Name:
Laurentian-Northeast Eroding Bluff Sparse Vegetation
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This eroding bluff type is found localized along banks of rivers and lakes in the upper midwestern (Laurentian) and northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. Stands occur on active steep and near-vertical exposures of unconsolidated clays, sands, and mixed glacial drift, that are at least 3 m in height, and up to or over 30 m in height. Stands are subject to active erosional processes. They are typically found along lakes and rivers. Moisture and temperature fluctuations can be extreme. The vegetation varies from moderately sparse to absent, and what vegetation is present is virtually always early-successional relative to the surrounding landscape due to periodic slumpage and soil erosion. Limited information is available on species that persist in this habitat.<br /><br />In Michigan, characteristic species include <i>Alnus</i> spp., <i>Salix</i> spp., <i>Thuja occidentalis, Betula papyrifera, Hypericum kalmianum, Shepherdia canadensis, Parnassia glauca, Solidago</i> spp., <i>Euthamia graminifolia, Impatiens capensis, Juncus</i> spp., and <i>Equisetum</i> spp. In Vermont, characteristic native plants include <i>Cyperus lupulinus, Dichanthelium depauperatum, Ionactis linariifolius, Toxicodendron radicans</i>, and <i>Polygonella articulata</i>.<br /><br />Due to the frequency of disturbance and the shifting exposure of substrate, native and non-native ruderal species are common. Clay bluffs are also characterized by very active seepage, and groundwater seepage is a destabilizing factor, causing bluff erosion and the sloughing or slumping of the clay slopes. Active sloughing typically occurs following frost heave, spring thaw, and winter storm events and vegetation varies from year to year. Wind and waves also cause erosion, especially along low bluffs and the toeslopes of bluffs.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:31492-{08EE07E6-8DDA-4D31-8C46-733D47F7D28B}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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