Print Report

M870 Arctophila fulva - Carex aquatilis - Eriophorum angustifolium Arctic Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Macrogroup

Type Concept Sentence: This macrogroup consists of emergent marshes, wet meadows and wet shrublands that occur as small patches throughout arctic and subarctic Alaska and Canada, typically on the margins of ponds, lakes, beaded streams, wide and narrow floodplains and along water tracks within permafrost landscapes.

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Pendantgrass - Water Sedge - Tall Cottongrass Arctic Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Macrogroup

Colloquial Name: Arctic Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow, & Shrubland

Hierarchy Level:  Macrogroup

Type Concept: North American Arctic freshwater marshes, wet meadows and wet shrublands generally occur as small patches, typically on the margins of ponds, lakes and beaded streams (channels with regularly spaced deep pools connected by narrow runs) and along water tracks within permafrost landscapes. They are also found on large to small floodplains where various wetlands form in oxbows, wet depressions, low-lying areas, and in landscapes with permafrost along subsurface water channels known as water tracks and abandoned channels. Occurrences are typically dominated by grasses and sedges, low shrubs, or high forb cover in some instances. This includes freshwater marshes, wet meadows, ribbed fens, and wet shrublands. Dominant species include Arctophila fulva, Carex aquatilis, Eriophorum angustifolium, and/or Salix pulchra. Additional dominants occur in the subarctic including Comarum palustre, Hippuris vulgaris, Lysimachia thyrsiflora, Carex utriculata, Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani, Typha latifolia, Menyanthes trifoliata, and Equisetum fluviatile. Soils are muck or mineral, and water is often nutrient-rich. In floodplains, permafrost is absent. Wet meadows occur in valley bottoms, basins, low-center polygons, oxbows, wet depressions, low-lying areas, abandoned channels, water tracks and adjacent to streams. Sites are typically sedge-dominated, and species include Carex aquatilis, Eriophorum angustifolium, Carex glareosa, Carex rotundata, Carex rariflora, Carex chordorrhiza, Carex rostrata, Carex saxatilis, Carex utriculata, Eriophorum russeolum, and Eriophorum scheuchzeri. More elevated perimeters support low shrubs and tussocks. Common shrubs include Alnus viridis, Betula nana, Salix fuscescens, Salix pulchra, Ledum palustre ssp. decumbens, Andromeda polifolia, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Vaccinium uliginosum, and Empetrum nigrum. Soils range from acidic to non-acidic, are saturated during the summer, and have an organic horizon over silt with permafrost, although on floodplains, permafrost is absent. Low-statured wet shrublands follow well-developed water tracks in areas with permafrost and are often dominated by Salix pulchra and Eriophorum angustifolium, with Carex aquatilis and Eriophorum russeolum. Important mosses include Calliergon stramineum, Sphagnum girgensohnii, and Sphagnum warnstorfii. Tall willow shrublands can be found within these landscapes in floodplains and riparian corridors. Salix alaxensis is the dominant shrub with canopy heights often exceeding 2 m.

Diagnostic Characteristics: This type contains emergent marsh, wet meadow or low-statured wet shrublands dominated by perennial grasses, sedges, forbs, and/or low shrubs that experience seasonal to semipermanent flooding. Key diagnostics in marshes include Arctophila fulva, Carex aquatilis, Eriophorum angustifolium, and Salix pulchra. Diagnostics in marshes, wet meadows and wet shrublands include Carex glareosa, Carex rotundata, Carex rariflora, Carex chordorrhiza, Carex rostrata, Carex saxatilis, Carex utriculata, Eriophorum russeolum, Eriophorum scheuchzeri, and Salix pulchra.

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: Clarify the overlap with rich fens (~Western North American Boreal Alkaline Fen Group (G361)$$). Carex aquatilis types on peat soils may be distinguished from Carex aquatilis types on mucky, mineral soils. There may be many Canadian types that are not described here (M. Raynolds pers. comm. 2012).

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: This type is characterized by herbaceous or low- and tall-shrub vegetation and is dominated by perennial grasses, sedges, forbs, and shrubs.

Floristics: In the North American Arctic, marshes are dominated primarily by Arctophila fulva, Carex aquatilis, or Eriophorum angustifolium. Additional dominants occur in the subarctic including Comarum palustre, Hippuris vulgaris, Lysimachia thyrsiflora, Carex utriculata, Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani (= Scirpus validus), Typha latifolia, Menyanthes trifoliata, and Equisetum fluviatile (Jorgenson 1999). Wet meadows are typically dominated by sedge species, which can include Carex aquatilis, Carex glareosa, Carex rostrata, Carex rotundata, Carex rariflora, Carex chordorrhiza, Carex saxatilis, Carex utriculata, Dupontia fisheri, Eriophorum angustifolium, Eriophorum russeolum, and Eriophorum scheuchzeri. More elevated, better-drained sites within these wetlands support low shrubs and tussocks. Characteristic mosses include Scorpidium scorpioides, Limprichtia revolvens, Sarmenthypnum sarmentosum and/or Sphagnum spp. Low-statured wet shrublands are often dominated by Salix pulchra and Eriophorum angustifolium, with Carex aquatilis and Eriophorum russeolum. Important mosses include Calliergon stramineum, Sphagnum girgensohnii, and Sphagnum warnstorfii. Tall willow shrublands can be found within these landscapes in floodplains and riparian corridors. Salix alaxensis is the dominant shrub with canopy heights often exceeding 2 m. Other common willows are Salix arbusculoides, Salix glauca, Salix niphoclada, Salix pulchra, and Salix richardsonii. Dwarf-shrubs include Arctostaphylos and Dryas species. In the herbaceous layer Eurybia sibirica, Chamerion latifolium, and Equisetum arvense have high constancy as do the grasses Bromus inermis var. pumpellianus and Festuca rubra and the legumes Hedysarum alpinum, Astragalus alpinus, Lupinus arcticus, and Oxytropis campestris. Mosses and lichens are uncommon in the ground layer.

