Print Report
A3493 Spartina pectinata Great Plains Wet Meadow Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This wet prairie alliance is found throughout the Great Plains on intermittently flooded sites with dense, tall graminoids, usually with Spartina pectinata common or abundant along with species such as Calamagrostis canadensis, Carex aquatilis, Carex atherodes, Carex pellita, and Carex sartwellii.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Prairie Cordgrass Great Plains Wet Meadow Alliance
Colloquial Name: Great Plains Prairie Cordgrass Wet Meadow
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: The vegetation of this alliance is characterized by dense stands of graminoids 1-2 m tall with scattered to very infrequent woody plants. The most abundant species are Calamagrostis canadensis, Carex aquatilis, Carex atherodes, Carex pellita, Carex sartwellii, and Spartina pectinata. In some stands, Spartina pectinata can form virtual monocultures. Shrubs and small trees are infrequent, though become somewhat more common in the eastern portion of this alliance''s range. Among these Cornus spp., Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Salix spp. are typical. This alliance is found throughout the Great Plains from Oklahoma to the U.S.-Canadian border. Stands of this wide-ranging alliance are found on level to gently sloping sites with sand, loam, or clay soils. They occur near lakes or rivers or in depressions. All sites are typically flooded for part of the winter and spring and can remain saturated for much of the growing season. Some sites are moderately saline.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Wet prairie sites in the Great Plains dominated by Spartina pectinata, sometimes as a monoculture and sometimes with other grasses such as Calamagrostis canadensis, Eleocharis spp., or Pascopyrum smithii. Carex spp. are usually present and can be codominant, including Carex aquatilis, Carex atherodes, Carex pellita, and Carex sartwellii.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This wet prairie is similar to ~Calamagrostis stricta - Carex sartwellii - Carex praegracilis Saline Wet Meadow Alliance (A1350)$$ but has a higher dominance by grasses, though sedges are usually a component of both alliances.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: This alliance is characterized by the dominance of perennial graminoids, generally 1-2 m in height and with high cover. Forbs are present in most stands, but generally with low abundance. Woody plants are scattered to very infrequent.
Floristics: The most abundant species are Calamagrostis canadensis, Carex aquatilis, Carex atherodes, Carex pellita (= Carex lanuginosa), Carex nebrascensis, Carex sartwellii, and Spartina pectinata, which can form virtual monocultures, as a result of growth from vigorous rhizomes (Hansen et al. 1995, Johnson and Knapp 1995). Other common graminoids include Muhlenbergia richardsonis, Panicum virgatum, Pascopyrum smithii, and Poa palustris. Shrubs and small trees are infrequent, though become somewhat more common in the eastern portion of this alliance''s range. Among these Cornus spp., Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Salix spp. are typical.
Dynamics: Spartina pectinata is an early colonizer of suitable habitat and is tolerant of sediment deposition (Weaver 1965, Hansen et al. 1995). On the South Platte River floodplain, it appears to be an early colonizer of the fresh sediments laid down by the 1995 flood. Stands of Spartina pectinata have high production rates; however, the rough-edged leaves make for poor forage quality, and it is not readily eaten by livestock or wildlife. Its tall height and thick growth provide shade and cover for wildlife and certain bird species (Hansen et al. 1988).
Environmental Description: Locations supporting this alliance are moist, poorly drained, sometimes alkaline areas along ephemeral, intermittent or perennial streams, and overflow areas of large river floodplains. Weaver (1965) reported that, historically, large stands of Spartina pectinata occurred on mudflats of the Missouri River. This alliance can also be found in swales, meadows, and on the margins of marshes, ponds or lakes. Sites are generally level to gently sloping. Jones and Walford (1995) found stands along highly meandering, narrow (<12.5 m wide) floodplains, and often the channel was deeply entrenched. The water table is typically high, within 1 m of the surface; sites are typically flooded for part of the winter and spring. Soils are fine-textured, ranging from clay to silt-loam (Weaver 1960, Rolfsmeier and Steinauer 2010), and may be slightly to moderately alkaline (Ungar 1974c, Hansen et al. 1995, Jones and Walford 1995). Soil water movement is rapid enough to preclude the accumulation of salts in the surface horizon. Sites remain saturated for much of the growing season (Kuchler 1974).
