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G805 North-Central Interior & Appalachian Alkaline Fen Group
Type Concept Sentence: This fen group is found in the northern United States and southern Canada from eastern Montana and the Dakotas to New England and the Northern Appalachians where cold, mineral-rich groundwater springs saturate the soil and shrubs such as Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, Cornus amomum, Cornus racemosa, and Cornus sericea, graminoids such as Carex flava, Carex sterilis, Carex prairea, Carex stricta, and Trichophorum alpinum, and forbs such as Cladium mariscoides, Lobelia kalmii, Packera aurea, Rhynchospora spp., Symplocarpus foetidus, and Triantha glutinosa are dominant.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: North-Central Interior & Appalachian Alkaline Fen Group
Colloquial Name: Central Appalachian-Northeast Alkaline Fen
Hierarchy Level: Group
Type Concept: This group encompasses shrub and herbaceous fen vegetation in the northeastern temperate region, including Allegheny Plateau and much of New York and New England, as well as the tallgrass prairie and southern Great Lakes regions of the north-central Midwest. Associations may be shrub-dominated, a mixture of shrubs and herbs, or herb-dominated. Characteristic species include the shrubs Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, Cornus amomum, Cornus racemosa, Cornus sericea, prairie grasses such as Andropogon gerardii and Spartina pectinata, sedges, including Carex flava, Carex sterilis, Carex prairea, Carex stricta, and other graminoids such as Trichophorum alpinum, and forbs such as Lobelia kalmii, Packera aurea, Symplocarpus foetidus, Rhynchospora spp., and Triantha glutinosa. Less commonly, Cladium mariscoides may be a dominant. Vegetation develops on shallow to deep peat over a gently sloping or level substrate, where the groundwater, typically minerotrophic and slightly alkaline, provides nutrients. In glaciated areas, they are characteristically in pitted outwash or in kettle lakes associated with kettle-kame-moraine topography.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Peat-based wetlands in circumneutral to alkaline settings, ericaceous shrubs unimportant, Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda and Cornus spp. as diagnostic shrubs. Sedges include Carex flava, Carex sterilis, Carex stricta, and Carex prairea and other graminoids include Cladium mariscoides, Rhynchospora alba, and Rhynchospora capillacea.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: ~Central & Southern Appalachian Seep Group (G184)$$ can be similar where these two overlap, but vegetation in that group usually has at least some species with Southern Appalachian affinity. Midwest prairie fens may be distinct enough to justify their own group (Amon et al. 2002, cf. Damman and French 1987).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Trees are absent or sparse in these wetlands. A patchy to dense cover of shrubs typically 1-2 m tall may be present. The herb layer is well-developed and graminoid-dominated. Sedge or moss peat forms the substrate.
Floristics: Associations in this group may be shrub-dominated, a mixture of shrubs and herbs, or herb-dominated. Characteristic species include the shrubs Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda, Cornus amomum, Cornus racemosa, Cornus sericea, prairie grasses such as Andropogon gerardii and Spartina pectinata, sedges, including Carex flava, Carex sterilis, Carex stricta, Carex prairea, and other graminoids such as Trichophorum alpinum and forbs such as Lobelia kalmii, Packera aurea, Symplocarpus foetidus, and Triantha glutinosa (= Tofieldia glutinosa). In the western part of its range, Carex lasiocarpa, Eleocharis compressa, Eriophorum angustifolium ssp. angustifolium (= Eriophorum polystachion), Parnassia glauca, Rhynchospora alba, Rhynchospora capillacea, and Symphyotrichum boreale (= Aster borealis) may be common. Less commonly, Cladium mariscoides may be a dominant. Trees are typically sparse in this group, though they may extend inward from natural wooded wetland borders. In parts of the range, scattered Juniperus virginiana may be present.
Dynamics: The presence of cold, mineral-rich groundwater which promotes the formation of peat and marl is key to the formation and maintenance of this group. Where cold, mineral-rich groundwater emerges as seeps and diffuse springs, decomposition of plant matter is slowed and peat can accumulate. Marl forms under sustained flow of calcium- and magnesium-rich water. The marl occurs where the groundwater emerges and in "spring runs" where water has cut a channel through the peat. Peat accumulation tends to be thickest in the center of the fens and can form raised mounds over time. Some of these areas are kept open by grazing, and succession to heavier shrub cover may occur in the absence of disturbance. Fire can spread from surrounding upland grasslands in the prairie landscape and can help limit the spread of trees and shrubs in those areas.
Environmental Description: Climate: North-temperate. Soil/substrate/hydrology: Sedge or moss peat forms the vegetation substrate. Moisture is supplied by moving groundwater which is typically alkaline and cold throughout the summer. These fens typically remain saturated throughout the growing season.
Geographic Range: This group ranges from the central U.S. and southern Canada from eastern Montana southeast to Missouri and east to the Great Lakes states, east to lower New England and then south in the Central Appalachians to West Virginia and western Virginia.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, ON, PA, RI?, VA, VT, WV
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.948499
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.2 Temperate to Polar Bog & Fen Formation | F016 | 2.C.2 |
| Division | 2.C.2.Na North American Bog & Fen Division | D029 | 2.C.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.2.Na.2 Shrubby cinquefoil - Woolly-fruit Sedge / Star Campylium Moss Alkaline Fen Macrogroup | M877 | 2.C.2.Na.2 |
| Group | 2.C.2.Na.2.f North-Central Interior & Appalachian Alkaline Fen Group | G805 | 2.C.2.Na.2.f |
| Alliance | A4479 <i>Dasiphora fruticosa - Carex flava - Carex tetanica</i> Alkaline Fen Alliance | A4479 | 2.C.2.Na.2.f |
Concept Lineage: split from G183 (DFL 6-15)
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: >< Calcareous Fen (Olivero 2001)
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