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A3590 Shepherdia argentea Wet Shrubland Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: The vegetation of this mesic shrubland alliance is dominated by a moderate to dense canopy of medium-tall shrubs. The most abundant of these, Shepherdia argentea, is typically 1.5-3 m tall. Other common shrub species are Juniperus horizontalis, Prunus virginiana, Ribes spp., Rhus aromatica, Rosa woodsii, and Symphoricarpos occidentalis. Graminoids and forbs may have only half the coverage of the shrub layer. It is found in the northern Great Plains of the United States and Canada. Stands occur on stream terraces, rolling uplands, and badlands, and where moisture is more plentiful than on the surrounding landscape, such as in swales, ravines, near streams, and on northwest- to east-facing slopes.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Buffaloberry Wet Shrubland Alliance
Colloquial Name: Buffaloberry Wet Shrubland
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: The vegetation of this mesic shrubland alliance is dominated by a moderate to dense canopy of medium-tall shrubs. The most abundant of these, Shepherdia argentea, is typically 1.5-3 m tall. Other common shrub species are Juniperus horizontalis, Prunus virginiana, Ribes spp., Rhus aromatica, Rosa woodsii, and Symphoricarpos occidentalis. Graminoids and forbs may have only half the coverage of the shrub layer. Graminoids include Poa pratensis, Pascopyrum smithii, and Bromus spp. Common forbs are Achillea millefolium, Artemisia ludoviciana, and Parietaria pensylvanica. This alliance is found in the northern Great Plains of the United States and Canada. Stands occur on stream terraces, rolling uplands, and badlands, and where moisture is more plentiful than on the surrounding landscape, such as in swales, ravines, near streams, and on northwest- to east-facing slopes. This community occurs in a predominantly prairie landscape as either narrow bands along streams or in small thickets.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Shrublands in the northern Great Plains dominated by Shepherdia argentea.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This alliance contains just one association, ~Shepherdia argentea Wet Shrubland (CEGL001128)$$. This association used to include Shepherdia argentea stands in western Colorado and Utah but those have been split into a separate association in ~Rocky Mountain-Great Basin Lowland-Foothill Riparian Shrubland Group (G526)$$. This alliance is not restricted to riparian settings so it goes beyond the concept of ~Great Plains Riparian Wet Meadow & Shrubland Group (G337)$$, but that group appears to be the best fit for the alliance as a whole.
Stands of this alliance are usually easy to differentiate from the surrounding prairie landscape based solely on the shrubland physiognomy. There may be some difficulty classifying stands that contain an abundance of Symphoricarpos occidentalis with moderate amounts of Shepherdia argentea and other taller shrubs. These may be in either ~Shepherdia argentea Wet Shrubland Alliance (A3590)$$ or ~Prunus virginiana - Symphoricarpos occidentalis - Amelanchier alnifolia Great Plains Shrubland Alliance (A4036)$$.
Stands of this alliance are usually easy to differentiate from the surrounding prairie landscape based solely on the shrubland physiognomy. There may be some difficulty classifying stands that contain an abundance of Symphoricarpos occidentalis with moderate amounts of Shepherdia argentea and other taller shrubs. These may be in either ~Shepherdia argentea Wet Shrubland Alliance (A3590)$$ or ~Prunus virginiana - Symphoricarpos occidentalis - Amelanchier alnifolia Great Plains Shrubland Alliance (A4036)$$.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Vegetation in this alliance is characterized by broad-leaved deciduous shrubs, often in two strata. The tall-shrub canopy is dominated by a spreading to ascending shrub with 25-100% cover. The short-shrub layer has less than or equal cover. The herbaceous layer is generally dominated by graminoids.
