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A4043 Festuca altaica Northern Great Plains Grassland Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This alliance is found in the northern Great Plains, largely in southern Canada, on dry-mesic sites dominated or codominated by Festuca altaica.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Altai Fescue Northern Great Plains Grassland Alliance
Colloquial Name: Northern Plains Altai Fescue Grassland
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: This alliance is found in the northern Great Plains, largely in southern Canada. It is typically moderately arid and dominated by mid and short graminoids. Festuca altaica is abundant in almost every stand. Other species that are commonly found in stands of this alliance are upland Carex spp., Elymus lanceolatus, Festuca idahoensis (in the center and west), Koeleria macrantha, Pascopyrum smithii, Pseudoroegneria spicata, Hesperostipa comata, and Hesperostipa curtiseta. Forb diversity may be low to moderately high in stands of this alliance. Common forbs include Achillea millefolium, Antennaria rosea, Asteraceae spp., Geum triflorum, Lupinus sericeus, and Solidago missouriensis. Low and medium-tall shrubs may be found in some stands. These include Amelanchier alnifolia, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Artemisia frigida, Gutierrezia sarothrae, and Rosa acicularis.
Diagnostic Characteristics: This alliance is distinguished by northern Great Plains grasslands dominated by Festuca altaica.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Festuca idahoensis can be common in some examples of this alliance but it should be less abundant than Festuca altaica to be classified as this alliance.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: This alliance is typically moderately arid and dominated by mid and short graminoids. Total vegetation cover is moderate to high.
Floristics: Festuca altaica (= Festuca scabrella) is abundant in almost every stand of this alliance. Other species that are commonly found are Danthonia intermedia (in the western part of this alliance''s range), upland Carex spp., Elymus lanceolatus (in the north and east), Festuca idahoensis (in the center and west), Koeleria macrantha (in the east), Pascopyrum smithii (in the east), Pseudoroegneria spicata, Hesperostipa comata (= Stipa comata), and Hesperostipa curtiseta (= Stipa curtiseta) (in the east). Forb diversity may be low to moderately high in stands of this alliance (Mueggler and Stewart 1980). Common forbs include Achillea millefolium, Antennaria rosea, Asteraceae spp., Geum triflorum, Lupinus sericeus, and Solidago missouriensis. Low and medium tall shrubs may be found in some stands. These include Amelanchier alnifolia, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, Artemisia frigida, Gutierrezia sarothrae, and Rosa acicularis.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Stands of this alliance are found on level to steeply sloping topography of all aspects. Soils are usually loamy and moderately deep (Mueggler and Stewart 1980).
Geographic Range: This alliance is found primarily in the southern Canadian prairie areas of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and possibly into Ontario. It extends into far northern North Dakota and Montana.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MB, MT, ND, ON, SK
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.900094
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.B Temperate & Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Subclass | S18 | 2.B |
| Formation | 2.B.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Nb Central North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D023 | 2.B.2.Nb |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nb.2 Needle-and-Thread - Western Wheatgrass - Plains Rough Fescue Grassland Macrogroup | M051 | 2.B.2.Nb.2 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nb.2.d Plains Rough Fescue - Needle-and-Thread species Grassland Group | G332 | 2.B.2.Nb.2.d |
| Alliance | A4043 Altai Fescue Northern Great Plains Grassland Alliance | A4043 | 2.B.2.Nb.2.d |
| Association | CEGL002436 Altai Fescue - (Needle-and-Thread species, Ricegrass species) Grassland | CEGL002436 | 2.B.2.Nb.2.d |
Concept Lineage: This alliance contains three associations from old A.1250.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Fescue Prairie Association (Coupland 1961) [southern Alberta and Saskatchewan]
- Coupland, R. T. 1961. A reconsideration of grassland classification in the northern Great Plains of North America. Journal of Ecology 49:135-167.
- Coupland, R. T., N. A. Skoglund, and A. J. Heard. 1960. Effects of grazing in the Canadian mixed prairie. Paper 9A/1. In Grassland Congress, Proceeding 8:212-215.
- 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.
- Greenall, J. A. 1995. Draft element descriptions for natural communities of southern Manitoba (prairie and parkland regions). Manitoba Conservation Data Centre, Winnipeg. 17 pp.
- Mueggler, W. F., and W. L. Stewart. 1980. Grassland and shrubland habitat types of western Montana. General Technical Report INT-66. USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Ogden, UT. 154 pp.