Vegetation Types of North America

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Vegetation Types of North America
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Grasslands

• Second most widespread vegetation type in North
  America

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Grasslands

• Several types shortgrass, mixed grass, tallgrass

Palouse grassland
Grassland-forest ecotone
Annual grassland
Desert grassland
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Grassland Types
Tule Elk in annual grassland (summer)
Mixed grass and Bison
Chicago tallgrass remnant with Micky D
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Grasslands

• P/E ratio lt 1
• LAI4-8 (same as deciduous forest!)
• NPP second highest (1000 gm/sq. m/yr)

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Growth Form Spectrum Grassland

• Growth form
• Phanerophytes 2
• Chamaephytes 23
• Hemicryptophytes 46
• Geophytes 3
• Therophytes 14

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Grass life forms

• Annual, bunchgrass, sod-forming

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Grass Ps types

• Prairie latitude gradient C3 (cool-season)
  dominate in north, C4 (warm-season) in south

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Deserts

• Several major types

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Deserts

• Dry precipitation 5-30 cm/yr
• P/E lowest lt0.1
• NPP lowest 100 gm/sq. m/yr
• LAI lowest lt1

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Desert Topography

• Bajada gently sloping area at base of mountains
• Contains typical desert vegetation (high
  diversity)
• Cut by (mostly) dry channels (arroyos)
• Lead to playas dry salty lake beds

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Growth Form Spectrum Desert

• Growth form
• Phanerophytes 26 (high!)
• Chamaephytes 7
• Hemicryptophytes 18
• Geophytes 7
• Therophytes 42 (maximum)

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Great Basin

• Dominated by sagebrush (Artemisia) Composite
  shrub

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Mojave

• Dominated by creosote bush (Larrea)

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Sonoran

• Richest in diversity of life forms especially
  cacti

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Sonoran Boyd Baja trip

• 1982 botanical excursion.

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Baja trip

• 1982 botanical excursion.

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Baja trip
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Baja trip

• Cardon cactus
• Largest cactus in world
• Major cause of death
• lightning strikes!

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Baja trip

• Boojum tree (Idria columnaris)

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Baja trip

• Boojum tree (Idria columnaris)

Boyd in a Boojum
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Baja trip

• Boojum tree
• (Idria columnaris)

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Baja trip

• Boojum tree
• (Idria columnaris)

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The End....