Print Report
G490 Bouteloua eriopoda - Bouteloua ramosa - Muhlenbergia porteri Semi-Desert Grassland Group
Type Concept Sentence: This Chihuahuan Desert group is a broadly defined grassland/shrub-steppe characterized by an open to dense herbaceous layer dominated by a diverse mixture of perennial desert grasses such as Bouteloua eriopoda, Bouteloua ramosa, Bouteloua rothrockii, Muhlenbergia emersleyi (higher elevations), Muhlenbergia porteri, and Muhlenbergia setifolia (higher elevations) with scattered shrubs and succulents typically present.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Black Grama - Chino Grama - Bush Muhly Semi-Desert Grassland Group
Colloquial Name: Chihuahuan Desert Foothill-Piedmont & Lower Montane Grassland
Hierarchy Level: Group
Type Concept: This group is a broadly defined desert grassland (shrub-steppe) that is typical of the Borderlands of Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico and extending throughout much of the Chihuahuan Desert west to the Sonoran Desert, and north to the Mogollon Rim. The vegetation is characterized by an open to dense herbaceous layer dominated by a diverse mixture of perennial desert grasses. Scattered shrubs and succulents are usually present, but usually have lower total cover than the herbaceous layer. Common species include desert grasses such as Bouteloua eriopoda, Bouteloua ramosa, Bouteloua rothrockii, Muhlenbergia porteri, as well as widespread species Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua gracilis, Bouteloua hirsuta, and Eragrostis intermedia. Also typical are succulents such as Agave lechuguilla, rosetophyllous shrubs such as species of Nolina, Dasylirion, and Yucca, and short (dwarf) shrubs including species of Calliandra, Mimosa, and Parthenium. Scattered tall shrubs and short trees such as species of Acacia, Prosopis, and various oaks may be present but with low cover. In upper foothills and lower montane zones Muhlenbergia emersleyi and Muhlenbergia setifolia are characteristic species. Sites occur on gently sloping alluvial erosional fans and piedmonts (bajadas) that lie along mountain fronts of the isolated basin ranges (e.g., Sky Island mountain archipelago) extending onto foothill slopes up to 1670 m elevation in the Chihuahuan Desert.
Many of the historical desert grassland and savanna areas have been converted through intensive grazing and other land uses, some to ~North American Warm Desert Ruderal Scrub Group (G819)$$ (Prosopis spp.-dominated) or ~Chihuahuan Creosotebush - Mixed Desert Scrub Group (G288)$$ (Larrea tridentata-dominated).
Many of the historical desert grassland and savanna areas have been converted through intensive grazing and other land uses, some to ~North American Warm Desert Ruderal Scrub Group (G819)$$ (Prosopis spp.-dominated) or ~Chihuahuan Creosotebush - Mixed Desert Scrub Group (G288)$$ (Larrea tridentata-dominated).
Diagnostic Characteristics: This group is characterized by an open to dense herbaceous layer dominated by a diverse mixture of perennial desert grasses. Scattered shrubs and succulents are usually present, but have lower total cover than the herbaceous layer. Diagnostic of this grassland is the presence of desert and foothill piedmont and lower montane grassland indicator species. Desert grassland indicator species include Bothriochloa barbinodis, Bouteloua chondrosioides, Bouteloua eriopoda, Bouteloua hirsuta, Bouteloua radicosa, Bouteloua ramosa, Bouteloua rothrockii, Digitaria californica, Hilaria belangeri, Muhlenbergia porteri, Muhlenbergia setifolia, or Schizachyrium cirratum and/or desert scrub indicator species (Agave lechuguilla, Calliandra eriophylla, Dasylirion spp., Fouquieria splendens, Mimosa spp., Nolina spp., Yucca torreyi). Foothill and lower montane indicator species such as Muhlenbergia emersleyi and Muhlenbergia pauciflora often occur with widespread species such as Bouteloua curtipendula or Hesperostipa neomexicana. Pleuraphis mutica may be present but is characteristic of ~Chihuahuan Semi-Desert Lowland Grassland Group (G489)$$. If present, Prosopis spp. are not dominant.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This group currently includes foothill semi-desert shrub-steppe in the northern Chihuahuan Desert composed of mixed grasses and scattered succulents, dwarf-shrubs, shrubs and trees typically forming a shrub-steppe. Sites are typically colluvial slopes not alluvial; substrates include granitics, rhyolitics (volcanics), and sedimentary limestones and sandstones. It is characterized by diverse matrix of perennial grasses mixed with scattered shrubs that include Dasylirion leiophyllum, Dasylirion wheeleri, Fouquieria splendens, Nolina spp., Yucca baccata, and Yucca torreyi. Bouteloua curtipendula is often diagnostic, but other grass species may codominate or dominate and include Bouteloua eriopoda, Bouteloua hirsuta, Bouteloua gracilis, Eragrostis intermedia, Erioneuron pilosum, Muhlenbergia emersleyi, Muhlenbergia porteri, Muhlenbergia setifolia, Bouteloua chondrosioides, and Tridens muticus. Succulents include Agave lechuguilla, Opuntia spp., and other cacti. Dwarf-shrubs, shrubs and trees include Dalea formosa, Thymophylla spp., Acacia constricta, Acacia neovernicosa, Aloysia wrightii, Atriplex canescens, Mimosa aculeaticarpa var. biuncifera, Parthenium incanum, Viguiera stenoloba, Rhus trilobata, and Rhus microphylla. Pleuraphis mutica-dominated semi-desert grasslands often with Bouteloua eriopoda or Bouteloua gracilis occurring on lowlands and loamy plains in the Chihuahuan Desert are classified as ~Chihuahuan Semi-Desert Lowland Grassland Group (G489)$$.
