Natural Resources
Conservation Service

Ecological site R111XB301IN

Dark Bedrock Prairie

Last updated: 9/11/2024
Accessed: 12/22/2024

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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): 111X–Indiana and Ohio Till Plain

111B – Indiana and Ohio Till Plain, Northeastern Part. This area is in the Eastern Lake and Till Plains Sections of the Central Lowland Province of the Interior Plains. The entire MLRA is glaciated, and most areas are dominated by ground moraines that are broken in places by lake plains, outwash plains, flood plains, and many recessional moraines. The ground moraines and lake plains in front of the recessional moraines are flat to undulating. In many places stream valleys occur at the leading edge of the recessional moraines. Narrow, shallow valleys commonly are along the major rivers and streams in this MLRA, and some areas along the major rivers and streams have deposits of sand. Elevation ranges from 630 to 1,550 feet (190 to 470 meters), increasing gradually from west to east. Relief is mainly a few meters, but in some areas hills rise as much as 100 feet (30 meters) above the adjoining plains.

The extent of the major Hydrologic Unit Areas (identified by four-digit numbers) that make up this MLRA is as follows: Western Lake Erie (0410), 41 percent; Wabash (0512), 28 percent; Scioto (0, 28 percent; Scioto (0506), 10 percent; St. Clair-Detroit (0409), 9 percent; Great Miami (0508), 6 percent; Southeastern Lake Michigan (0405), 5 percent; and Southwestern Lake Huron (0408), 1 percent. The Huron River in Michigan, Cedar Creek in Indiana, and the Sandusky River in Ohio have been designated as National Wild and Scenic Rivers in this MLRA.

The surficial materials in this area include glacial deposits of till, outwash, and lacustrine sediments from Wisconsin and older glacial periods. A thin mantle of loess occurs in some areas. Most of the MLRA is underlain by Silurian and Devonian limestone and dolostone. Middle Devonian to Early Mississippian black shale and Early to Middle Mississippian siltstone and shale are in some areas of the northern part of the MLRA.

Classification relationships

Major Land Resource Area (USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, 2006)

USFS Ecological Regions (USDA, 2007):
Sections –Central Till Plains, Beech Maple (222H), South Central Great Lakes (222J)

Subsections – Bluffton Till Plains (222Ha), Bluffton-Ann Arbor Till Plains (222Je), Jackson Interlobate Moraine (222Jg), Steuben Interlobate Moraines (222Ji)

NatureServe Systems anticipated (NatureServe, 2011): Agriculture - Cultivated Crops and Irrigated Agriculture, Central Tallgrass Prairie
LANDFIRE Biophysical Settings anticipated (USGS, 2010): Central Tallgrass Prairie

Ecological site concept

This site is an upland site formed on bedrock parent materials overlain by till. It is located on summits, shoulders, footslopes, and backslopes on relatively shallow slopes up to an average maximum of 4%. The soil surface color is dark (3/2 Munsell or darker) extends beyond 10 inches making them taxonomically mollisols.

The characteristic vegetation of this site is that of a prairie dominated by tall-grass prairie species, principally prairie cordgrass, sedge, and oak species. Secondary grass species on the site include big bluestem, little bluestem, and porcupine grass with a diverse assemblage of forb species. Trees were present in small numbers and were patchily dispersed on the site. Those that did occur were fire tolerant species, mostly oaks, and were often found in only a grub form as the top was repeatedly killed by fire. This is a fire dependent system with an average return interval of less than 5 years, which maintained the dominance of herbaceous species. Due to the productiveness of the mollisols in which this site is found on, the majority of this site has been converted for agricultural production. Areas that have not been converted to agricultural use are now mostly in a woodland state as the fire cycle has been altered and in most cases completely eliminated.

Associated sites

F111XB302IN	Mesic Bedrock Forest Mesic Bedrock Forest. Soil surface is light in color and are poorly to somewhat poorly drained.
F111XB303IN	Dry Bedrock Forest Dry Bedrock Forest. Soil surface is light in color and are moderately well drained or drier.

F111XB302IN

Mesic Bedrock Forest

Mesic Bedrock Forest. Soil surface is light in color and are poorly to somewhat poorly drained.

F111XB303IN

Dry Bedrock Forest

Dry Bedrock Forest. Soil surface is light in color and are moderately well drained or drier.