Dynamics:  This macrogroup occurs within a variety of successional processes, including thaw lakes, ice-wedge polygons, and oriented lakes. Seral stages and the rate of succession are unclear. Flooding regime is the primary driver of tall willow communities in the Arctic.
Environmental Description:  Freshwater marshes occur as small patches throughout arctic and subarctic Alaska, typically on the margins of ponds, lakes, beaded streams, and ponds on large to small floodplains. Water is at or above the surface for most of the growing season (typically >10 cm above the surface). Freshwater wet meadows are found throughout arctic and subarctic Alaska, in valley bottoms, basins, low-center polygons, oxbows, wet depressions, low-lying areas, abandoned channels, sideslope watertracks and adjacent to streams. Soils range from acidic to non-acidic, are saturated during the summer, and usually have an organic horizon over mineral soil. In the Arctic, the organic horizon may be thick enough that the active layer does not reach the mineral horizon. Freshwater Arctic shrublands follow water tracks, subsurface channels in landscapes with permafrost, are curvilinear shallow depressions associated with groundwater movement above the permafrost but below the ground surface (Trochim et al. 2016) and are "characterized by deeper seasonal thaw depth, warmer soil temperatures, and higher soil moisture and nutrient content relative to adjacent tundra. Consequently, enhanced vegetation productivity, and dominance by tall deciduous shrubs, are typical in water tracks" (Salvatore et al. 2016). These are found in the foothills of northern Alaska, and are gently sloping water track drainage networks. Tall willow shrublands are found in floodplains and riparian corridors throughout the arctic, subarctic, and boreal alpine regions of Alaska. Shrublands on broad floodplains of the Arctic Coastal Plain as well as narrow riparian zones in mountainous environments are included in this macrogroup. Patch size is linear following the terrace and point bar pattern along river courses. Soils are composed of well-drained sands and gravels and permafrost is absent or deeper than 1.5 m below the surface.
Geographic Range: This wetland and riparian macrogroup occurs throughout arctic, subarctic, and boreal alpine regions of North America in both Alaska and Canada.

Nations: CA,GL,US

States/Provinces:  AK, LB, NT, NU, QC, YT


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.C Shrub & Herb Wetland Subclass S44 2.C
Formation 2.C.4 Temperate to Polar Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Formation F013 2.C.4
Division 2.C.4.Np Arctic & Boreal Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division D320 2.C.4.Np
Macrogroup 2.C.4.Np.1 Pendantgrass - Water Sedge - Tall Cottongrass Arctic Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Macrogroup M870 2.C.4.Np.1
Group 2.C.4.Np.1.a Pendantgrass - Water Sedge Arctic Marsh Group G370 2.C.4.Np.1.a
Group 2.C.4.Np.1.b Water Sedge - Tall Cottongrass Arctic Wet Meadow Group G617 2.C.4.Np.1.b
Group 2.C.4.Np.1.c Tealeaf Willow - Tall Cottongrass Arctic Wet Shrubland Group G830 2.C.4.Np.1.c
Group 2.C.4.Np.1.g Feltleaf Willow Arctic Wet Shrubland Group G368 2.C.4.Np.1.g
Concept Lineage: M072 replaced by M870 (DFL 8-22-13)

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Arctophila fulva (Pendantgrass) (Clebsch 1957)
> Carex aquatilis - Eriophorum angustifolium - Carex rotundata (Water sedge - tall cottongrass - round sedge) (Hanson 1953)
> Carex aquatilis (Water sedge) (Churchill 1955)
> Carex chordorrhiza (Creeping sedge) (Spetzman 1959)
> Carex rostrata - Carex aquatilis (Beaked sedge - water sedge) (Dachnowski-Stokes 1941)
> Eleocharis palustris - Equisetum fluviatile - Equisetum palustre (Common spikerush - water horsetail - marsh horsetail) (Worley 1980b)
> Eriophorum angustifolium - Carex chordorrhiza (Tall cottongrass - creeping sedge) (Webber et al. 1978)
Concept Author(s): K. Boggs, J. Jorgenson, M. Raynolds, in Faber-Langendoen et al. (2015)

Author of Description: K. Boggs, D. Faber-Langendoen and G. Kittel

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 03-29-17
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