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G333 Andropogon gerardii - Sorghastrum nutans - Hesperostipa spartea Tallgrass Prairie Group
Type Concept Sentence: This group is found in the midwestern United States as tallgrass prairies, typically with abundant Andropogon gerardii, Panicum virgatum, and Sorghastrum nutans, and a variety of midgrasses and forbs on deep, rich soils.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Porcupine Grass Tallgrass Prairie Group
Colloquial Name: Central Tallgrass Prairie
Hierarchy Level: Group
Type Concept: This group is found primarily in the central Midwestern states from northwestern Indiana to eastern Nebraska and northeastern Kansas. Dominant species are tallgrasses 1-2 m tall or tallgrasses mixed with midgrasses approximately 1 m tall. Vegetation cover is high except for the growing season after a fire. Andropogon gerardii, Panicum virgatum, and Sorghastrum nutans are typical tallgrasses while Bouteloua curtipendula, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Sporobolus heterolepis are typical midgrasses. A wide variety of forbs contribute to the vegetation cover. Trees and shrubs are widely scattered or absent in high-quality examples of this group. These tallgrass prairies occur on flat to rolling landscapes with deep, rich Mollisol soils. Fire is critical to maintain sites. A substantial reduction in fire frequency will allow woody plants or other grasses to become dominant and change the vegetation community. The great majority of sites where this group existed in the past have been converted to agricultural uses or succeeded to woodlands or shrublands due to a lack of fire.
Diagnostic Characteristics: This prairie group is characterized by moderate to dense herbaceous vegetation dominated by tallgrass species (1-2 m tall) and with a diverse forb component occurring in deep, rich soils. Shrubs and trees have <10% cover except in two unusual native shrub associations within this group where Cornus drummondii, Corylus americana, or Malus ioensis are codominant to dominant.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This group shares some dominant species, physiognomic, and environmental characteristics with tallgrass groups to the north and south, i.e., ~Northern Tallgrass Prairie Group (G075)$$ and ~Southern Tallgrass Prairie Group (G334)$$, respectively. Modal concepts for each tallgrass prairie group have noticeable differences, but classifying stands where their ranges overlap or adjoin could be difficult. Stands in ~Central Tallgrass Prairie Group (G333)$$ tend to have more fertile and deeper soils. Overall floristics of ~Central Midwest Oak Openings & Barrens Group (G181)$$, particularly stands on richer soils, can be similar to G333, but the savanna physiognomy (>10% tree cover) of the former group is a useful and obvious diagnostic.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Stands in this tallgrass prairie have moderate to dense cover by herbaceous species. Dominant grasses are typically 1-2 m tall though they can be taller under ideal conditions. Woody cover is generally low unless fire has been absent from a site for several years but patches of moderate to heavy shrub cover can occur within this prairie group. Immediately after a fire, the cover and height of herbaceous and shrub vegetation are reduced but these tend to recover in 1-2 growing seasons.
Floristics: This group is characterized, and usually dominated by, tallgrass species, notably Andropogon gerardii, Panicum virgatum, and Sorghastrum nutans. Midgrasses are very common and can be as dominant or more dominant than the taller species at some sites, especially those with coarser soils or on south- or west-facing slopes. Typical midgrasses are Bouteloua curtipendula, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Sporobolus heterolepis. High-quality sites have a diversity of forbs, though none is common on all or most sites. The list of common forbs that may be found includes Amorpha canescens, Echinacea purpurea, Helianthus spp., Liatris spp., Lobelia spicata, Ratibida pinnata, Solidago spp., and Symphyotrichum spp.
Dynamics: Disturbance is necessary to maintain and rejuvenate stands of this group. The climate and soils that support it will also support trees and/or shrubs. Historically, fire and/or grazing prevented woody species from taking over sites and also reduced litter from previous years'' growth. Fire was a frequent event in tallgrass prairies. The fire-return interval for a given site in the Central Tallgrass Prairie region has been estimated to be 3-5 years (Wright and Bailey 1982b). This level of fire frequency prevents woody species from becoming established, prevents litter from accumulating, and allows a diverse assemblage of herbaceous species to grow. In addition to removing woody species, burning and/or clipping reduces litter and increases productivity for many native species in tallgrass prairie, including dominant grasses (Ehrenreich 1959). Without the removal of litter, these tallgrass prairies tend to experience a reduction in forb cover.
Environmental Description: Soil/substrate/hydrology: This group is characterized by deep, rich Mollisols, usually over 1 m deep. Soils can range from wet-mesic to dry-mesic and are not flooded or saturated regularly.
Geographic Range: This group covered much of the presettlement landscape in USFS Ecoregions 251C and 251D (Cleland et al. 2007) which include eastern Nebraska, southern Iowa, northeastern Kansas, northern Missouri, central Illinois, and parts of northwestern Indiana. Smaller examples of this group extended further into all of those states and into many adjacent states.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, OH, ON, SD, WI
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.857017
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.c Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Porcupine Grass Tallgrass Prairie Group | G333 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.c |
| Alliance | A4047 Little Bluestem - Indiangrass Central Sand & Gravel Grassland Alliance | A4047 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.c |
| Alliance | A4057 Big Bluestem - Indiangrass - Stiff Tickseed Central Grassland Alliance | A4057 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.c |
| Alliance | A4058 Little Bluestem - Sideoats Grama Central Loamy Grassland Alliance | A4058 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.c |
| Alliance | A4208 American Hazelnut - Prairie Crabapple - New Jersey-tea Central Shrubland Alliance | A4208 | 2.B.2.Nb.1.c |
Concept Lineage: G064 & G065 appear to have been reworked to form G333 & G335
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Dry-mesic Prairie (Curtis 1959)
> Mesic Prairie (Curtis 1959)
> Wet-mesic Prairie (Curtis 1959)
> Mesic Prairie (Curtis 1959)
> Wet-mesic Prairie (Curtis 1959)
- Cleland, D. T., J. A. Freeouf, J. E. Keys, Jr., G. J. Nowacki, C. Carpenter, and W. H. McNab. 2007. Ecological subregions: Sections and subsections for the conterminous United States. A. M. Sloan, cartographer. General Technical Report WO-76. USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC. [1:3,500,000] [CD-ROM].
- Curtis, J. T. 1959. The vegetation of Wisconsin: An ordination of plant communities. Reprinted in 1987. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 657 pp.
- Ehrenreich, J. H. 1959. Effects of burning and clipping on growth of native prairie in Iowa. Journal of Range Management 12:133-137.
- 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]
- Wright, H. A., and A. W. Bailey. 1982b. Fire ecology: United States and southern Canada. Wiley-Interscience Publication, John Wiley & Sons, New York. 501 pp.