Chihuahuan grassland types that are currently included in this group are: (1) Chino grasslands of mountain slopes on acidic igneous, limestone, or deeper gravelly soils at elevations less than 1070 m (3500 feet). These sites are dominated by Bouteloua ramosa with Euphorbia antisyphilitica, Hechtia texensis (= Hechtia scariosa), Fouquieria splendens, Jatropha dioica, and Agave lechuguilla. (2) Desert mountain grasslands on mountain slopes between 1070 and 1370 m (3500-4500 feet) elevation on acidic igneous substrates, but also sometimes on limestone. Bouteloua eriopoda and Bouteloua curtipendula are constituents of this system. (3) Gravelly piedmont slope grasslands between 1370 and 1670 m (4500-5500 feet) elevation on Perdiz conglomerate or Tascotal tuff. These grasslands have Bouteloua eriopoda, Bouteloua gracilis, and Nolina and Dasylirion as common components. Input from fire ecologist at a Landfire modeling workshop in 2006 suggests a fire-return interval that is generally long (about 10 years), with high rainfall periods providing conditions leading to more rapid fuel development that can sustain fires.
Additional work is needed to clarify grasslands in the transitional zone with southwestern Great Plains and the Plains-Mesa Grasslands of Dick-Peddie (1993).
Chihuahuan grassland types that are currently included in this group are: (1) Chino grasslands of mountain slopes on acidic igneous, limestone, or deeper gravelly soils at elevations less than 1070 m (3500 feet). These sites are dominated by Bouteloua ramosa with Euphorbia antisyphilitica, Hechtia texensis (= Hechtia scariosa), Fouquieria splendens, Jatropha dioica, and Agave lechuguilla. (2) Desert mountain grasslands on mountain slopes between 1070 and 1370 m (3500-4500 feet) elevation on acidic igneous substrates, but also sometimes on limestone. Bouteloua eriopoda and Bouteloua curtipendula are constituents of this system. (3) Gravelly piedmont slope grasslands between 1370 and 1670 m (4500-5500 feet) elevation on Perdiz conglomerate or Tascotal tuff. These grasslands have Bouteloua eriopoda, Bouteloua gracilis, and Nolina and Dasylirion as common components. Input from fire ecologist at a Landfire modeling workshop in 2006 suggests a fire-return interval that is generally long (about 10 years), with high rainfall periods providing conditions leading to more rapid fuel development that can sustain fires.
Additional work is needed to clarify grasslands in the transitional zone with southwestern Great Plains and the Plains-Mesa Grasslands of Dick-Peddie (1993).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: This group is characterized by an open to dense herbaceous layer dominated by a diverse mixture of perennial desert grasses and with a rich assortment of scattered shrubs; succulents forbs are usually present. Shrubs and succulents usually have lower total cover than the herbaceous layer.
