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A3980 Great Plains Alkaline Cliff Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This alliance consists of sparsely vegetated bluffs and cliffs of limestone or dolostone in the central and northern Great Plains.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Great Plains Alkaline Cliff Alliance
Colloquial Name: Great Plains Alkaline Cliff
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: This alliance consists of sparsely vegetated bluffs and cliffs of limestone or dolostone in the central and northern Great Plains. Species vary from site to site but may include the shrubs Rhus trilobata and Rosa arkansana, the forbs Mentzelia decapetala, Eriogonum pauciflorum, Gutierrezia sarothrae, and the grasses Schizachyrium scoparium and Achnatherum hymenoides. Soils are generally absent or poorly developed or limited to cracks and ledges.
Diagnostic Characteristics: This alliance consists of sparsely vegetated bluffs and cliffs of limestone or dolostone in the central and northern Great Plains.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This alliance is defined more by substrate and environmental condition (steep, alkaline, rocky slopes) than by floristics. The vegetation of these sites is not well-described.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Vascular plant cover is <10% in examples of this alliance, though plants often have >10% cover in small, localized ledges and cliffs where soil has accumulated. Short shrubs and grasses can be present but forbs are typically the most abundant vascular lifeform.
Floristics: Species vary from site to site but may include the shrubs Rhus trilobata and Rosa arkansana, the forbs Mentzelia decapetala, Eriogonum pauciflorum, Gutierrezia sarothrae, and the grasses Schizachyrium scoparium and Achnatherum hymenoides.
Dynamics: The general lack of soil and steep slopes create very harsh conditions for plant growth and maintain stands of this alliance. Fire does not carry through this alliance, so shrubs and trees can persist, if they can find pockets of soil and survive the generally xeric conditions.
Environmental Description: This alliance occurs where alkaline bedrock is exposed in cliffs and bluffs. The substrate is limestone or dolostones. Slopes are steep to vertical and there is little to no soil development. Soil that does develop or accumulate is on gently sloping or flat ledges and in cracks. These are small and localized.
Geographic Range: This alliance occurs in the central and northern Great Plains from Kansas and eastern Nebraska to eastern Wyoming and western North Dakota.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: KS, ND, NE, SD, WY
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.900031
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 6 Open Rock Vegetation Class | C06 | 6 |
| Subclass | 6.B Temperate & Boreal Open Rock Vegetation Subclass | S04 | 6.B |
| Formation | 6.B.1 Temperate & Boreal Cliff, Scree & Other Rock Vegetation Formation | F034 | 6.B.1 |
| Division | 6.B.1.Na Eastern North American Temperate Cliff, Scree & Rock Vegetation Division | D051 | 6.B.1.Na |
| Macrogroup | 6.B.1.Na.2 Great Plains Cliff, Scree & Rock Vegetation Macrogroup | M116 | 6.B.1.Na.2 |
| Group | 6.B.1.Na.2.b Skunkbush Sumac / Blue Grama - Prickly-pear species Cliff, Scree & Rock Vegetation Group | G567 | 6.B.1.Na.2.b |
| Alliance | A3980 Great Plains Alkaline Cliff Alliance | A3980 | 6.B.1.Na.2.b |
| Association | CEGL002046 Limestone - Dolostone Great Plains Xeric Cliff Sparse Vegetation | CEGL002046 | 6.B.1.Na.2.b |
| Association | CEGL002296 Limestone Butte Sparse Vegetation | CEGL002296 | 6.B.1.Na.2.b |
Concept Lineage: Both associations in this alliance come from old A.1836 (2 of many).
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: No Data Available
- 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.