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G374 Salix glauca - Artemisia campestris ssp. borealis - Packera hyperborealis Dune Group
Type Concept Sentence: This group is defined by shrub and herbaceous vegetation, often dominated by Salix glauca and Leymus mollis, developing on active, inland dunes in arctic and boreal Alaska and Canada.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Grayleaf Willow - Boreal Wormwood - Northern Groundsel Dune Group
Colloquial Name: Western Boreal Dune Shrubland & Grassland
Hierarchy Level: Group
Type Concept: This group represents sparse to open cover of shrub and herbaceous vegetation developing on active, inland dunes in arctic and boreal Alaska and Canada. Characteristic species are the willow shrubs Salix glauca and Salix alaxensis, the graminoids Festuca rubra, Koeleria asiatica, Juncus arcticus, Leymus mollis, Bromus inermis var. pumpellianus, and the forbs Artemisia campestris ssp. borealis and Packera hyperborealis. Dunes may be derived from Pleistocene-era sandsheets or more recent fluvial deposits. Patch size may be small to large. The main disturbance process, which both creates and maintains dune systems, is the erosion, transport and deposition of sand by wind.
Diagnostic Characteristics: This group is defined by shrub and herbaceous vegetation, often dominated by Salix glauca and Leymus mollis, developing on active, inland dunes in arctic and boreal Alaska and Canada.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: While this group occupies small patches and is uncommon on the landscape, it is significantly differentiated by numerous species, which speaks to its unique floristics and validity as a discrete group.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: This group represents sparse to open vegetation dominated by broad-leaved deciduous shrubs and graminoids.
Floristics: Active dunes support a unique assemblage of plant species, but plant cover is typically sparse and discontinuous. This group is characterized by high constancy of the willow shrubs Salix glauca and Salix alaxensis, the graminoids Festuca rubra, Koeleria asiatica, Juncus arcticus, Leymus mollis, Bromus inermis var. pumpellianus, and the forbs Artemisia campestris ssp. borealis and Packera hyperborealis. The graminoids Leymus mollis, Carex obtusata, and Juncus arcticus are the most notable pioneers of open sand whose rhizomatous growth forms serve to catch windblown material and provide microsites for the germination of additional plant species. Mid-seral species include the shrubs Salix glauca, Salix alaxensis, and less commonly, Salix niphoclada, and the graminoids Bromus inermis var. pumpellianus, Festuca rubra, Kobresia sibirica, and Trisetum spicatum. During this stage, dry-associated mosses such as Polytrichum hyperboreum, Racomitrium lanuginosum, Distichium capillaceum, and Ditrichum flexicaule and lichens such as Stereocaulon species, Gowardia nigricans (= Alectoria nigricans), Bryocaulon divergens, and Thamnolia vermicularis provide increasing coverage and stabilize sands. As the dune stabilizes, plant diversity increases. Late-seral species include the dwarf-shrubs Dryas integrifolia and Arctostaphylos rubra, the grass Koeleria asiatica, and the forb Tofieldia coccinea. Ponds and wet depressions forming in the dune slacks support wet herbaceous communities dominated by Carex aquatilis and Arctophila fulva.
Dynamics: The main disturbance process, which both creates and maintains dune systems is the erosion, transport and deposition of sand by wind. The frequency of this disturbance maintains an early successional state with little development of soil or vegetation. To a lesser, more localized extent animals may also disturb dunes. Grazing, trampling or burrowing by caribou (Rangifer tarandus) or Arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii) may disturb vegetation, thereby promoting erosion and blowouts. Where present, permafrost stabilizes dune sediments and snow cover may retard erosion and retain moisture. Stable dunes vegetated by forest and tundra can revert to activity following fire.
Environmental Description: This group develops on active dunes derived from ancient sandsheets or more recent fluvial deposits. Patch size may be small to large. The larger dune systems such as the Kobuk and Nogahabara Dunes in western Alaska, the Carcross Dunes in southern Yukon, and the Lake Athabasca Dunes in northern Saskatchewan have developed on exposed areas of massive sandsheets, which formed across Western North America under the climatic conditions of the late Pleistocene. Dunes not associated with these sandsheets may develop along lake and river bluffs, drained lake basins, and ancient moraines. River-associated dunes occur outside of the floodplain and are not subjected to flooding. Landforms common to all inland dune systems, regardless of genesis, include transverse and longitudinal dunes, desert pavements, blowouts, and interdune slacks. Dunes are comprised of dry to mesic sand deposits with sediment becoming more fine and moist in the slacks. While permafrost is present in the Arctic, permafrost features rarely develop due to low interstitial ice volumes.
Geographic Range: This group occurs in western Canada and throughout arctic and boreal Alaska, from the Bristol Bay lowlands in southwestern Alaska to the coastal plain on the Arctic Ocean.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: AB, AK, BC?, SK, YT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.860808
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.3 Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F028 | 2.B.3 |
| Division | 2.B.3.Na North American Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Division | D025 | 2.B.3.Na |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.3.Na.1 North American Boreal Shrubland & Grassland Macrogroup | M055 | 2.B.3.Na.1 |
| Group | 2.B.3.Na.1.b Grayleaf Willow - Boreal Wormwood - Northern Groundsel Dune Group | G374 | 2.B.3.Na.1.b |
| Alliance | A4293 Purple Reedgrass - Kobuk Locoweed Boreal Dune Grassland Alliance | A4293 | 2.B.3.Na.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
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