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Big Sagebrush
- Family/Tribe: Asteraceae
- Scientific Name: Artemisia tridentata
- Origin: Native
- Life Span: Perennial
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Artemisia tridentata Habitat
- Distribution: Intermountain West (West of the Dakotas)
- Plant Communities: grasslands, sagebrush, desert shrub, PJ, ponderosa pine, Doug fir, hot deserts
- Soil Types: well-drained soils (wide soil types)
- Location: over 10,000 ft. elevation, basins, dry slopes, mountain slopes, valleys, foothills
-
Artemisia tridentat Identification
- Inflorescense: narrow leafy panicles
- Alternate leaves, simple, wedge-shaped, 3-lobed apex, leaf margins straight
- Aromatic sage odor
- Non-sprouter
-
Artemisia tridentata-Plant Attributes
•Cool season evergreen shrub - •long-lived (50+ years)
- Regeneration from seed: small seed, plant producing 350,000
- seeds/plant/year
- •Root depth up to 9 m
- •VAM association
- •Climax species
- •Nurse plant to seedlings and other species
-
temisia tridentat-Forge Quality, Palability, and Cover
•Important plants for livestock and wildlife - •Palatable except for volatile oil content
- •Can provide 100% forage for sage grouse in winter and 90% for Pronghorn.
- •High consumption by lagomorphs
- •Highly nutritious shrub but highly unpalatable
- •Critical habitat for large to small mammals, birds, and for raising young (sage grouse, pronghorn, etc)
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Artemisia tridentata - Drought/Stress, Grazing, Fire Tolerance
- Drought/Stress: Drought tolerant shrub
- Grazing: May increase with moderate to heavy grazing
- Fire: Killed by fire (low resistance), fire does not stimulate germination
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Antelope Bitterbrush
- Family/Tribe: Rosaceae
- Scientific Name: Purshia tridentata
- Origin: Native
- Life Span: Perennial
- Form: shrub
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Purshia tridentata-Habitat
- Distribution: Western North America
- Plant Communities: Ponderosa pine, Doug fir, sagebrush, desert shrub, PJ woodlands
- Soil Types: Well-drained soils at all aspects, tolerates rocky conditions. Does best in fine to sandy, gravelly calcareous soils
- Location: plains, mountain slopes, mesas, open woodlands (3,000 to 10,000 ft. elevation )
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Purshia tridentata-Identification
- Inflorescense
- •Flowers: Solitary, Perfect, Yellow, 5-petals
- •Fruit: Longitudinally ribbed, pubescent
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Purshia tridentata-Growth Form
- •Leaves
- –Alternate, 3-lobed apex
- –Upper surface (adaxially) dark green, pubescent to glabrous
- –Lower surface (abaxially) white tomentose
- –Twigs gray to brown, new stems are red
- •Multi-branched
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Purshia tridentata-Plant Attributes
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Purshia tridentata- Forge Quality and Palatability
•Considered an “ice-cream plant” - •An important browse species for
- –all classes of livestock (choice for sheep, low for horses)
- –pronghorn, mule deer, elk, bighorn sheep, moose, rodents (deer mice and kangaroo rats)
- –a variety of insects (ants)
-
Purshia tridentat -Drought/Stress
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Purshia tridentata-Grazing Tolerance
•Grazing increases lateral branching - •If grazed early in the season, greater biomass is produced compared to ungrazed plants
- •Heavy grazing can result in decreased density (decreaser species), but density is not affected by moderate use
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Purshia tridentata-Fire Tolerance
Plants are very susceptible to fire, but require it for regeneration
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Rubber Rabbitbrush
- Family: Asteraceae
- Scientific Name: Chrysothamnus nauseosus
- Origin: Native
- Life Span: Perennial
- New Name: Ericamerica nauseosa
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Chrysothamnus nauseosus - Identification
- •Inflorescense: (disk flowers only, flowers in the fall (yellow), heads in terminal clustered)
- •Whitish wooly stems, deciduous
- •Leaves linear, with prominent mid-veins
-
Chrysothamnus nauseosus-Plant Attributes
•Warm season shrub - •Deep taproot
- •Regeneration from seed or sprouting
- •Early seral species, declining with continued succession
- •Tested as source of rubber during WWII
•22 subspecies (some green, some gray)
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Chrysothamnus nauseosus-Forge Quality, Palatability, and Cover
•Poor forage for livestock - •Important browse on depleted rangelands, otherwise light use by wildlife and livestock in the summer
- •Important forage for deer and pronghorn in the fall to winter.
- - Plants have good energy and protein content
- - Nesting cover for perching birds, waterfowl, and sage grouse.
