dominating the herbaceous layer. Associated shrubs include Ericameria nauseosa, Ephedra torreyana, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, and Krascheninnikovia lanata, depending on topographic position and substrate. Other graminoids that may be present include Achnatherum hymenoides and Sporobolus cryptandrus on sandy sites, and Bouteloua gracilis and Sporobolus airoides on fine-textured soil. Forbs generally have low cover and may include Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia and Chenopodium spp. Introduced or weedy species, such as Bromus tectorum, Descurainia pinnata, and Salsola kali, are common on some sites. This association appears to occur on two distinct types of landforms: alluvial flats and stream terraces with alkaline or saline silty clay loam soils, or on upland flats covered by eolian sand deposits.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Because the habitat and the diagnostic species are relatively common in this region, the association should be widespread; grazing by sheep and cattle may have eliminated most stands. The Colorado Plateau sites used in this description have also been grazed heavily and show high cover by disturbance-tolerant herbaceous species.
As this association is currently defined, it is characterized only by the codominance of Atriplex canescens and Pleuraphis jamesii, which are both common in the southwestern U.S. Its relation to several similar associations is also unclear. Most of the information available suggests that the sparse shrub canopy is more typical and that this association should not be classified as a shrubland (Miller et al. 1977, Francis 1986, Von Loh 2000). Because it has a wide distribution (from southern Great Plains to the Mojave Desert), stands occur in diverse habitats (clayey bottomland to sand dunes) and vary from a sparse to moderate shrub canopy. It is likely that, when more information becomes available and the needed classification work is completed, this association will be subdivided with associated species representing distinct ecoregions and environments.
The diagnostic species require warm sites with somewhat alkaline soils, so this association should be relatively widespread throughout the Colorado Plateau and western Great Plains. That it is not may reflect spotty sampling of the region, or it may indicate that this association has been mostly altered by grazing. This association may also represent a form of ~Atriplex canescens / Sporobolus airoides Shrubland (CEGL001291)$$ that has been degraded by domestic livestock grazing. The concept of Atriplex canescens / Sporobolus airoides Shrubland includes Pleuraphis jamesii in the herbaceous layer. In addition, the species lists for related and equivalent communities cited in the References section include both Pleuraphis jamesii and Sporobolus airoides in the herbaceous layer. It is possible that these associations (CEGL001288 and CEGL001291) should be combined, as it appears they are distinguished primarily by which of the two grasses is dominant. It is possible that summer-long grazing has reduced or eliminated Sporobolus airoides from many stands in the Colorado Plateau, leaving Pleuraphis jamesii and Bouteloua gracilis as more grazing-resistant species. Distinguishing these two associations because of different intensities of historic grazing may not be ecologically valid in certain environments.
As this association is currently defined, it is characterized only by the codominance of Atriplex canescens and Pleuraphis jamesii, which are both common in the southwestern U.S. Its relation to several similar associations is also unclear. Most of the information available suggests that the sparse shrub canopy is more typical and that this association should not be classified as a shrubland (Miller et al. 1977, Francis 1986, Von Loh 2000). Because it has a wide distribution (from southern Great Plains to the Mojave Desert), stands occur in diverse habitats (clayey bottomland to sand dunes) and vary from a sparse to moderate shrub canopy. It is likely that, when more information becomes available and the needed classification work is completed, this association will be subdivided with associated species representing distinct ecoregions and environments.
The diagnostic species require warm sites with somewhat alkaline soils, so this association should be relatively widespread throughout the Colorado Plateau and western Great Plains. That it is not may reflect spotty sampling of the region, or it may indicate that this association has been mostly altered by grazing. This association may also represent a form of ~Atriplex canescens / Sporobolus airoides Shrubland (CEGL001291)$$ that has been degraded by domestic livestock grazing. The concept of Atriplex canescens / Sporobolus airoides Shrubland includes Pleuraphis jamesii in the herbaceous layer. In addition, the species lists for related and equivalent communities cited in the References section include both Pleuraphis jamesii and Sporobolus airoides in the herbaceous layer. It is possible that these associations (CEGL001288 and CEGL001291) should be combined, as it appears they are distinguished primarily by which of the two grasses is dominant. It is possible that summer-long grazing has reduced or eliminated Sporobolus airoides from many stands in the Colorado Plateau, leaving Pleuraphis jamesii and Bouteloua gracilis as more grazing-resistant species. Distinguishing these two associations because of different intensities of historic grazing may not be ecologically valid in certain environments.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Short shrubs are 0.5-2 m tall.
