Name:
Bouteloua gracilis - Bouteloua dactyloides - Pleuraphis jamesii Shortgrass Prairie Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This group occurs in the western half of the Western Great Plains Division in the rainshadow of the Rocky Mountains and forms the matrix grassland with <i>Bouteloua gracilis</i> as the typical dominant species. Associated graminoids may include <i>Aristida purpurea, Bouteloua curtipendula, Bouteloua hirsuta, Bouteloua dactyloides, Hesperostipa comata, Hesperostipa neomexicana, Koeleria macrantha, Pascopyrum smithii, Pleuraphis jamesii</i>, and <i>Sporobolus cryptandrus</i>. Although mid-height grass species may be present, especially on more mesic land positions and sandy soils, they are secondary in importance to the sod-forming short grasses. Scattered shrub and dwarf-shrub species such as <i>Artemisia filifolia, Artemisia frigida, Artemisia tridentata, Atriplex canescens, Eriogonum effusum, Gutierrezia sarothrae</i>, and <i>Lycium pallidum</i> may also be present. Also, because this group spans a wide range, there can be some differences in the relative dominance of some species from north to south and from east to west. This group occurs primarily on flat to rolling uplands with loamy, ustic soils ranging from sandy to clayey ranging from the Nebraska Panhandle south into Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, although grazing-impacted examples may reach as far north as southern Canada where it grades into ~Northern Great Plains Dry Mixedgrass Prairie Group (G331)$$. In eastern Colorado and western Kansas and Nebraska, it grades into ~Central Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie Group (G133)$$.<br /><br />Large-scale processes such as climate, fire and grazing influence this group. High variation in amount and timing of annual precipitation impacts the relative cover of cool- and warm-season herbaceous species. In contrast to other prairie groups, fire is less important, especially in the western range of this group. This is because the dry to xeric climate conditions produce less vegetation/fuel load, so relative fire frequency is lower within the group. However, historically, fires that did occur were often very expansive, especially after a series of years with above average precipitation when litter/fine fuels could build up. Currently, fire suppression and more extensive grazing in the region have likely decreased the fire frequency even more, and it is unlikely that these processes could occur at a natural scale. A large part of the range for this group (especially in the east and near rivers) has been converted to agriculture. Areas of the central and western range have been impacted by the unsuccessful attempts to develop dryland cultivation during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. The short grasses that dominate this group are extremely drought- and grazing-tolerant. These species evolved with drought and large herbivores and, because of their stature, are relatively resistant to overgrazing. This group, in combination with the associated wetland groups, represents one of the richest areas for mammals and birds. Endemic bird species to the shortgrass group may constitute one of the fastest declining bird populations.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:39966-{169F17C4-C957-446A-BA01-1AB4084355AB}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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