Geographic Range: This alliance is found throughout the Great Plains from the U.S.-Canadian border south to Oklahoma.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: AB, CO, IA, KS, MB, MN, MT, ND, NE, OK, SD, SK, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899616
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
Concept Lineage: This alliance is composed of the Great Plains associations from old A.1347.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Spartina pectinata Dominance Type (Jones and Walford 1995)
>< Spartina pectinata Habitat Type (Hansen et al. 1995)
? Spartina pectinata Series (Johnston 1987)
= Spartina pectinata herbaceous alliance (Hoagland 1998a)
>< Spartina pectinata Habitat Type (Hansen et al. 1995)
? Spartina pectinata Series (Johnston 1987)
= Spartina pectinata herbaceous alliance (Hoagland 1998a)
- Culwell, L. D., and K. L. Scow. 1982. Terrestrial vegetation inventory: Dominy Project Area, Custer County, Montana 1979-1980. Unpublished technical report for Western Energy Company by Westech, Helena, MT. 144 pp. plus 15 pp. appendix.
- 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.
- Hansen, P. L., R. D. Pfister, K. Boggs, B. J. Cook, J. Joy, and D. K. Hinckley. 1995. Classification and management of Montana''s riparian and wetland sites. Miscellaneous Publication No. 54. Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, School of Forestry, University of Montana. 646 pp. plus posters.
- Hansen, P. L., and G. R. Hoffman. 1988. The vegetation of the Grand River/Cedar River, Sioux, and Ashland districts of the Custer National Forest: A habitat type classification. General Technical Report RM-157. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 68 pp.
- Hansen, P., K. Boggs, and R. Pfister. 1991. Classification and management of riparian and wetland sites in Montana. Unpublished draft version prepared for Montana Riparian Association, Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, School of Forestry, University of Montana, Missoula. 478 pp.
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- Hoagland, B. W. 1998a. Classification of Oklahoma vegetation types. Working draft. University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory, Norman. 43 pp.
- Johnson, S. R., and A. K. Knapp. 1995. The influence of fire on Spartina pectinata wetland communities in a northeastern Kansas tallgrass prairie. Canadian Journal of Botany 73:84-90.
- Johnston, B. C. 1987. Plant associations of Region Two: Potential plant communities of Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas. R2-ECOL-87-2. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region. Lakewood, CO. 429 pp.
- Jones, G. P., and G. M. Walford. 1995. Major riparian vegetation types of eastern Wyoming. Submitted to Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, Water Quality Division. Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, Laramie, WY. 245 pp.
- Kittel, G., E. Van Wie, M. Damm, R. Rondeau, S. Kettler, and J. Sanderson. 1999a. A classification of the riparian plant associations of the Rio Grande and Closed Basin watersheds, Colorado. Unpublished report prepared by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
- Kittel, G., R. Rondeau, and A. McMullen. 1996. A classification of the riparian vegetation of the Lower South Platte and parts of the Upper Arkansas River basins, Colorado. Submitted to Colorado Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII. Prepared by Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Fort Collins. 243 pp.
- Küchler, A. W. 1974. A new vegetation map of Kansas. Ecology 55:586-604 (with map supplement).
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- Ungar, I. A. 1974c. Halophyte communities of Park County, Colorado. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 101:145-152.
- Weaver, J. E. 1960. Flood plain vegetation of the central Missouri Valley and contacts of woodland with prairie. Ecological Monographs 30:37-64.
- Weaver, J. E. 1965. Native vegetation of Nebraska. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln. 185 pp.