- - Poor cover for large mammals
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Chrysothamnus nauseosus - Drought/Stress, Grazing, Fire Tolerance
- Drought: Felt-like covering on narrow leaves reduces water loss, Deep taproots allows plant to access deep water sources
- Grazing: maintains high vigor with grazing
- Fire: fire adapted species that is unharmed or enhanced by fire, Rapid recovery time-early colonization following fire
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Douglas rabbitbrush
- Family: Asteraceae
- Scientific Name: Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus
- Origin: Native
- Life Span: Perennial
-
Chrysothamnus visicidiflorus-Identification
- •Inflorescense: disk flowers only, flower in the fall (yellow), heads in terminal clustered
- •Older stems glabrous, new stems (twigs) light pubescent
- •Leaves linear to linear oblanceolate
- •Leaves frequently twisted, glandular
-
Chrysothamnus visicidiflorus- Plant attributes
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Chrysothamnus visicidiflorus-Forage Quality, Palatability, and Cover
•Poor forage for livestock - •Provides some browse for livestock and wildlife when no other forages are available
- •Deer feed on plants in spring
- •Provides valuable cover for small mammals, nesting passerines, sage grouse, and waterfowl.
-
Chrysothamnus visicidiflorus-Drought/Stress, Grazing tolerance
- Drought: well-adapted to drought, tolerance to fair salinity
- Grazing: tolerant of heavy grazing pressure
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Bluebunch Wheatgrass
- Family: Poaceae
- Scientific Name: Elymus spicatus*
- Origin: Native
- Life Span: Perennial
-
Elymus spicatus - Identification
- Inflorescense
- •Narrow spike
- •Spikelets somewhat overlapping
- •One spikelet per node that is not as long as the internode
- •Lemmas may have a single reflexed, divergent awn (1-2cm)
- •Glumes rarely awn-tipped
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Elymus spicatus- Growth Form
•Bunchgrass: Cespitose to rhizomatous - •Deep extensive, fibrous roots (over 1m)
- •Leaves are flat to slightly inrolled
- •Auricles: (Red, clasping)
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Elymus spicatus-Plant Attributes
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Elymus spicatus- Forge quality and palatability
•Considered one of the most important forage species on rangelands (livestock and wildlife) - •Loses palatability with age
- •Crude protein (spring – 16.3%, Summer – 5.7%, Fall – 3.7%, winter – 2.3%)
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Elymus spicatus- Drought/Stress
•Considered one of the most drought-resistant native bunchgrasses - •Dormancy occurs during drought or high temperatures
- •Tolerates moderate levels of soil salinity
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Elymus spicatus- Grazing tolerance
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Basin wildrye
- Family: Poaceae
- Scientific name: Leymus cinereus
- Origin: Native
- Life Span: Perennial
- Formerly known as: Elymus cinereus
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Leymus cinereus-Identification
- •Inflorescense: Dense spike, 10-30 cm, 2-6 spikelets per node, Glumes narrow, and awn tipped
- •Blades flat or involute, 0.5 to 1.5 cm wide, 20-60 cm long; ligule membranous 3-7mm, obtuse to acute
- •Culms coarse & robust (up to 1.5 cm thick)
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Leymus cinereus-Plant Attributes
•Cool season grass: One of 1st grasses to initiate spring growth - •Cespitose growth form, sometimes with short rhizomes (Bunches typically 2-4 ft. in diameter and 3-7 ft. in height, Extensive root system)
- •Reproduces by seed, rhizomes, & tillers
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Leymus cinereus-Drought/Stress Tolerance
•Moderately tolerant of acidity, alkalinity, and salinity - •Will tolerate partial shade in more productive soils
- •Facultative Upland Species: Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but occasionally occurs in wetlands, Will tolerate short periods of ponded soils, drought tolerant
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Leymus cinereus-Grazing
•Provides abundant forage for livestock during spring when it is palatable (Elevated growing points (10-15cm above ground) = Intolerance of heavy or repeated grazing ) - •Unpalatable after maturing due to coarse texture
- •High crude protein content through Sept.
- •Low protein, but high energy value in winter
- •Utilized in winter when other plants are covered by snow, or after softened by rain in Pacific NW.
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Leymus cinereus- Valuable for re-vegetation projects
- •Commercially available seed
- •Can establish in disturbed areas or in climax vegetation comm.
