Name:
Basalt - Conglomerate Bedrock Great Lakes Shore Sparse Vegetation
Reference:
Midwestern Ecology Working Group...
Description:
This basalt bedrock lakeshore is found along the Lake Superior shoreline of both the United States and Canada. The bedrock consists of basalts, volcanic conglomerates, and localized rhyolites. Volcanic conglomerate shores may be more species rich than basalt shores due to the presence of cracks or small cavities in the former. Wave action and ice scour action are strongest near the shore, producing a wave-washed zone almost devoid of vegetation, except for scattered patches of mosses and lichens, and pockets of herbaceous species around bedrock pools. With increasing distance above the lake, herbaceous and nonvascular plant cover increases, though still very patchy, with lichens predominating, particularly on high, dry rocks. Herbaceous species include <i>Achillea millefolium, Campanula rotundifolia, Fragaria virginiana, Sibbaldiopsis tridentata (= Potentilla tridentata)</i>, and <i>Solidago simplex</i>. Perched meadows, dominated by tufted graminoids, are found at the edge of seasonal pools. The most common meadow species are <i>Calamagrostis canadensis, Carex buxbaumii, Carex castanea, Danthonia spicata, Deschampsia caespitosa, Trichophorum caespitosum (= Scirpus cespitosus)</i>, and <i>Trisetum spicatum</i>, as well as <i>Pinguicula vulgaris</i>. Lichens, mosses, and liverworts are prominent. Scattered, often stunted, woody trees and shrubs are found throughout, including <i>Abies balsamea, Amelanchier</i> spp., <i>Juniperus communis, Picea glauca, Populus tremuloides, Rubus pubescens, Shepherdia canadensis, Thuja occidentalis</i>, and <i>Vaccinium angustifolium</i>.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.37100.CEGL005215
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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