Dry, Ultra-Mafic, Upland, Serpentine Barrens Complex
Scenario model
Current ecosystem state
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Management practices/drivers
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- Transition T1 More details
- Restoration pathway R1 More details
- Transition T2 More details
- Restoration pathway R4 More details
- Restoration pathway R2 More details
- Transition T3 More details
- Restoration pathway R5 More details
- Restoration pathway R6 More details
- Restoration pathway R3 More details
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No transition or restoration pathway between the selected states has been described
Target ecosystem state
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Description
This dry, ultra-mafic, upland phase is on soils that are exceptionally shallow and dry. This community type generally grades into the Serpentine Grassland phase. It may be delineated where sod formation and graminoid dominance begins (Zimmerman et al., 2012).
Resilience management
Accumulation of soil organic matter will facilitate succession away from this community. This community requires relatively frequent and relatively intense disturbance including disturbance of soil organic horizons.
Description
This phase is in areas where soil organic matter has mostly covered the exposed gravel surface of the gravel forb community and the site supports dense, prairie-like graminoid cover typically dominated by warm-season grasses. This community may be said to end either (1) where graminoid dominance and continuous soil substrate ends (where the "Serpentine gravel forb community" generally begins) or (2) where shrub cover reaches about 25 percent (where the "Red-cedar–pine serpentine shrubland" generally begins) (Zimmerman et al., 2012).
Characteristics and indicators
The list of representative herbaceous species is too long to fit in the database, so they are listed here:
Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem)
Muhlenbergia mexicana (muhly)
Eragrostis spectabilis (purple love-grass)
Setaria geniculata (perennial foxtail)
Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem)
Sporobolus heterolepiss (prairie dropseed)
Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass)
Bouteloua curtipendulas (side-oats gramma)
Senecio anonymuss (plain ragwort)
Aristida purpurascenss (arrowfeather)
Aristida dichotoma (churchmouse three-awn)
Aster depauperatuss (serpentine aster)
Panicum acuminatum (a panicgrass)
Panicum annulum (annulus panicgrass)
Panicum dichotomum (a panicgrass)
Panicum oligosanthes (a panicgrass)
Panicum sphaerocarpon (a panicgrass)
Potentilla canadensis (old-field cinquefoil)
Rosa carolina (prairie rose)
Setaria geniculata (perennial foxtail)
Cerastium arvense var. villosissimums (barrens chickweed)
Phlox subulata ssp. subulata (creeping phlox)
Achillea millefoliumI (yarrow)
Eupatorium aromaticum (small white snakeroot)
Scleria pauciflora (few-flowered nutrush)
Oenothera fruticosa (sundrops)
Solidago nemoralis (gray goldenrod)
Antennaria plantaginifolia (plantain pussytoes)
Asclepias verticillata (whorled milkweed)
Asclepias viridiflora (green milkweed)
Description
This phase is in areas where soil organic matter has mostly covered the exposed gravel surface of the gravel forb community, and the soil has developed sufficiently to support tree cover. This community commonly is a savanna with dense, prairie-like graminoid cover and scattered trees and shrubs. Although the most typical aspect is that of a shrubland, some examples of this community type have a woodland physiognomy. This community may be said to end either (1) where woody cover of at least 25 percent ends (where the "Serpentine barren grassland community" generally begins) or (2) where trees exceed 5 meters in height and the tree canopy reaches about 60 percent total cover, thereby becoming sufficiently continuous to prohibit dense graminoid cover (where the "Serpentine Virginia pine-oak" or "Serpentine pitch pine-oak forest" generally begins). This type commonly grades into the one of the serpentine forest types downslope on somewhat deeper soils. This community shares many dominants with both the "Pitch pine-scrub oak woodland" and "Pitch pine-mixed hardwood woodland." The distinction between the communities lies in the less common species present in the serpentine type (e.g. Sporobolus heterolepis, Panicum depauperatum, Bouteloua curtipendulas) and the geology itself. Trees on this site are commonly less than 5 meters tall (Zimmerman et al., 2012).