- •High transplant survival rates (80-90%)
- •High nitrogen and water-use efficiency
- •High potential above & below ground biomass production = Conservation of water, soil, nutrients, and organic matter
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Squirreltail
- Family: Poaceae
- Scientific Name: Elymus elymoides
- Origin: Native
- Life Span: Perennial
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Elymus elymoides-Identification
- •Inflorescense: Spike, spikelets 2 per node, disarticulating below the spike (entire head may come off at once), Lemma awned 5-15mm, glumes awned 2-5 (10) cm reflexed
- •Cespitose growth form
- •Plant may be glabrous or pubescent
-
Elymus elymoides-Plant Attributes
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Elymus elymoides-Forage Quality and Patability
•Consumed by pronghorn, ground squirrels, cottontails and jackrabbits. - •Good source of energy, but low in protein, phosphorus, and carotene
- •Palatable for sheep (especially in the winter), otherwise considered moderately palatable to livestock
- •Is consumed by livestock and wildlife. Minor component of cattle and bison summer diet.
- •Awns reduce palatability
- •Provides good cover to small mammals and birds
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Elymus elymoides- Drought, Grazing, Fire tolerance
- Drought: Seed dormancy during dry years allows plants to avoid drought
- Grazing: Increases with moderate to even heavy grazing, Seed establishment favored with trampling
- Fire: Although readily topkilled, small size and low plant production make it fire tolerant, Solid culms do not readily burn
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Needle-and-thread
- Family: Poaceae
- Scientific Name: Hesperostipa comata*
- Origin: Native
- Life Span: Perennial
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Hesperostipa comata- Identification
- •Inflorescense: •Panicle, upper spreading, lower part inserted in the sheath, One flower per spikelet, Awns 10-20cm long, glumes 2+ cm long
- •Cespitose
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Hesperostipa comata-Plant attributes
- Cool season grass
- Propagation by seed and tillers
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Hesperostipa comata- Forage Quality and Palatability
•Valuable forage, especially in the spring to both livestock and wildlife - •Preferred by rabbits, prairie dogs, and pocket-gophers
- •Highly palatable in the spring, but decreases with awn development
- •Awns and sharp pointed callus may cause injuries
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Cheatgrass
- Family: Poaceae
- Scientific Name: Bromus tectorum
- Origin: Introduced
- Life Span: Annual
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Bromus tectorum-Identification
- •Inflorescense: Panicle, rather narrow, Spikelets nodding, Lemma pubescent, long awned
- •Leaf sheath and collar very pubescent
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Bromus tectorum- Plant Attributes
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Bromus tectorum-Forage Quality and Palatability
•When green (spring), it is highly palatable and nutritive - •High volume of herbage is consumed by all classes of livestock
- •Livestock gains are minimal when cheatgrass matures and may
- cause mouth infections
- •Utilized by wildlife (bighorn sheep, pronghorn, mule deer). Seed consumption high among birds.
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Bromus tectorum- Drought/Stress Tolerance
•Seeds germinate when moisture favorable (early in the growing season), since seeds and plants are sensitive to moisture and heat stress - •Drought avoidance adaptation
- •During drought, plants produce little herbage but enough seed to establish during another germination period
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Bromus tectorum-Fire tolerance
•Plants establish from seed stored in the soil following fire - •Adapted to high fire-frequency regimes
- •A fierce competitor in the post-fire environment taking advantage of high soil resources
- •May have high seed mortality during fire, but abundant seed source in the soil promotes high post-fire growth
- •Under increased fire-frequency regime it can significantly reduce perennial plant establishment
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Junegrass
- Family/Tribe: Poaceae
- Scientific Name: Koeleria macrantha
- Origin: Native
- Life Span: Perennial
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Koeleria macrantha- Identification
- •Inflorescence: dense contracted panicle, spike-like and shiny, bottom branches of inflorescense are pubescent, spikelets 2 (to 5) flowered, compressed
- •sheaths and leaves finely pubescent
-
Koeleria macrantha- Plant Attributes
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Koeleria macrantha - Forage Quality and Cover
•Utilized by all classes of livestock - •Wildlife species include bighorn sheep, mountain goats, elk, deer although use moderate due to scattered distribution
- •Palatable to livestock and wildlife in spring and fall after curing.
- •Because of short stature, low forage production and provides minimal cover for larger birds and mammals.