Floristics: This broadly defined semi-desert grassland group includes a variety of grasslands from foothill piedmont to lower montane grassland. Characteristic species include desert grasses such as Bouteloua chondrosioides, Bouteloua eriopoda, Bouteloua ramosa, Bouteloua rothrockii, Hilaria belangeri, Lycurus spp., Muhlenbergia porteri, Muhlenbergia setifolia, Pleuraphis rigida, as well as widespread species Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua gracilis, Chloris virgata, and Eragrostis intermedia. In upper foothills and lower montane zones Muhlenbergia emersleyi and Muhlenbergia setifolia are characteristic species. Succulents include Agave lechuguilla and rosetophyllous Dasylirion, Nolina, Mimosa, and Yucca, and short shrubs such as species of Calliandra and Parthenium incanum. Scattered tall shrubs and short trees, including species of Acacia constricta, Acacia neovernicosa, and Prosopis glandulosa may be present with low cover. Many of the historical desert grassland and savanna areas have been converted through intensive grazing and other land uses, some to ~North American Warm Desert Ruderal Scrub Group (G819)$$ (Prosopis spp.-dominated) or ~Chihuahuan Creosotebush - Mixed Desert Scrub Group (G288)$$ (Larrea tridentata-dominated).
Dynamics: During the last century, the area occupied by this desert grassland and steppe decreased through conversion of desert grasslands as a result of drought, overgrazing and Prosopis glandulosa seed dispersion by livestock, and/or decreases in fire frequency (Buffington and Herbel 1965, Brown and Archer 1987). It is believed that mesquite formerly occurred in relatively minor amounts and was largely confined to drainages until cattle distributed seed upland into desert grasslands (Brown and Archer 1987, 1989). Shrublands dominated by Prosopis spp. have replaced large areas of desert grasslands, especially those formerly dominated by Bouteloua eriopoda, in Trans-Pecos Texas, southern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona (York and Dick-Peddie 1969, Hennessy et al. 1983). Studies on the Jornada Experimental Range suggest that combinations of drought, overgrazing by livestock, wind and water erosion, seed dispersal by livestock, fire suppression, shifting dunes, and changes in the seasonal distribution of precipitation have caused this recent, dramatic shift in vegetation physiognomy (Buffington and Herbel 1965, Herbel et al. 1972, Humphrey 1974, McLaughlin and Bowers 1982, Gibbens et al. 1983, Hennessy et al. 1983, Schlesinger et al. 1990, McPherson 1995).
Environmental Description: This group is a broadly defined desert grassland /shrub-steppe that is typical of the Borderlands of Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico but extends west to the Sonoran Desert, north into the Mogollon Rim and occurs throughout much of the Chihuahuan Desert. It is found on gently sloping alluvial erosional fans and piedmonts (bajadas) that lie along mountain fronts of the isolated basin ranges (e.g., the Sky Islands mountain archipelago) extending onto foothill and desert mountain slopes into the lower montane zone in the Chihuahuan Desert and Sierra Madre. Elevation ranges up to 1670 m for foothill grasslands and up to 2200 m in lower montane grasslands. Substrates are variable, ranging from fine- to coarse-textured soils depending on site.
Geographic Range: This desert grassland group is prominent in the Borderlands of Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico but occurs throughout much of the Chihuahuan Desert. From the northern Chihuahuan Desert, it extends west to the Sonoran Desert with scattered occurrences northward to the Mogollon Rim in central Arizona and east into the Trans-Pecos of West Texas.
Nations: MX,US
States/Provinces: AZ, CO, MXCHH, MXCOA, MXSON, NM, OK?, TX
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.837727
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 3 Desert & Semi-Desert Class | C03 | 3 |
| Subclass | 3.A Warm Desert & Semi-Desert Woodland, Scrub & Grassland Subclass | S06 | 3.A |
| Formation | 3.A.2 Warm Desert & Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland Formation | F015 | 3.A.2 |
| Division | 3.A.2.Na North American Warm Desert Scrub & Grassland Division | D039 | 3.A.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 3.A.2.Na.3 Black Grama - Bullgrass - Tobosa Grass Chihuahuan Semi-Desert Grassland Macrogroup | M087 | 3.A.2.Na.3 |
| Group | 3.A.2.Na.3.a Black Grama - Chino Grama - Bush Muhly Semi-Desert Grassland Group | G490 | 3.A.2.Na.3.a |
| Alliance | A3204 Black Grama - Chino Grama Piedmont Desert Grassland Alliance | A3204 | 3.A.2.Na.3.a |
| Alliance | A3205 Sotol species / Sideoats Grama - Curly-leaf Muhly Foothill Desert Grassland Alliance | A3205 | 3.A.2.Na.3.a |
| Alliance | A3206 Bullgrass - Curly-leaf Muhly - New Mexico Feathergrass Madrean Lower Montane Grassland Alliance | A3206 | 3.A.2.Na.3.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Apacherian mixed shrub savanna (Burgess 1995)
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