Print Report
CEGL006589 (Andromeda polifolia var. glaucophylla) / Polytrichum strictum - Cladonia spp. - Sphagnum spp. Acidic Peatland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: (Bog-rosemary) / Bog Haircap Moss - Cup Lichen species - Peatmoss species Acidic Peatland
Colloquial Name: Allegheny Mountains Bog-rosemary Acidic Peatland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This ombrotrophic late-successional wetland occurs on slightly domed peat deposits in the Allegheny Mountains region of West Virginia, at elevations between 960 and 1030 m. It is characterized by well-developed hummocks of mosses and lichens with occasional dominance by clonal patches of Andromeda polifolia var. glaucophylla. It is a small-patch type (0.05-10 hectares) that occupies flat-lying headwater basins in the center of wetland mosaics, where it is isolated from seepage inputs. Hummock-and-hollow microtopography is well-developed, with rounded peat hummocks ranging from 25-50 cm in height. The substrate is poorly drained peat, with depths ranging from 2 to 3.5 m. According to carbon dating of peat, this community grows on a site that has been characterized by bog vegetation for about 9500 years. The short-shrub stratum ranges from 0 to 60% cover and is almost exclusively composed of Andromeda polifolia var. glaucophylla, with infrequent very low cover by Photinia melanocarpa or Hypericum densiflorum. The dwarf-shrub layer is composed of Rubus hispidus and Vaccinium oxycoccos with an average cover of 12%. The herbaceous layer, with mean 5% cover, is characterized by Eriophorum virginicum, which grows on top of the hummocks. Rhynchospora alba may line the hollows, and very low cover of Carex trisperma var. trisperma or Osmunda cinnamomea var. cinnamomea may be present. Nonvascular plants average 95% cover, with hummocks dominated by Polytrichum strictum and Cladonia spp. (Cladonia arbuscula, Cladonia rangiferina, Cladonia stygia), and hollows lined with Sphagnum spp. (Sphagnum rubellum, Sphagnum flexuosum, Sphagnum magellanicum). Mean species richness of all vascular plants and any nonvascular plants with cover >1% is 13 taxa per 400 m2, with 40% of the diversity in the nonvascular stratum.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Four plots (several patches forming one occurrence) represent this type, which was classified as part of a 2004-2006 study of high-elevation wetlands in West Virginia''s Allegheny Mountains region (Byers et al. 2007). This type clusters consistently together and ordinates in a close grouping in the ombrotrophic portion of species space. The single occurrence has been adequately sampled. It is possible that this type may exist at a second location in West Virginia, where it has not yet been sampled.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This ombrotrophic, late-successional peatland occurs in the Allegheny Mountains region of West Virginia. It is characterized by well-developed hummocks of mosses and lichens with occasional dominance by clonal patches of Andromeda polifolia var. glaucophylla. The short-shrub stratum ranges from 0 to 60% cover and is almost exclusively composed of Andromeda polifolia var. glaucophylla, with very low cover by Photinia melanocarpa or Hypericum densiflorum. The dwarf-shrub layer is composed of Rubus hispidus and Vaccinium oxycoccos with an average cover of 12%. The herbaceous layer, with mean 5% cover, is characterized by Eriophorum virginicum, which grows on top of the hummocks. Rhynchospora alba may line the hollows, and very low cover of Carex trisperma var. trisperma or Osmunda cinnamomea var. cinnamomea may be present. Nonvascular plants average 95% cover, with hummocks dominated by Polytrichum strictum and Cladonia spp. (Cladonia arbuscula, Cladonia rangiferina, Cladonia stygia), and hollows lined with Sphagnum spp. (Sphagnum rubellum, Sphagnum flexuosum, Sphagnum magellanicum). Mean species richness of all vascular plants and any nonvascular plants with cover >1% is 13 taxa per 400 m2, with 40% of the diversity in the nonvascular stratum (Byers et al. 2007).
Dynamics: This is a small-patch, ombrotrophic peatland. It is maintained by rainfall on slightly domed peat deposits. Nutrient cycling occurs from the decay of litter or woody vegetation.
Environmental Description: This ombrotrophic wetland occurs on slightly domed peat deposits in the Allegheny Mountains region of West Virginia, at elevations between 960 and 1030 m. It is a small-patch type (0.05-10 ha) that occupies flat-lying headwater basins, in the center of wetland mosaics where it is isolated from seepage inputs along the wetland margin. Hummock-and-hollow microtopography is well-developed, with rounded peat hummocks ranging from 25-50 cm in height. Bedrock is Mississippian shale or Quaternary alluvium. The substrate is poorly drained peat, with depths ranging from 2 to 3.5 m. According to carbon dating of peat at Cranberry Glades, West Virginia, this community grows on a site that has been characterized by bog vegetation for about 9500 years. The water table may be several feet below the surface during dry periods throughout the year, and the community relies on rainfall to nourish the vegetation. Often a perched moisture layer is evident in the peat close to the ground surface. Hydric soil indicators include histisol, histic epipedon, and hydrogen sulphide. Mean soil pH is 3.7 (n=3), mean pore water pH is 3.9 (n=4), and electrical conductivity averages 50 micromhos/cm (n=4). Soil chemistry is characterized by high exchangeable nitrogen, total exchange capacity, and organic matter; moderate B, K, Na, P; and low Al, Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, S, and Zn (n=3). The unvegetated surface is litter (Darlington 1943, Byers et al. 2007).
Geographic Range: This community is known from the Allegheny Mountains region of West Virginia, at elevations of 960-1030 m.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: WV
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.800167
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
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.1 Leatherleaf - Small Cranberry - Few-seed Sedge Bog & Acidic Fen Macrogroup | M876 | 2.C.2.Na.1 |
| Group | 2.C.2.Na.1.a Leatherleaf - Few-seed Sedge - Bog Laurel Boreal Bog & Acidic Fen Group | G748 | 2.C.2.Na.1.a |
| Alliance | A4480 Red Chokeberry / Tawny Cottongrass / sphagnum, peatmoss spp. Allegheny Fen Alliance | A4480 | 2.C.2.Na.1.a |
| Association | CEGL006589 (Bog-rosemary) / Bog Haircap Moss - Cup Lichen species - Peatmoss species Acidic Peatland | CEGL006589 | 2.C.2.Na.1.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = (Andromeda polifolia var. glaucophylla) / Polytrichum strictum - Cladonia spp. - Sphagnum spp. peatland (Byers et al. 2007)
= Andromeda glaucophylla - Vaccinium oxycoccos open bog community (Edens 1973)
= Polytrichum - Cladonia association (Darlington 1943)
= Andromeda glaucophylla - Vaccinium oxycoccos open bog community (Edens 1973)
= Polytrichum - Cladonia association (Darlington 1943)
- Byers, E. A., J. P. Vanderhorst, and B. P. Streets. 2007. Classification and conservation assessment of high elevation wetland communities in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia. West Virginia Natural Heritage Program, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Elkins.
- Darlington, H. C. 1943. Vegetation and substrate of Cranberry Glades, West Virginia. Botanical Gazette 104:371-393.
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Edens, D. L. 1973. The ecology and succession of Cranberry Glades, WV. Ph.D. dissertation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh.
- WVNHP [West Virginia Natural Heritage Program]. No date. Unpublished data. West Virginia Natural Heritage Program, Elkins.