-
Koeleria macrantha- Drough/Stress, Grazing Tolerance
- Drought: Can persist and establish on sites subjected to severe water stress
- Grazing: Decreases over years of more intense grazing pressure
-
Koeleria macrantha-Fire tolerance
- •Considered a superior fire-resistant perennial bunch-grass
- •Small stature and coarse texture protect growing points at the crown (meristimatic tissues)
- •Plants burn quickly, transferring little heat to the crown and roots, increasing survival
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Idaho fescue
- Family: Poaceae
- Scientific Name: Festuca idahoensis
- Origin: Native
- Life Span: Perennial
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Festuca idahoensis- Identification
- •Inflorescense: Narrow panicle, loose, Spikelets long pedicelled, Lemmas awned from tip (2-5mm)
- •Cespitose, basal leaves, filiform
- •Sheaths at collar with large shoulders
- •Black roots
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Festuca idahoensis- Plant Attiributes
- •Long-lived cool season bunchgrass
- •Common component of undisturbed areas (climax species) but can also colonize disturbed sites
- •Reproduces from seeds and tillers
- •Starts growth in early spring
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Festuca idahoensis - Forge Quality and Cover
- •Important forage species for livestock and wildlife
- •In eastern Oregon, it is a main grass in the diet of horses, cattle, sheep, elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats.
- •Palatability varies by season and community type.
- •Becomes less digestible than other species at the end of the growing season
- •Cover is fair to good for small mammals and birds
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Festuca idahoensis - Drought/ Stress, Grazing tolerance
- Drought: Tolerates low water availability, Plants are cold tolerant and moderately shade tolerant
- Grazing: A decreaser under heavy grazing of livestock and wildlife, often being replaced by cheatgrass, Favored by light to moderate grazing
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Festuca idahoensis - Fire tolerance
- •Survives light-intensity fires, but is killed as intensity increases (root crown budding zone is at or above the soil surface, exposed to high heat)
- •Fires occurring in 10-25 year intervals have neutral to negative effects
- •More tolerant to late-season burning
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Sandberg bluegrass
- Family/Tribe: Poeae
- Scientific Name: Poa secunda
- Origin: Native
- Life Span: Perennial
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Poa secunda - Identification
- •Inflorescense: open slender panicle, spikelets purplish, 2-5 flowered,
- •Blades folded, double midrib, with a boat-shaped tip
- •Ligule 2 to 4 mm acute membrane
- •Cespitose, leaves basal and short
- •Red nodes
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Poa secunda -Plant attributes
- •Cool season grass
- •Shallow-rooted species that does well where light rains are common or soil moisture is limited
- •Reproduces by seed and tillers
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Poa secunda - Forage Quality, Palatability, Cover
- •Greens up early in spring where it is sought by all classes of livestock and many wildlife species (nutritious and palatable)
- •Little production in drought years making it a less dependable forage species
- •Because of smallgrowth form, plants provide little hiding cover for wildlife.
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Poa secunda - Drough/stress, grazing, fire tolerance
- Drought: Highly drought-resistant species
- Grazing: May increase with grazing pressure
- Fire: generally unharmed by fire due to small plant size and low heat transfer to crown, Plant is generally dormant during high fire seasons
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Thurber needlegrass
- Family: Poaceae
- Scientific Name: Achnatherum thurberianum
- Origin: Native
- Life Span: Perennial
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Achnatherum thurberianum - Identification
- •Inflorescense: panicle narrow, glumes 1cm long, purple, awns 3-5cm, twice geniculate, lower 2 segments plumose
- •Leaves inrolled
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Achnatherum thurberianum - Plant attributes
- •Cool season bunchgrass
- •Climax to mid-seral species in many communities
- •Regeneration from seed and tillers
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Achnatherum thuberianum - Forage Quality, Palatability, and cover
- •Provides valuable forage for livestock and wildlife (16% of wild horse diet in Oregon), primarily in spring
- •Seeds valuable to birds and small mammals
- •Leaves eaten by rabbits, deer, and other herbivores
- •Provide cover for many small to medium sized wildlife species
- •In Oregon, sage grouse densities are high in ACTH and ARTR communities
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Achnatherum thurberianum - Grazing Tolerance
•Decreases with increased grazing pressure (7 fold increase in population (density) following 30 years of rest (Study from Northern Nevada)
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Crested Wheatgrass
- Family: Poaceae
- Scientific Name: Agropyron cristatum
- Origin: Introduced
- Life Span: Perennial
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Agropyron cristatum - Identification
- •Inflorescense: Dense spike, strongly overlapping, Comb-like, Glumes and lemmas awned
- •Cespitose
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Agropyron cristatum - Plant Attributes
- •Cool season grass
- •Long-lived plant (stands of 40+ years)
- •Germination in cold temperatures, strong seedling establishment (does well at high elev.)
