Print Report
A1295 Carex bigelowii Alpine Meadow Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This alliance includes alpine meadows above timberline in the northern Appalachians and adjacent Canada, dominated by Carex bigelowii and/or Juncus trifidus.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Bigelow''s Sedge Alpine Meadow Alliance
Colloquial Name: Eastern Alpine Meadow
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: This alliance includes alpine meadows above timberline the Northern Appalachians and adjacent Canada, dominated by Carex bigelowii and/or Juncus trifidus. Associated species include Minuartia groenlandica, Sibbaldiopsis tridentata, and Vaccinium vitis-idaea. Soils are typically thin, acidic and have a low moisture-holding capacity. Low temperatures, heavy fog and high winds result in a unusually severe climate. Alpine areas in this region have greater floristic affinities with arctic areas in Canada, Alaska and Greenland than with alpine areas of the western United States.
Diagnostic Characteristics: This alliance includes alpine meadows above timberline dominated by Carex bigelowii and/or Juncus trifidus. Associated species include Minuartia groenlandica, Sibbaldiopsis tridentata, and Vaccinium vitis-idaea.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Role of Juncus trifidus in the Carex bigelowii alliance versus the Diapensia alliance needs review, as Jones et al. (2012) suggest that Juncus trifidus is more often associated with Diapensia. Alpine areas in this region have greater floristic affinities with arctic areas in Canada, Alaska and Greenland than with alpine areas of the western United States. See Bliss (1963) for discussion and for description of vegetation of this alliance occurring in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: This alliance is characterized by a "meadow" appearance, strongly dominated by sedges and rushes with only scattered dwarf-shrubs.
Floristics: This alliance includes alpine meadows above timberline dominated by Carex bigelowii. Associated species include Carex brunnescens, Juncus trifidus, Minuartia groenlandica, Sibbaldiopsis tridentata (= Potentilla tridentata), Vaccinium vitis-idaea, and Vaccinium uliginosum.
Dynamics: This vegetation is maintained by moisture provided by high precipitation and fog drip, with low snow accumulation.
Environmental Description: This alliance includes alpine meadows above timberline, usually on north and west slopes affected by high precipitation and fog drip but with minimal snow accumulation. In New England, this alliance occurs at elevations of 1310-1890 m (4300-6200 feet). Soils are typically thin, acidic and well-drained, with a shallow organic layer over gravelly or stony sandy loams.
Geographic Range: Communities in this alliance are found in alpine areas of New York, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine, and into Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: ME, NH, NY, QC, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899108
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 4 Polar & High Montane Scrub, Grassland & Barrens Class | C04 | 4 |
| Subclass | 4.B Temperate to Polar Alpine & Tundra Vegetation Subclass | S12 | 4.B |
| Formation | 4.B.1 Temperate & Boreal Alpine Tundra Formation | F037 | 4.B.1 |
| Division | 4.B.1.Na Eastern North American Alpine Tundra Division | D042 | 4.B.1.Na |
| Macrogroup | 4.B.1.Na.1 Eastern North American Alpine Tundra Macrogroup | M131 | 4.B.1.Na.1 |
| Group | 4.B.1.Na.1.d <i>Vaccinium uliginosum - Diapensia lapponica - Carex bigelowii</i> Temperate Alpine Tundra Group | G909 | 4.B.1.Na.1.d |
| Alliance | A1295 Bigelow''s Sedge Alpine Meadow Alliance | A1295 | 4.B.1.Na.1.d |
| Association | CEGL006081 Bigelow''s Sedge Alpine Meadow | CEGL006081 | 4.B.1.Na.1.d |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: >< Alpine meadow (Thompson and Sorenson 2000)
>< Sedge - Dwarf Shrub Heath (Bliss 1963)
< Sedge Meadow (Bliss 1963)
= Sedge Meadow (Jones et al. 2012a)
= Sedge Meadow (Cogbill and Hudson 1990)
= Sedge Meadow (Kimball and Weihrauch 2000)
>< Sedge-Rush-Dwarf Shrub Heath (Bliss 1963)
>< Sedge - Dwarf Shrub Heath (Bliss 1963)
< Sedge Meadow (Bliss 1963)
= Sedge Meadow (Jones et al. 2012a)
= Sedge Meadow (Cogbill and Hudson 1990)
= Sedge Meadow (Kimball and Weihrauch 2000)
>< Sedge-Rush-Dwarf Shrub Heath (Bliss 1963)
- Bliss, L. C. 1963. Alpine plant communities of the Presidential Range, New Hampshire. Ecology 44:678-697.
- Cogbill, C. V., and W. D. Hudson, Jr. 1990. Final report to the AMC Murphy Fund committee on "The baseline characterization of the alpine area at Katahdin."
- Faber-Langendoen, D., J. Drake, M. Hall, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, M. Russo, K. Schulz, L. Sneddon, K. Snow, and J. Teague. 2013-2019b. Screening alliances for induction into the U.S. National Vegetation Classification: Part 1 - Alliance concept review. NatureServe, Arlington, VA.
- Jones, M., L. Willey, and M. Anions. 2012a. Vegetation. Pages 49-78 in: M. Jones and L. Willey, editors. Eastern alpine guide: Natural history and conservation of mountain tundra east of the Rockies. Beyond Ktaadn, Inc., and Boghaunter Books, New Salem, MA.
- Kimball, K. D., and D. M. Weihrauch. 2000. Alpine vegetation communities and the alpine-treeline ecotone boundary in New England as biomonitors for climate change. USDA Forest Service, Proceedings RMRS-P-15 3:93-101.
- Sperduto, D. D., and C. V. Cogbill. 1999. Alpine and subalpine vegetation of the White Mountains, New Hampshire. New Hampshire Natural Heritage Inventory, Concord, NH. 25 pp. plus figures.
- Sperduto, D. D., and W. F. Nichols. 2004. Natural communities of New Hampshire: A guide and classification. New Hampshire Natural Heritage Bureau, DRED Division of Forests and Lands, Concord. 242 pp.
- Thompson, E. H., and E. R. Sorenson. 2000. Wetland, woodland, wildland: A guide to the natural communities of Vermont. The Nature Conservancy and the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife. University Press of New England, Hanover, NH. 456 pp.