Similar sites

R111XB001IN	Mineral Muck Mineral Mucky Prairie
R111XB401IN	Wet Outwash Mollisol Wet Outwash Mollisol
R111XB402IN	Dry Outwash Integrade Dry Outwash Integrade

R111XB001IN

Mineral Muck

Mineral Mucky Prairie

R111XB401IN

Wet Outwash Mollisol

Wet Outwash Mollisol

R111XB402IN

Dry Outwash Integrade

Dry Outwash Integrade

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Tree	Not specified
Shrub	Not specified
Herbaceous	(1) Spartina pectinata (2) Carex

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Physiographic features

This ecological site is found in karst landscapes in MLRA 111B: Indiana and Ohio Till Plain, Northeastern Part. Soils are shallow to moderately deep from lithic contact. Landforms that contain this site include flats, ground moraines, monadnock, and till plains. Slopes for this site are generally flat and range from 0 to 4 percent.

Figure 1. Physiographic Image – Block diagram with Millsdale representing the site on the landscape.

Table 2. Representative physiographic features

Landforms	(1) Flat (2) Ground moraine (3) Monadnock (4) Till plain
Runoff class	Negligible to very high
Flooding frequency	None
Ponding frequency	None to frequent
Elevation	162 – 366 m
Slope	0 – 4%
Ponding depth	0 – 38 cm
Water table depth	8 – 23 cm
Aspect	Aspect is not a significant factor

Climatic features

The average annual precipitation in this area is 30 to 39 inches (760 to 990 millimeters). Most of the rainfall occurs as convective thunderstorms during the growing season. About half or more of the annual precipitation occurs during the freeze-free period. Snowfall is common in winter. The average annual temperature is 47 to 52 degrees F (8 to 11 degrees C). The freeze-free period averages about 180 days and ranges from 165 to 195 days.

Table 3. Representative climatic features

Frost-free period (characteristic range)	136-147 days
Freeze-free period (characteristic range)	168-181 days
Precipitation total (characteristic range)	914-991 mm
Frost-free period (actual range)	124-149 days
Freeze-free period (actual range)	156-185 days
Precipitation total (actual range)	838-1,016 mm
Frost-free period (average)	141 days
Freeze-free period (average)	175 days
Precipitation total (average)	940 mm

Characteristic range

Actual range

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Figure 2. Monthly precipitation range

Characteristic range

Actual range

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Figure 3. Monthly minimum temperature range

Characteristic range

Actual range

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Figure 4. Monthly maximum temperature range

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Figure 5. Monthly average minimum and maximum temperature

Figure 6. Annual precipitation pattern

Figure 7. Annual average temperature pattern

Climate stations used

(1) HUNTINGTON [USC00124181], Huntington, IN
(2) LIMA WWTP [USC00334551], Lima, OH
(3) FINDLAY AP [USW00014825], Findlay, OH
(4) PONTIAC WWTP [USC00206658], Auburn Hills, MI
(5) ANN ARBOR U OF MICH [USC00200230], Ann Arbor, MI
(6) HILLSDALE [USC00203823], Hillsdale, MI
(7) COLUMBIA CITY [USC00121739], Columbia City, IN
(8) CELINA 3 NE [USC00331390], Celina, OH
(9) MARION MUNI AP [USW00004855], Marion, OH

Influencing water features

This ecological site is largely a slope discharge wetland that receives water from precipitation, interflow from surrounding uplands, and ground water return flow. The shallow depth to a restrictive layer allows for water to be ponded frequently occurs to a maximum average depth of 15 inches with a duration from brief (2 to 7 days) and very long (> 30 days).

Wetland description

The hydrogeographic model classification for this site is SLOPE: Lithic Restricted, Flow-through; herbaceous. This site has a Cowardin Classification of PEM1En; it is a persistent herbaceous vegetation palustrine site that is seasonally ponded or saturated on a mineral soil.

Soil features

The soil series associated with this site are: Millsdale, Joliet, Dunbridge. They are shallow to moderately deep, very poorly to well drained, and very slow to rapid permeable soils, with neutral soil reaction, that formed in Residuum.

