Grasslands - Woody Plants PLSC214

What is a grassland?

Any natural community or ecosystem in which the herbaceous layer is dominated by grasses, other graminoid (grass-like) plants, such as sedges and include associated forbs

What do eastern grasslands require?

Frequent disturbance regimes (mowing, controlled burns, roadsides, grazing)

List the 10 types of eastern grasslands

Prairies

Savannas

Barrens

Glades

Balds

Riverscours

Meadows

Fens

Montane Bogs

Depression Ponds

Characteristics of prairies

Found more in the mid-west

Dominated by mid to tall grasses and forbs

Fairly level topography

Deep, hydric soils

Historically

• disturbed by fire, drought, and large herbivores

• lacked tree cover

• range - dozens to thousands of square miles

Characteristics of savannas

Dominated by sparse tree canopy and dense grass/herb layer

Rolling hills

Deep, hydric soils

Historically

• disturbed by fire

• range - dozens to thousands of square miles

Characteristics of barrens

Often imbedded within forest groves

Dominated by short to mid sized grasses and forbs

Slight or steep eroded slopes

Shallow, rocky soils and exposed rock

Caused by extreme conditions (poor and thin soils, drought, fire)

Historically

• disturbed by fire and drought

• range of <2 acres

Characteristics of glades

Often imbedded within forest groves

Dominated by short to mid sized grasses, forbs, succulents, bryophytes

Flat or slightly sloped sites

Thin, hydroxeric soils (wet in spring and winter, dry in summer and fall)

Historical range of <2 acres

Characteristics of balds

Often surrounded by shrubs and thickets

Dominated by short to mid sized grasses, sedges, and forbs

Flat or slightly sloped sites

Moist soils

Historical

• range of 5-250 acres and above 5,500ft

• origins debated: climate, grazing, fire, other human activity

Characteristics of riverscours

Patchy short to mid sized grasses, sedges, forbs, shrubs, and small saplings

Edge of high gradient streams

Hydroxeric soil (wet in spring and winter, dry in summer) with pockets of sandy soils and exposed bedrock

Shaped by periodic flooding and strong currents

Vegetation must tolerate disturbance and sediment movement

Historical range of <2 acres

Characteristics of meadows

Found in floodplains

Dominated by mid to tall sized grasses, sedges, with high floristic counts

Deep, saturated soils

Historically

• disturbed by beaver flooded environments

• range of 5-150 acres

Characteristics of fens

Found in floodplains in flat sites

Dominated by mid to tall sized grasses, sedges, forbs, and rushes

Basic, peat soils

Fed by groundwater

Historically

• disturbed by flooding and fire

• range 0.5-2 acreas

Characteristics of montane bogs

Found in forest groves

Dominated by peat moss, sedges, forbs, and rushes

Acidic, hydric soils

Fed by rainwater

Historically

• disturbed by flooding, beavers, and fire

• range 1-50 acres

Characteristics of depression ponds

Found in forest groves

Isolated from streams and edges have greatest diversity

Seasonal or permanent water bodies in shallow depressions

Water level fluctuates

Dominated by submerged/floating aquatics, rushes, sedges, emergent grasses, forbs

Historically

• disturbed flooding, range 1-35 acres

What are the three DE communities of eastern grasslands?

Upland Switchgrass

Successional Broomsedge

• short lived, replaced by successional fields

Little Bluestem Field