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G075 Andropogon gerardii - Sporobolus heterolepis - Hesperostipa spartea Tallgrass Prairie Group
Type Concept Sentence: This group is dominated by tallgrass species such as Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, and Panicum virgatum, and key diagnostics include Muhlenbergia richardsonis, Hesperostipa spartea, and Sporobolus heterolepis. It is found primarily in the Northern Tallgrass ecoregion ranging along the Red River basin in Minnesota and the Dakotas to Lake Manitoba in Canada and south into northwestern Iowa.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Big Bluestem - Prairie Dropseed - Porcupine Grass Tallgrass Prairie Group
Colloquial Name: Northern Tallgrass Prairie
Hierarchy Level: Group
Type Concept: This northern tallgrass prairie group is found on mesic sites from northwestern Iowa in the United States northward through Minnesota and the Dakotas to southeastern Manitoba, Canada. It is dominated by tallgrass species such as Andropogon gerardii, Panicum virgatum, and Sorghastrum nutans. Key diagnostics include Hesperostipa spartea, Muhlenbergia richardsonis, and Sporobolus heterolepis. The soils in this region are only moderately rich and deep. Where this group occurs on well-drained, drier soils, it grades into ~Northeastern Great Plains Aspen Woodland Group (G146)$$ to the north and east. Grazing and fire influenced species composition and distribution of this group historically, but much of it has been converted to agriculture and very few unaltered examples persist in the modern, highly fragmented landscape.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Key grass diagnostics include Hesperostipa spartea, Muhlenbergia richardsonis, and Sporobolus heterolepis. Additional forb diagnostics should be identified. Common dominants include Andropogon gerardii, Panicum virgatum, and Sorghastrum nutans. This type is restricted to thinner and less nutrient-rich soils as compared to ~Central Great Plains Tallgrass Prairie Group (G333)$$.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Greater clarity on the distinctions between this group and ~Central Tallgrass Prairie Group (G333)$$ is needed. Consult Diamond and Smeins (1988) for diagnostic species.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: The vegetation is characterized by a dense layer of tall grasses interspersed with forbs.
Floristics: Tallgrass species such as Andropogon gerardii, Panicum virgatum, and Sorghastrum nutans are dominant this group. Other grasses include Hesperostipa spartea (= Stipa spartea), Muhlenbergia richardsonis, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Sporobolus heterolepis. Forbs can be abundant and often have high local diversity, but more information is needed on typical species. Some common forbs include Amorpha canescens, Solidago canadensis, and Symphyotrichum ericoides (= Aster ericoides). Woody vegetation is rare, but clumps of trees and tall brush can often be found along the boundary between wetlands and this group. Calamagrostis canadensis, Calamagrostis stricta, and Spartina pectinata can occur in wet-mesic versions of this group. Muhlenbergia richardsonis may be a diagnostic, less dominant species of the northern tallgrass prairie (Diamond and Smeins 1988).
Dynamics: Grazing and fire influenced species composition and distribution of this group historically, but much of it has been converted to agriculture and very few unaltered examples persist in the modern, highly fragmented landscape.
Environmental Description: This group occurs on soils that are black, friable, and organic-rich but are not as rich nor deep as grasslands to the south. They range from somewhat poorly drained to well-drained. During the warm season, soils can be intermittently dry for long periods. Climate: The annual temperature where this group typically occurs is around 2.5°C with mean summer temperatures of 16°C and mean winter temperatures of -12.5°C. Mean annual precipitation typically ranges from 450-700 mm.
Geographic Range: This group is found in the United States and Canada from northwestern Iowa, northward along the Red River basin and Prairie Coteau in Minnesota and the Dakotas to Lake Manitoba in southeastern Manitoba.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: IA, MB, MN, ND, NE, ON, SD
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.849293
Confidence Level: Moderate
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.Nb Central North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D023 | 2.B.2.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nb.1 Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Dense Blazingstar Tallgrass Prairie Macrogroup | M054 | 2.B.2.Nb.1 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nb.1.d Big Bluestem - Prairie Dropseed - Porcupine Grass Tallgrass Prairie Group | G075 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.d |
| Alliance | A4018 Big Bluestem - Prairie Dropseed - Mat Muhly Northern Grassland Alliance | A4018 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.d |
| Alliance | A4019 Little Bluestem - Sideoats Grama Northern Grassland Alliance | A4019 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.d |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Andropogon-Stipa-Sporobolous (Diamond and Smeins 1988)
- Barbour, M. G., and W. D. Billings, editors. 1988. North American terrestrial vegetation. Cambridge University Press, New York. 434 pp.
- Comer, P., D. Faber-Langendoen, R. Evans, S. Gawler, C. Josse, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, M. Russo, K. Schulz, K. Snow, J. Teague, and R. White. 2003-present. Ecological systems of the United States: A working classification of U.S. terrestrial systems. NatureServe, Arlington, VA.
- Diamond, D. D., and F. E. Smeins. 1988. Gradient analysis of remnant true and upper coastal prairie grasslands of North America. Canadian Journal of Botany 66:2152-2161.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., J. Drake, S. Gawler, M. Hall, C. Josse, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, L. Sneddon, K. Schulz, J. Teague, M. Russo, K. Snow, and P. Comer, editors. 2010-2019a. Divisions, Macrogroups and Groups for the Revised U.S. National Vegetation Classification. NatureServe, Arlington, VA. plus appendices. [in preparation]
- Minnesota DNR [Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]. 2005b. Field guide to the native plant communities of Minnesota: The Prairie Parkland and Tallgrass Aspen Parklands provinces. Ecological Land Classification Program, Minnesota County Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
- Ricketts, T. H., E. Dinerstein, D. M. Olson, C. J. Loucks, and W. Eichbaum. 1999. Terrestrial ecoregions of North America: A conservation assessment. Island Press, Washington, DC. 485 pp.