Natural Resources
Conservation Service
Ecological site R103XY022MN
Loamy Wet Savannas
Last updated: 10/04/2023
Accessed: 11/21/2024
General information
Provisional. A provisional ecological site description has undergone quality control and quality assurance review. It contains a working state and transition model and enough information to identify the ecological site.
MLRA notes
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): 103X–Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies
MLRA 103 is in Minnesota (56 percent) and Iowa (44 percent) and consists of approximately 18 million acres. It is in the Western Lake Section of the Central Lowland Province of the Interior Plains in an area known as the "Des Moines Lobe" of the Wisconsin-age ice sheet. The MLRA is mostly on a young, nearly level to gently rolling, glaciated till plain that has moraines and glacial lake plains in some areas. The plain is covered with glacial till, outwash, and glacial lake deposits. Recent alluvium consisting of clay, silt, sand, and gravel fill the bottoms of most of the major river valleys. Paleozoic bedrock sediments, primarily shale and limestone, underlie the glacial deposits in most of the area.
The annual precipitation increases from northwest to southeast. Most of the rainfall occurs as high-intensity, convective thunderstorms during the summer. Two-thirds or more of the precipitation falls during the freeze-free period. Snowfall is common in winter. Ground water supplies are adequate for the domestic, livestock, municipal, and industrial needs. Nearly all of this area is farmland, and about four-fifths is cropland
Classification relationships
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies (103) (USDA Handbook 296, 2006)
USFS Subregions: North Central Glaciated Plains Section (251B); Upper Minnesota River-Des Moines Lobe (251BA) and Southern Des Moines Lobe (251Be) Subsections (Cleland et al. 2007)
Ecological site concept
The Loamy Wet Savannas ecological site occurs on poorly drained loamy soils that developed under a savanna plant community (scattered trees and native grasses). The seasonal high depth to saturation is between 0-30 cm. No flooding or ponding occurs on this site.
Associated sites
R103XY016MN |
Organic Marsh The Organic Marsh ecological site is characterized by very poorly drained organic soils, a high water table, frequent ponding, and hydrophytic vegetation. |
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R103XY020MN |
Loamy Upland Savannas The Loamy Upland Savannas ecological site is characterized by a savanna plant community. Soils are derived from medium-textured till and lacustrine materials. Drainage class ranges from well to somewhat poorly drained. |
Similar sites
R103XY023MN |
Clayey Wet Savannas The Clayey Wet Savannas ecological site occurs on poorly drained, silty-textured soils located in depressions, on low gradient linear slopes, or on toeslopes. This site has a seasonal high water table at or very near the surface. |
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Table 1. Dominant plant species
Tree |
(1) Populus tremuloides |
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Shrub |
Not specified |
Herbaceous |
(1) Andropogon gerardii |
Click on box and path labels to scroll to the respective text.
Ecosystem states
T1A | - | Tillage, drainage, planting |
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T1B | - | Absence of natural fire regime, increase in woody vegetation, and invasion of non-native species |
R3A | - | Restoration activities |
T3A | - | Tillage, drainage, planting of crop species |
State 1 submodel, plant communities
State 2 submodel, plant communities
2.1A | - | Establishment of grasses |
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2.2A | - | Transition to row crop agriculture |