Alaska Arctic Tundra Vegetation Map
Bioclimate Subzone D
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Introduction - Subzone C - Subzone D - Subzone E
The subzone description below lists Alaska plant communities along a toposequence on acidic and non-acidic substrates; in subzones C, D and E; in the three floristic provinces of Northern Alaska (
), Beringian Alaska (
) and Northern Beringian Island (
). Blocks of rows are positions along a mesotopographic gradient (see Mesotopographic gradient). Dominant plant functional types and species are listed where data were available. Literature citations (in small font) include unit names, habitat, citation and location.
See the Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map Subzone D for a complete subzone description.
Subzone D (Arctic Coastal Plain, northern part of Seward Peninsula, St. Lawrence Island)
Floristic provinces:
- Northern Alaska
- Beringian Alaska
- Northern Beringian Islands
| Habitat along the meso-topographic gradient | Acidic substrates (community # 13-23) | Non-acidic substrates (community # 24-34) |
|---|---|---|
| Dry exposed sites | 13. Map 2, Unit 6, evergreen dwarf shrub, dry stabilized sand dune crests (Komarkova and Webber 1980) (Atqasuk).
| 24. Stand Type B1 (Walker 1985); Stand Type Dryas integrifolis – Oxytropis nigrescens, dry calcareous gravelly soils (Walker 1990) (Prudhoe Bay).
|
| 14. Vegetation of alpine areas and fell-fields (Young 1971) (St. Lawrence Island). | 25. Devil's Upland (Joregenson 2001) (Seward Peninsula).
| |
| 15. Dry flats, ridge tops & benches (Klein 1959) (St.Matthew Island).
| 26. (dry limestone slopes, York Mtns., Seward Peninsula). no data - probably similar to Subzone E, community 73, this table.
| |
| Moist sites | 16. Map 2, Unit 8, mesic stabilized sands (Komarkova and Webber 1980) (Atqasuk).
| 27. Stand Type U3, mesic nonacidic loess (Walker 1985) (Prudhoe Bay).
|
| 27 (cont). Map unit 42A - low shrub water sedge tussock tundra (Swanson and Schuman 1985) (Seward Peninsula). | ||
| 17. 42B- low shrub cottongrass tussock tundra (Swanson and Schuman 1985) (Seward Peninsula).
|
28. Vegetation of alpine areas and fell- fields (Young 1971) (St. Lawrence Island). | |
| 18. Vegetation of mesic tundra (Young 1971) (St. Lawrence Island).
| ||
| 19. Moist well-drained meadows (Klein 1959) (St. Matthew Island).
| ||
| Wet sites | 20. Map 2, Unit 16, wet marshes (Komarkova and Webber 1980) (Atqasuk). | 29. Stand Type M2, wet calcareous meadows, ice-wedge polygon centers, lake margins (Walker 1985) (Prudhoe Bay). |
| 20 (cont). Water sedge wet meadow (Racine and Anderson 1979); Map Unit 55- cottongrass-water sedge, low-centered polygons (Swanson and Schuman 1985) (Seward Peninsula). | ||
| 20 (cont). Vegetation Type wet tundra (Young 1971) (St. Lawrence Island). | ||
| Snow beds | 21. Boykinia richardsonii-Cassiope tetragona comm. Map 2, Unit 11, early-melting snow beds (Komarkova and Webber 1980) (Atqasuk).
| 30. Stand Type U6 ; Stand type Cassiope tetragona-Dryas integrifolia, early melting nonacidic snowbeds on pingos (Walker 1990) (Prudhoe Bay).
|
| 31. Stand Type U7 (Walker 1985) ; Facies Salix rotundifolia-Eriophorum triste, late-melting nonacidic snowbeds (Walker 1990) (Prudhoe Bay).
| ||
| Riparian areas | 22. Map 2 Unit 17, Decidious scrub, sandy floodplains (Komarkova and Webber 1980) (Atqasuk). | 32. Stand Type B4, active floodplains (Walker 1985) (Prudhoe Bay); Epilobio-Salicetum alaxensis (Schickhoff et al. 2002) (Sagavanirktok River). |
| 23. Low-medium willow shrub thicket (Racine and Anderson 1979); Map unit 34- low shrub - floodplain (Swanson and Schuman 1985) (Seward Peninsula).
| 33. Stand Type U8, moist streamsides on fine grained soils (Walker 1985) (Prudhoe Bay); Anemeno-Salicetum richardsonii (Schickhoff et al. 2002) (Sagavanirktok River). | |
| 34. Dryas integrifolia-Lupinus arcticus comm., dry river terraces (Walker et al. 1997) (Happy Valley). Dryas terrace comm. (Jorgenson pers.comm.) (Arctic NWR).
|