Parent Materials Kind: residuum
Surface Texture: loam, loamy fine sand, silty clay loam
Subsurface Texture group: loamy

Figure 8. Location of mapunits in the MLRA

Table 4. Representative soil features

Parent material	(1) Residuum
Surface texture	(1) Loam (2) Loamy fine sand (3) Silty clay loam
Drainage class	Very poorly drained to well drained
Permeability class	Very slow to rapid
Depth to restrictive layer	46 – 91 cm
Surface fragment cover <=3"	3 – 6%
Surface fragment cover >3"	0%
Available water capacity (Depth not specified)	8.64 – 15.75 cm
Calcium carbonate equivalent (Depth not specified)	0 – 20%
Electrical conductivity (Depth not specified)	0 mmhos/cm
Sodium adsorption ratio (Depth not specified)	0
Soil reaction (1:1 water) (Depth not specified)	6.7 – 7.6
Subsurface fragment volume <=3" (Depth not specified)	1 – 13%
Subsurface fragment volume >3" (Depth not specified)	0 – 6%

Ecological dynamics

The historic plant community of the Dark Bedrock Prairie ecological site is a wet tall grass prairie. This site is dominated by tall-grass prairie species, particularly prairie cordgrass and sedge species. Fluctuation of the amount of water on the site varies greatly, even over the course of a single year, which make the site prone to wildfires. The fluctuating water table, amount of organic material and cover, and fires maintain the herbaceous dominance of the site to the exclusion of trees.

State and transition model

Custom diagram

Standard diagram

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More interactive model formats are also available. View Interactive Models
Click on state and transition labels to scroll to the respective text

State 1
Wet Tallgrass Prairie

This is the reference or diagnostic plant community for this site. In reference condition, this site was dominated by tall prairie grass, principally prairie cordgrass and sedge species. Secondary forb species include dense blazing star and Virginia mountainmint as two of the more abundant. Herbaceous species dominance was maintained by a, mostly annual, wet and dry cycle and fire. Absence of fire allows the state to transition to the woodland state.

Dominant plant species

prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata), grass
sedge (Carex), grass

Community 1.1
prairie cordgrass-sedge species

This phase is characterized by dominance of tall-prairie grasses. Periodic wet and dry soil periods along with fire maintain this phase. Absence of fire allows for woody species to invade and given enough time become dominant.

Dominant plant species

prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata), grass
sedge (Carex), grass

State 2
Woodland State

Absence of fire or lack of woody species management will move this site to a woodland state dominated by oak species, specifically white oak and pin oak. The understory would contain many of the prairie species until the canopy closed. Woody understory species would include sassafras and dogwoods.

Dominant plant species

white oak (Quercus alba), tree
pin oak (Quercus palustris), tree

Community 2.1
white oak - pin oak /prairie

This phase is characterized by the absence of fire. Trees have become the dominant growth form on the site. The understory still contains some prairie herbaceous species at the lower tree canopy levels, but they all but disappear at the higher levels.

Dominant plant species

white oak (Quercus alba), tree
pin oak (Quercus palustris), tree

Community 2.2
white oak - pin oak/woody understory

This phase is characterized by the absence of fire. Trees remain the dominant growth form. White oak becomes present in the canopy. The understory is occupied mostly by woody species.

Dominant plant species

white oak (Quercus alba), tree
pin oak (Quercus palustris), tree

Pathway P2.1A
Community 2.1 to 2.2

No management and no fire.

Pathway P2.2A
Community 2.2 to 2.1

Prescribed timber harvest and timber stand improvement practices.

State 3
Agricultural State

This site has largely been converted to agricultural use. Most of the historic acres are now in row crop agricultural use. Most common is a corn and soybean rotation of various types.

Community 3.1
Community Phase 3.1: Corn/Soybeans

This phase is characterized by row crop agriculture, primarily corn and soybeans.

Community 3.2
Community Phase 3.2: cool season forage/pasture

This phase is characterized by forage or grazing agriculture. Different mixes of, generally, cool season grasses and forbs, largely clovers, are grown.

Pathway P3.1A
Community 3.1 to 3.2

Planting of cool season pasture/forage species and management.

Pathway P3.2A
Community 3.2 to 3.1

Planting, either by conventional or no-till methods, of row crops. Management that keeps the site in row crop production

Transition T1A
State 1 to 2

No fire or woody species management of any type.

Transition T1B
State 1 to 3

Install soil drainage, tillage and regular agricultural practices.

Restoration pathway R2A
State 2 to 1

Remove all trees and woody vegetation, seeding, and fire restores the site to the reference state.

Transition T2A
State 2 to 3

Transition T2A Removal of the trees, installation of drainage system, tillage and planting of the crop move this site to the agriculture state.