Floristics: Shepherdia argentea dominates the upper shrub canopy and occurs in small, open patches or in narrow bands parallel to a stream channel. Symphoricarpos occidentalis is often present in a lower shrub layer; Juniperus horizontalis, Prunus virginiana, Rhus aromatica, Ribes spp., and Rosa woodsii occur in some stands. Native and exotic herbaceous species occur in the understory and form a sparse to dense ground cover. Grass species, such as Bromus inermis, Bromus tectorum, Calamagrostis montanensis, Leymus cinereus, Pascopyrum smithii, and Poa pratensis, and forbs, such as Achillea millefolium, Cirsium arvense, Galium boreale, Maianthemum stellatum, Parietaria pensylvanica, and Solidago spp., are present in different stands (Hansen and Hoffman 1988, USFS 1992). DeVelice et al. (1995) stated that stands in northeastern Montana were typically smaller than 0.1 ha.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: The vegetation in this alliance occurs in riparian habitats in the Rocky Mountains and in moist swales in the glaciated region of the northern Great Plains. It occurs where moisture is more plentiful than on the surrounding landscape, such as in swales, ravines, near streams, and on northwest- to east-facing slopes (Hansen and Hoffman 1988, DeVelice et al. 1995). This trend is more pronounced in Wyoming where Jones and Walford (1995) found this alliance only near streams, and may be less pronounced in Saskatchewan and northern Montana. Stands are located on terraces above the floodplain of large rivers, on small and intermittent creeks, and on hillsides below springs or seeps in the Rockies and in moist depressions in rolling prairie uplands. Stands are found between 500-1600 m elevation on the plains and in the northern Rockies and between 1950-2150 m in Colorado. Soils are classified predominantly as Entisols (Fluvents) or Mollisols (Borolls). Soil textures range from well-drained loamy sands to somewhat poorly drained silty clay loams and are derived from glacial drift, siltstone, or sandstone (USFS 1992, DeVelice et al. 1995). The vegetation is tolerant of brief flooding. Adjacent riparian vegetation includes Acer negundo, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Populus angustifolia, Populus deltoides, and Salix amygdaloides woodlands and Cornus sericea and Salix exigua shrublands.
Geographic Range: This alliance occurs in the northern Great Plains, in the Rocky Mountains, and on the Colorado Plateau and high plateaus of Utah. The alliance is found from southern Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada, south through the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, western Colorado, and Utah.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: AB, CO, MT, ND, NE, SD, SK, UT, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899648
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.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.Nd Eastern North American Temperate Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division | D323 | 2.C.4.Nd |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.4.Nd.5 Prairie Cordgrass - Cattail species - Bulrush species Great Plains Marsh, Wet Meadow, Shrubland & Playa Macrogroup | M071 | 2.C.4.Nd.5 |
| Group | 2.C.4.Nd.5.c Dogwood species - Chokecherry / Western Wheatgrass Great Plains Riparian Wet Meadow & Shrubland Group | G337 | 2.C.4.Nd.5.c |
| Alliance | A3590 Buffaloberry Wet Shrubland Alliance | A3590 | 2.C.4.Nd.5.c |
| Association | CEGL001128 Silver Buffaloberry Wet Shrubland | CEGL001128 | 2.C.4.Nd.5.c |
Concept Lineage: This alliance includes the Great Plains portion of old A.960.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Shepherdia argentea Community Type (Hansen et al. 1988a)
? Shepherdia argentea Habitat Type (USFS 1992)
? Shepherdia argentea Plant Association (DeVelice et al. 1995)
? Silver Buffaloberry Dominance Type (Jones and Walford 1995)
? Shepherdia argentea Habitat Type (USFS 1992)
? Shepherdia argentea Plant Association (DeVelice et al. 1995)
? Silver Buffaloberry Dominance Type (Jones and Walford 1995)
- DeVelice, R. L., S. V. Cooper, J. T. McGarvey, J. Lichthardt, and P. S. Bourgeron. 1995. Plant communities of northeastern Montana: A first approximation. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT. 116 pp.
- 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., G. R. Hoffman, and A. J. Bjugstad. 1984. The vegetation of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota: A habitat type classification. General Technical Report RM-113. USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO. 35 pp.
- 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.
- Hansen, P., S. Chadde, R. Pfister, J. Joy, D. Svoboda, J. Pierce, and L. Myers. 1988a. Riparian site types, habitat types, and community types of southwestern Montana. Draft Version 1. University of Montana, Montana Riparian Association, School of Forestry, Missoula. 140 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. M., and N. D. Lederer. 1993. A preliminary classification of the riparian vegetation of the Yampa and San Miguel/Dolores river basins. Unpublished report prepared for Colorado Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency by The Nature Conservancy, Colorado Field Office, Boulder.
- 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, N. Lederer, and D. Randolph. 1994. A classification of the riparian vegetation of the White and Colorado River basins, Colorado. Final report submitted to Colorado Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency. Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Boulder. 166 pp.
- Thompson, W. H., and P. L. Hansen. 2002. Classification and management of riparian and wetland sites of Alberta''s Grasslands Natural Region and adjacent subregions. Bitterroot Restoration, Inc., Cows and Fish, Lethbridge. 416 pp.
- USFS [U.S. Forest Service]. 1992. Draft habitat types of the Little Missouri National Grasslands. Medora and McKenzie ranger districts, Custer National Forest. Dickinson, ND.