- •2-4 week head start on growing season
- •Competes well with native species
- •Competes reasonably well with cheatgrass
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Agropyron cristatum - Forage Quality and Palatability
- •High yield and green period in spring and fall makes it highly desirable forage for livestock and wildlife
- •Highly palatable and nutritious (less during mid-summer)
- •Can be grazed earlier than other native species
- •Low use by pronghorn and moderate to low by deer
- •Great cover and forage for jackrabbits and grasshoppers
- •Can decrease habitat of sagebrush obligate bird species (sage grouse)
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Agropyron cristatum - Drought/ Stress, Grazing, Fire Tolerance
- Drought: Highly drought and cold resistant, Competes with exotic species
- Grazing: Resilient to grazing pressure, Light to moderate grazing invigorates plants and extends life span
- Fire: Above ground material burns but below ground survives, Slightly damaged to unharmed by prescribed fire
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Yarrow
- Family/Tribe: Asteraceae
- Scientific Name: Achillea millefolium
- Origin: Native
- Life Span: Perennial
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Achillea millefolium - Identification
- •Inflorescense: flowers white, Fern-like leaves, alternate and divided, into many segments
- •Stems with silky hairs
- •Strongly rhizomatous
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Achillea millefolium - Plant Attributes
- •Cool season forb
- •Patchy growth form (no pure stands)
- •Following disturbance, rhizomes can produce new plants (down to 1 ft. below the surface)
- •Can be a good soil stabilizer in reveg projects
- •Flowers can produce thousands of achenes
- •An early (pioneer) successional species
- •competitive with other species
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Arrowleaf balsamroot
- Family/Tribe: Asteraceae
- Scientific Name: Balsamorhiza sagittata
- Origin: Native
- Life Span: Perennial
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Balsamaorhiza sagittata - Identification
- •Inflorescense: Large yellow heads, flowers on long peduncles
- •Basal leaves sagittate, entire margins, and wholly pubescent
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Balsamorhiza sagittata - Plant Attributes
- •Cool season forb
- •Thick taproot that can reach 3 m
- •Seed wind and animal dispersed
- •early to late (climax) successional status
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Balsamorhiza sagittata - Forage Quality, Palatability, and Cover
- •Considered fair forage for all classes of livestock and wildlife
- •Flowers are especially palatable
- •Contains 30% protein when immature and 10% when mature
- •Can provide cover for nesting sage-grouse
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Sedges have _______, Rushes are _______, grasses have _________, maybe __________
- a. edges
- b. round
- c. nodes
- d. hollow
-
- 1. Culm
- 2. inflorescence
- 3. collar
- 4. internode
- 5. Leaf blade
- 6. Leaf sheath
- 7. node
- 8. crown
-
- 1. Spike
- 2. Raceme
- 3. Panicle
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Rhizome
underground lateral stem with the capacity to develop a new plant
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Stolon
horizontal aboveground steam that produces roots from the nodes
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Seral Community
A phase in the sequential development of a climax community
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Climax community
the 'final' stage of a plant succession, in which vegetation attains a state of equilibrium with the environment
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Secondary Succession
- re-establishment of vegetation following a disturbance on land that was previously vegetated
-
-
Initial stage (climax)
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Short-lived annuals/ biennials
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-
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Carolus Linnaeus
- 1707 -1778
- father of taxonomy, binomial nomenclature
-
-
Linnaeus System
- Hierarchical classification
- Described according to their structure (particularly the reproductive parts)
- For Linnaeus, species were real entities, which could be grouped into higher categories called Genera
- Within the genus there were specific differences for each organisms or differentio specifica
: Species
-
2 laws in biological/ ecological systems
- All the known properties of life are obedient to the laws of chemistry and physics
- All biological processes and all the differences that distinguish species have evolved from natural selection.
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Biological Species Concept
species are groups of interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups
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Ecological Species Concept
A species is a set of organisms exploiting a single niche,
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Phylogenetic Species Concept
- a species may be defined by its unique genetic history as a tip of a phylogenetic tree
- species are define by their unique derived features and shared ancestry
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Sagebrush Steppe
- Occurs in the northern portions of the sagebrush
- grassland region
- Shrub cover 10-80% depending on site (10% dry, 80% moist)
- Location
: Snake and Columbia River drainages (N. Nevada, S and central Idaho, E. Wyoming, E. Oregon, S. Central Washington and B.C.)
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Great Basin Sagebrush
- More arid than sagebrush steppe region
- Floristic diversity, production, responses to perturbation are lower and slower
- location: S. portions of the sagebrush region (Nevada, Utah, N. Arizona, N. New Mexico, and S.E. colorado)
- Climate: low summer precipitation (thunderstorms), precipitation mostly as snow (10:1), arid/semi-arid enviroment, 12" of rain
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