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CEGL005377 Festuca thurberi - Danthonia parryi / Potentilla hippiana Grassland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Thurber''s Fescue - Parry''s Oatgrass / Woolly Cinquefoil Grassland
Colloquial Name: No Data Available
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This montane grassland occurs in north-central New Mexico between 2710 and 2950 m (8900-9680 feet) elevation on sites with moderate to high solar exposure that increases with elevation. Stands are found on gentle footslopes or shoulder slopes (5-10% slope) to moderately steep upper backslopes (up to 40%). Soils are primarily mapped as well-developed and relatively deep Mollisols with textures that are loamy to clayey in a gravelly to cobbly matrix. They are derived from latite and dacite slope alluvium or colluvium parent materials. The ground surface is typically characterized by bunchgrasses with inter-grass spaces covered with leaf litter or some exposed soil. The vegetation is characterized by abundant to luxuriant growth of Festuca thurberi with Danthonia parryi as a codominant. Carex inops ssp. heliophila, Elymus elymoides, and Poa pratensis are common associates. Forbs are moderately diverse but variable from stand to stand with cover that is usually less than 10%. Trees are rare or incidental but can include such conifer species as Abies concolor, Pinus ponderosa, or Pseudotsuga menziesii. Typically, shrubs are absent as well, though occasionally such species as Juniperus communis, Ribes leptanthum, or Rosa woodsii can be common to well-represented.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This montane grassland is characterized by abundant to luxuriant growth of Festuca thurberi with Danthonia parryi as a codominant. Carex inops ssp. heliophila, Elymus elymoides, and Poa pratensis are common associates among 29 graminoid species reported for the association. Forbs are moderately diverse but variable from stand to stand with cover that is usually less than 10%. Potentilla hippiana is the typical dominant along with other open meadow species such as Achillea millefolium and Iris missouriensis as common associates; occasionally Arenaria fendleri, Campanula rotundifolia, and Erigeron formosissimus are prevalent. Trees are rare or incidental but can include such conifer species as Abies concolor, Pinus ponderosa, or Pseudotsuga menziesii. Typically, shrubs are absent as well, though occasionally such species as Juniperus communis, Ribes leptanthum, or Rosa woodsii can be common to well-represented.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This high-elevation association occurs between 2710 and 2950 m (8900-9680 feet) on sites with moderate to high solar exposure that increases with elevation (i.e., aspects tend to be more northerly at lower elevation and more southerly on higher sites). Stands are found on gentle footslopes or shoulder slopes (5-10% slope) to moderately steep upper backslopes (up to 40%). Soils are primarily mapped as well-developed and relatively deep Mollisols with textures that are loamy to clayey in a gravelly to cobbly matrix. They are derived from latite and dacite slope alluvium or colluvium parent materials (Hibner 2009). The ground surface is typically characterized by bunch grasses with inter-grass spaces covered with leaf litter or some exposed soil.
Geographic Range: This montane grassland association occurs in north-central New Mexico.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NM
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.821386
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
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.Nf Western North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D022 | 2.B.2.Nf |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nf.3 Tufted Hairgrass - Licorice-root species - Mountain Muhly Subalpine-High Montane Mesic Meadow Macrogroup | M168 | 2.B.2.Nf.3 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nf.3.a Arizona Fescue - Thurber''s Fescue - Mountain Muhly Grassland Group | G268 | 2.B.2.Nf.3.a |
| Alliance | A3954 Thurber''s Fescue - Timber Oatgrass - Letterman''s Bluegrass Southern Rocky Mountain Subalpine Grassland Alliance | A3954 | 2.B.2.Nf.3.a |
| Association | CEGL005377 Thurber''s Fescue - Parry''s Oatgrass / Woolly Cinquefoil Grassland | CEGL005377 | 2.B.2.Nf.3.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Festuca thurberi - Danthonia parryi Plant Association (Muldavin et al. 2006)
= Festuca thurberi - Danthonia parryi Plant Association (Muldavin and Tonne 2003)
< Subalpine Grassland (Balice et al. 1997)
= Festuca thurberi - Danthonia parryi Plant Association (Muldavin and Tonne 2003)
< Subalpine Grassland (Balice et al. 1997)
- Balice, R. G., S. G. Ferran, and T. S. Foxx. 1997. Preliminary vegetation and land cover classification for the Los Alamos region. Report LA-UR-97-4627, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM.
- Hibner, C. D. 2009. Special project soil survey of Bandelier National Monument. Natural Resources Conservation Science. In cooperation with the USDI National Park Service and the New Mexico Agricultural Experiment Station. [in review]
- McKown, B., S. W. Koch, R. G. Balice, and P. Neville. 2003. Land cover classification map for the Eastern Jemez Region. LA-14029, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM.
- Muldavin, E., A. Kennedy, C. Jackson, P. Neville, T. Neville, K. Schulz, and M. Reid. 2011b. Vegetation classification and map: Bandelier National Monument. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/SCPN/NRTR--2011/438. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO.
- Muldavin, E., P. Neville, C. Jackson, and T. Neville. 2006. A vegetation map of Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico. Natural Heritage New Mexico Publication No. 06-GTR-302. Natural Heritage New Mexico, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. 59 pp.
- Muldavin, E., and P. Tonne. 2003. A vegetation survey and preliminary ecological assessment of Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico. Natural Heritage New Mexico Publication No. 03-GTR-272. Natural Heritage New Mexico, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. 73 pp. plus appendices.
- Western Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boulder, CO.