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North American Warm Semi-Desert Dune & Sand Flats Group | NatureServe Biotics 2019
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Name: North American Warm Semi-Desert Dune & Sand Flats Group
Reference: NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description: This vegetated group occurs on dunes and sandsheets across the warm deserts of North America. Stands typically have low total vegetation cover (&lt;15%) that is often patchy or scattered and is composed of a variety of plant species across the group's range. Stands include woody vegetation, perennial grasses and/or psammophitic herbs. In the Chihuahuan Desert dunes along the Rio Grande in Trans-Pecos Texas, characteristic species include <i>Chamaesyce carunculata, Helianthus neglectus, Helianthus petiolaris, Heliotropium convolvulaceum, Heliotropium racemosum, Mentzelia</i> sp., <i>Panicum havardii, Polanisia jamesii</i>, and <i>Psoralidium lanceolatum</i>. This vegetation composition varies a great deal from year to year, depending on moisture. In the Mojave, Colorado, and Sonoran deserts, stands may be characterized by stoloniferous grasses and/or psammophitic herbs such as <i>Abronia villosa, Achnatherum hymenoides, Cleome sparsifolia, Croton californicus, Dicoria canescens, Geraea canescens, Oenothera deltoides, Panicum urvilleanum, Pleuraphis rigida, Rumex hymenosepalus</i>, and <i>Swallenia alexandrae</i>. Individual emergent desert shrubs such as <i>Ambrosia dumosa, Atriplex canescens, Eriogonum deserticola</i>, and <i>Larrea tridentata</i> may be present. Other stands are dominated by the semi-woody perennial grass <i>Pleuraphis rigida</i>, sometimes with up to 35% total cover. Other associates in the herbaceous layer include <i>Achnatherum hymenoides, Bouteloua eriopoda, Dalea mollissima, Gutierrezia sarothrae, Panicum urvilleanum</i>, and <i>Sphaeralcea ambigua</i>. Scattered shrubs such as <i>Larrea tridentata, Yucca brevifolia</i>, or other desert shrubs may be present with low cover. Stands occur on flat ridges, lower slopes, and partially stabilized sand dunes. Elevations range from 10-1400 m. The group occurs in warm, semi-arid to arid climate. Annual precipitation totals are between 0 and 250 mm. There is much year-to-year variation in precipitation. The summers are extremely hot. Winter temperatures, particularly at higher elevations and latitudes, can get quite cold; however, stands in southern latitudes never freeze. Stands occur on sandy substrates found on flat ridges, lower slopes, stabilized sand dunes and sandsheets, and sandy plains. 
Accession Code: urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40317-{7DE8CAB9-7D87-4641-BEA7-B3B1D7DC504F}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
      Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization)
Perspective from: 16-Apr-2015 to: ongoing
      Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.879239 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo
  Code: G675
  Scientific: North American Warm Semi-Desert Dune & Sand Flats Group