Name:
Vancouverian Alpine Tundra Macrogroup
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This macrogroup consists primarily of alpine vegetation where dwarf-shrubs characterize the cover. The dwarf-shrubs vary in cover from sparse to continuous. Herbaceous meadows are also common, but even they often have a dwarf-shrub component. Rocky and sparsely vegetated sites are characteristic of the higher elevations and exposed sites. Dominant dwarf-shrub species include <i>Cassiope mertensiana, Cassiope tetragona, Dryas octopetala, Empetrum nigrum, Harrimanella stelleriana, Loiseleuria procumbens, Luetkea pectinata, Phyllodoce aleutica, Phyllodoce empetriformis, Phyllodoce glanduliflora, Salix arctica, Salix nivalis, Salix reticulata, Vaccinium uliginosum</i>, and <i>Vaccinium vitis-idaea</i>. Herbaceous species include <i>Aconitum delphiniifolium, Anemone narcissiflora, Arenaria capillaris, Artemisia arctica, Carex breweri, Carex capitata, Carex macrochaeta, Carex nardina, Carex proposita, Carex spectabilis, Castilleja unalaschcensis, Chamerion</i> spp., <i>Eriogonum pyrolifolium, Festuca brachyphylla, Festuca idahoensis ssp. roemeri, Fritillaria camschatcensis, Geranium erianthum, Lupinus nootkatensis, Nephrophyllidium crista-galli, Packera cana, Pedicularis contorta, Phlox diffusa, Polemonium acutiflorum, Polygonum bistortoides, Sanguisorba canadensis, Saxifraga tolmiei, Senecio triangularis, Valeriana sitchensis, Veratrum viride</i> and <i>Viola</i> spp. Some sites are dominated by nonvascular taxa such as <i>Racomitrium</i> spp. and <i>Stereocaulon</i> spp. This macrogroup occurs in the Pacific Northwest coastal region north to maritime Alaska, including the Aleutian Islands. It is primarily on alpine and subalpine sites, but it can also be found at lower elevations on the Alaska Peninsula, Aleutian Islands and Kodiak Island, where it is found on cliffs, rocky outcrops, exposed summits, windswept ridges, fell-fields, valley bottoms, sideslopes, stabilized dunes, terraces, moraines and fans. The dominant disturbances are snow avalanche, soil creep and freeze-thaw action.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40506-{2ADCB8E8-E273-41BA-884C-92FE55879EEE}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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