Restoration pathway R3A
State 3 to 1

Remove drainage, site preparation, planting, and regular application of fire.

Restoration pathway R3B
State 3 to 2

Remove drainage, plant trees, implement forestry practices that do not include fire.

Additional community tables

Supporting information

Inventory data references

Site concept developed through expert opinion, review of the literature, and field reconnaissance.

Other references

Betz, R. (1973). The prairies of Indiana. Proceedings of the Fifth Midwest Prairie Conference (pp. 34-31). Ames: Iowa State University.

Homoya, M. A., Abrell, D. B., Aldrich, J. R., & Post, T. W. (1985). The Natural Regions of Indiana. Indiana Academy of Science, 94, 245-269.

NatureServe. (2011). An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. NatureServe, Arlington, VA, USA [Online: www. natureserve. org/explorer].

Jackson, Marion T. 1997. The Natural heritage of Indiana. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, published in association with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana Academy of Science.

Transeau, E. (1935). The prairie peninsula. Ecology vol. 16 (3), 423-437.

USDA. (2007). Ecological Subregions: Sections and Subsections for the Conterminous United States. Washington, DC: USDA - Forest Service.

USDA. (2006). Land Resource Regions and Major Land Resource Areas of the United States, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. U. S. Department of Agriculture Handbook 296.

USGS. (2010). LANDFIRE Biophysical Settings. Retrieved from http://www.landfire.gov

Whitaker, John O., Charles J. Amlaner, Marion T. Jackson, George R. Parker, and Peter Evans Scott. 2012. Habitats and ecological communities of Indiana presettlement to present. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Approval

Greg Schmidt, 9/11/2024

Rangeland health reference sheet

Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health is a qualitative assessment protocol used to determine ecosystem condition based on benchmark characteristics described in the Reference Sheet. A suite of 17 (or more) indicators are typically considered in an assessment. The ecological site(s) representative of an assessment location must be known prior to applying the protocol and must be verified based on soils and climate. Current plant community cannot be used to identify the ecological site.

Author(s)/participant(s)	Tyler Staggs
Contact for lead author
Date	12/22/2024
Approved by	Greg Schmidt
Approval date
Composition (Indicators 10 and 12) based on	Annual Production

Indicators

Number and extent of rills:
Presence of water flow patterns:
Number and height of erosional pedestals or terracettes:
Bare ground from Ecological Site Description or other studies (rock, litter, lichen, moss, plant canopy are not bare ground):
Number of gullies and erosion associated with gullies:
Extent of wind scoured, blowouts and/or depositional areas:
Amount of litter movement (describe size and distance expected to travel):
Soil surface (top few mm) resistance to erosion (stability values are averages - most sites will show a range of values):
Soil surface structure and SOM content (include type of structure and A-horizon color and thickness):
Effect of community phase composition (relative proportion of different functional groups) and spatial distribution on infiltration and runoff:
Presence and thickness of compaction layer (usually none; describe soil profile features which may be mistaken for compaction on this site):
Functional/Structural Groups (list in order of descending dominance by above-ground annual-production or live foliar cover using symbols: >>, >, = to indicate much greater than, greater than, and equal to):

Dominant:

Sub-dominant:

Other:

Additional:
Amount of plant mortality and decadence (include which functional groups are expected to show mortality or decadence):
Average percent litter cover (%) and depth ( in):
Expected annual annual-production (this is TOTAL above-ground annual-production, not just forage annual-production):
Potential invasive (including noxious) species (native and non-native). List species which BOTH characterize degraded states and have the potential to become a dominant or co-dominant species on the ecological site if their future establishment and growth is not actively controlled by management interventions. Species that become dominant for only one to several years (e.g., short-term response to drought or wildfire) are not invasive plants. Note that unlike other indicators, we are describing what is NOT expected in the reference state for the ecological site:
Perennial plant reproductive capability:

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Natural ResourcesConservation Service

Ecological site R111XB301IN

Dark Bedrock Prairie

Last updated: 9/11/2024 Accessed: 12/22/2024

General information

MLRA notes

Classification relationships

Ecological site concept

Associated sites

Similar sites

Table 1. Dominant plant species

Ecosystem states

State 1 submodel, plant communities

State 2 submodel, plant communities

State 3 submodel, plant communities

Natural Resources
Conservation Service

Last updated: 9/11/2024
Accessed: 12/22/2024