Floristics: This shrubland association is characterized by a sparse to moderately dense shrub canopy (10-40% cover) dominated by Atriplex canescens, with a sparse to moderate graminoid layer that is dominated by Pleuraphis jamesii. Associated shrubs may include Artemisia bigelovii, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus, Coleogyne ramosissima, Ephedra cutleri, Ephedra torreyana, Ephedra viridis, Ericameria nauseosa, Grayia spinosa, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Krascheninnikovia lanata, Lycium andersonii, Opuntia spp., and Psorothamnus fremontii. Other graminoids present include Achnatherum hymenoides and Sporobolus cryptandrus on sandy sites, and Bouteloua gracilis and Sporobolus airoides on fine-textured soils of lowland sites. Forbs generally have low cover and may include Astragalus nuttallianus, Chenopodium spp., Cryptantha crassisepala, Descurainia pinnata, Eriogonum inflatum, Lepidium montanum, Machaeranthera canescens, Mentzelia albicaulis, Phacelia crenulata, Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia, and other species of Sphaeralcea. Introduced species such as Bromus tectorum, Erodium cicutarium, and Salsola kali are common on some sites. In many sites, the herbaceous layer is sparse because of a history of grazing or other disturbance. Many stands have the appearance of a shrubby grassland and may form a mosaic with Ericameria nauseosa, Sarcobatus vermiculatus, or Atriplex confertifolia shrublands.
Dynamics: Ecological processes vary with landscape type. Because of their location in level, accessible areas, most examples of this association have been heavily grazed and are subject to other disturbances, such as small mammal burrowing and sheet erosion, reducing shrub and native grass cover and encouraging the dominance of weedy annual grasses and forbs such as Bromus tectorum and Descurainia pinnata. Francis (1986) considers this to be an early-seral community.
Environmental Description: Elevation ranges from 300-1900 m. It occurs on two distinct types of landforms: lowland sites such as alluvial flats and stream terraces with fine-textured soils or upland sites such as sandsheets with coarse-textured soils Water tends to pond temporarily in both kinds of sites following heavy rainstorms or spring floods; thus salts tend to accumulate in the soils. All sites are generally level to gently sloping or may be in nearly undetectable shallow depressions. The upland soils are somewhat shallow eolian sands or sandy loams. Lowland sites typically have deep, alkaline, saline silty clay loams derived from alluvium. These substrates are generally less saline and occur higher in the floodplain (further from the active channel) than Atriplex canescens / Sporobolus airoides- or Atriplex confertifolia-dominated shrublands that occur on saline bottomland sites.
Geographic Range: This wide-ranging shrubland association has been well-documented from the Colorado Plateau. It also occurs north into southwestern Wyoming, southeast and east into the northern Chihuahuan Desert and western Great Plains, and west into the eastern Mojave Desert and Great Basin.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AZ, CA?, CO, NM, TX, UT, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.690032
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G4
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 3 Desert & Semi-Desert Class | C03 | 3 |
| Subclass | 3.B Cool Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Subclass | S11 | 3.B |
| Formation | 3.B.1 Cool Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Formation | F033 | 3.B.1 |
| Division | 3.B.1.Ne Western North American Cool Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Division | D040 | 3.B.1.Ne |
| Macrogroup | 3.B.1.Ne.5 Shadscale Saltbush - Fourwing Saltbush - Mat Saltbush Great Basin Scrub Macrogroup | M093 | 3.B.1.Ne.5 |
| Group | 3.B.1.Ne.5.b Shadscale Saltbush - Fourwing Saltbush - Spiny Hopsage Scrub Group | G300 | 3.B.1.Ne.5.b |
| Alliance | A0869 Fourwing Saltbush Scrub Alliance | A0869 | 3.B.1.Ne.5.b |
| Association | CEGL001288 Fourwing Saltbush / James'' Galleta Shrubland | CEGL001288 | 3.B.1.Ne.5.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Atriplex canescens / Hilaria jamesii Plant Community (Francis 1986) [This association described from a site in the upper Rio Puerco watershed of northwestern New Mexico. (p.22)]
= Atriplex canescens / Pleuraphis jamesii Shrubland (Von Loh 2000)
? Greasewood-saltbush map symbol (BLM 1979a)
>< Mapping symbol 313.11 Atca - Bogr - Hija - Spai (Miller et al. 1977) [This vegetation unit is characterized as a grassland with scattered Atca shrubs, with clayey sites dominated by Hija. It is not clear how this relates to this association.]
= Atriplex canescens / Pleuraphis jamesii Shrubland (Von Loh 2000)
? Greasewood-saltbush map symbol (BLM 1979a)
>< Mapping symbol 313.11 Atca - Bogr - Hija - Spai (Miller et al. 1977) [This vegetation unit is characterized as a grassland with scattered Atca shrubs, with clayey sites dominated by Hija. It is not clear how this relates to this association.]
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