Wet Land
Circle-spoke model
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
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Management practices/drivers
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No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
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Description
The plant community upon which interpretations are primarily based is the Reference Plant Community. It is actually made up of two distinct plant communities, which are described further below. Potential vegetation is about 10 to 75 percent grasses, 20 to 60 percent grass-likes, 5 to 35 percent forbs, and 0 to 5 percent shrubs and/or trees. Major grasses and grass-likes include prairie cordgrass, sedge, bluejoint reedgrass, spikerush, cattail, and bulrush. Grasses and grass-likes of lesser importance are bluegrass, slender wheatgrass, Baltic rush and low-growing, unpalatable sedges, rushes and other grass-likes.
The plant community is well adapted to the Northern Great Plains climatic conditions. It is a critical plant community providing water and habitat for the surrounding area. The diversity in plant species provides a variety of habitats for wildlife. It is resistant to drought due to a dependable water supply. Community dynamics, nutrient cycle, water cycle and energy flow are functioning properly. Plant litter is properly distributed with very little movement offsite and natural plant mortality is very low.
Submodel
Model keys
Briefcase
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Ecological sites
Major Land Resource Areas
The Ecosystem Dynamics Interpretive Tool is an information system framework developed by the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and New Mexico State University.