Characteristics and indicators
The list of representative herbaceous species is too long to fit in the database, so they are listed here:
Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem)
Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem)
Sporobolus heterolepiss (prairie dropseed)
Panicum depauperatums (poverty panicgrass)
Sporobolus vaginiflorus (poverty grass)
Aristida longispica (slimspike three-awn)
Aristida purpurascenss (arrowfeather)
Aristida dichotoma (churchmouse three-awn)
Muhlenbergia mexicana (satin grass)
Setaria geniculata (knotroot fox-tail)
Eragrostis spectabilis (purple lovegrass)
Scleria paucifloras (few-flowered nut-rush)
Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass)
Bouteloua curtipendulas (side-oats gramma)
Aster depauperatuss (serpentine aster)
Potentilla canadensis (old-field cinquefoil)
Phlox subulata ssp. subulata (creeping phlox)
Cerastium arvense var. uillosissimums (barrens chickweed)
Achillea millefoliumI (yarrow)
Eupatorium aromaticum (small white snakeroot)
Oenothera fruticosa (sundrops)
Senecio anonymuss (plain ragwort)
Solidago nemoralis (gray goldenrod)
Antennaria plantaginifolia (plantain pussytoe)
Mechanism
This transition typically occurs in the absence of fire or physical disturbance of the soil and is facilitated by the accumulation of organic matter on the soil surface.
Mechanism
this restoration pathway includes removal of most trees and other woody vegetation, frequent repeated fire, and/or physical disturbance (e.g. scraping) of the surface soil.
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
|---|---|
|
Brush Management |
|
|
Prescribed Burning |
|
|
Early Successional Habitat Development/Management |
|
|
Prescribed Grazing |
Mechanism
This transition typically occurs in the absence of fire or physical disturbance of the soil and is facilitated by the accumulation of organic matter on the soil surface. In some cases, the soil can accumulate sufficient depth to support a closed canopy forest, but these closed canopy forests are susceptible to moisture stress and other stress related vectors of mortality (insects for example).
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
|---|---|
|
Tree/Shrub Establishment |
Mechanism
this restoration pathway includes removal of most trees and other woody vegetation, frequent repeated fire, and/or physical disturbance (e.g. scraping) of the surface soil.
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
|---|---|
|
Brush Management |
|
|
Prescribed Burning |
|
|
Early Successional Habitat Development/Management |
|
|
Prescribed Grazing |
Mechanism
this restoration pathway includes removal of many trees and most other woody vegetation, as well as frequent repeated fire.
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
|---|---|
|
Brush Management |
|
|
Prescribed Burning |
|
|
Early Successional Habitat Development/Management |
|
|
Prescribed Grazing |
Mechanism
This transition typically occurs in the absence of fire or physical disturbance of the soil and is facilitated by the accumulation of organic matter on the soil surface. In some cases, the soil can accumulate sufficient depth to support a closed canopy forest, but these closed canopy forests are susceptible to moisture stress and other stress related vectors of mortality (insects for example).
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
|---|---|
|
Tree/Shrub Establishment |
Mechanism
this restoration pathway includes removal of most trees and other woody vegetation, frequent repeated fire, and/or physical disturbance (e.g. scraping) of the surface soil.
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
|---|---|
|
Brush Management |
|
|
Prescribed Burning |
|
|
Early Successional Habitat Development/Management |
|
|
Prescribed Grazing |
Mechanism
this restoration pathway includes removal of most trees and other woody vegetation, and frequent repeated fire.
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
|---|---|
|
Brush Management |
|
|
Prescribed Burning |
|
|
Early Successional Habitat Development/Management |
|
|
Prescribed Grazing |
Mechanism
this restoration pathway includes removal of many trees and most other woody vegetation, as well as frequent repeated fire.
Relevant conservation practices
| Practice | External resources |
|---|---|
|
Brush Management |
|
|
Prescribed Burning |
|
|
Early Successional Habitat Development/Management |
|
|
Prescribed Grazing |
Model keys
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