Alaska Arctic Vegetation
Plant Community Table - Detailed plant community description - Detailed map description
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Hierarchy of Geobotanical Vegetation Map Units (Walker DA 2002)
Community numbers within the subunit explanations are linked to plant community descriptions and photos. Photos of the map units are available in the Photo Library.
B2. Barren complexes
B3d. Acidic mountain complexes in Subzone D
B3e. Acidic mountain complexes in Subzone E
- B3e.1. Acidic mountain complexes (Brooks Range). Prostrate dwarf-shrub, graminoid communities (comm. 35, 36) on acidic slopes, in complex with snowbeds (comm. 62, 63), talus slopes and meadow communities. Brooks Range, Subzone E. Photos
- B3e.2. Acidic mountain complexes (NW Alaska). Prostrate dwarf-shrub, lichen communities (comm. 39) on dry granitic slopes, in complex with snowbeds (comm. 64), talus slopes and meadow communities. Seward Peninsula and NW Alaska, Subzone E. Photos
- B3e.3. Acidic mountain complexes (Kuskokwim Mtns.). Erect dwarf-shrub, lichen communities (comm. 40) on dry acidic slopes, in complex with snowbeds, talus slopes and meadow communities. Kuskokwim Mtns.
B4d. Non-acidic mountain complexes in Subzone D
- B4d.1. Nonacidic mountain complexes (Seward Peninsula). Prostrate dwarf-shrub, forb, lichen communities (comm. 26) in complex with snowbeds (comm. 30, 31), talus slopes and meadow communities, on dry limestone slopes. York Mountains, Seward Peninsula, Subzone D.
- B4d.2. Nonacidic mountain complexes (St. Lawrence I.). Graminoid, dwarf-shrub communities (comm. 28), moist areas on Pleistocene lava. Kookooligit Range, St. Lawrence Island, Subzone D.
B4e. Non-acidic mountain complexes in Subzone E
- B4e.1. Nonacidic mountain complexes (Brooks Range). Prostrate dwarf-shrub, sedge communities (comm. 72) in complex with snowbeds (comm. 79, 80), talus slopes and meadow communities, on dry limestone slopes. Brooks Range, Subzone E. Photos
- B4e.2. Nonacidic mountain complexes (NW Alaska). Prostrate dwarf-shrub, forb, lichen communities (comm. 73) in complex with snowbeds (comm. 81), talus slopes and meadow communities, on dry limestone slopes. Seward Peninsula and NW Alaska, Subzone E. Photos
G3. Non-tussock graminoid tundras
- G3.1. Moist nonacidic tundra (N. Arctic Coastal Plain). Non-tussock sedge, dwarf-shrub, moss communities (comm. 27) on mesic non-acidic loess. Northern Arctic Coastal Plain, Subzone D. Photos
- G3.3. Moist nonacidic tundra (Arctic Foothills, Seward P.). Non-tussock sedge, dwarf-shrub, forb, moss communities (comm. 75) on mesic non-acidic loess. Arctic Foothills of the Brooks Range and Seward Peninsula, Subzone E. Photos
- G3.2. Moist nonacidic tundra (St. Lawrence I.). Graminoid, prostrate dwarf-shrub, forb communities (comm. 18) on mesic areas. St. Lawrence Island, Subzone D.
G4. Tussock graminoid tundras on non-sandy substrates
- G4.1. Tussock tundra (entire map). Tussock-sedge, dwarf-shrub, moss communities (comm. 41) on mesic, acidic loess. Foothills of the Brooks Range and Seward Peninsula; ice-rich permafrost, Yukon -Kuskokwim Delta; and foothills of the Kuskokwim Mountains, Subzone E. Photos
- G4.2. Lichen-rich tussock tundra (Seward Peninsula). Fire-controlled graminoid, dwarf-shrub communities, ranging from grass-dominated soon after fire (comm. 46), to communities similar to tussock tundra found to the north and south (comm. 41), to lichen-rich tundra long after fire (comm. 47). Seward Peninsula, Subzone E. Photos
- G4.3. Tussock tundra on sands (Arctic Coastal Plain). Tussock-sedge, dwarf-shrub, moss communities (comm. 16) on sands, in complex with lakes and wet tundra (comm. 20). Northern Arctic Coastal Plain, Subzone D. Photos
P2. Prostrate dwarf-shrub tundras
S1. Erect dwarf-shrub tundras
- S1.1. Shrubby tussock tundra (NE Alaska). Erect dwarf-shrub communities (comm. 42) on mesic sites. Foothills of the eastern Brooks Range, Northern Alaska floristic province, Subzone E. Photos
- S1.2. Dwarf-shrub, lichen tundra (NW Alaska). Erect dwarf-shrub, lichen communities (comm. 48, 76) on mesic sites. Foothills of the western Brooks Range and mountains of the Seward Peninsula, Beringian Alaska floristic province, Subzone E. Photos
- S1.3. Dwarf-shrub tundra on volcanic rock (Y-K Delta). Erect and prostrate dwarf-shrub communities (comm. 49) on volcanic outcrops, commonly in complexes with rock outcrops and alder-dominated drainages (comm. 51). Yukon Delta, Nunivak Island, Subzone E.
- S1.4. Dwarf-shrub, lichen tundra (Kuskokwim Mountains). Erect dwarf-shrub, lichen communities (comm. 50), commonly in complexes with rock outcrops and alder-dominated drainages (comm. 51). Foothills of the Kuskokwim Mountains, Subzone E.
S2. Low-shrub tundras
- S2.1. Willow-birch tundra (entire map). Low-shrub communities (comm. 44, 45) with open to closed canopies of willows or shrub birch, or open alder. Foothills of the Brooks Range, and valleys and foothills of the Seward Peninsula mountains and Kuskokwim Mountains, Subzone E. Photos
- S2.2. Alder shrublands (entire map). Low-shrub communities (comm. 51) with closed alder canopies in drainages and valleys, and at treeline. Foothills of the southern Brooks Range, Seward Peninsula mountains, and Kuskokwim Mountains, Subzone E. Photos
W1. Wetlands in Subzone C
- W1.1. Wet acidic coastal complex (N. Alaska). Wet graminoid, moss communities (comm. 4) on wet acidic coastal areas, with moist communities (comm. 2, 3) on higher microsites. Northern Arctic Coastal Plain. Photos
- W1.2. Wet nonacidic coastal complex (N. Alaska). Wet graminoid, moss communities (comm. 10) on wet non-acidic coastal areas, with moist communities (comm. 9) on higher microsites. Northern Arctic Coastal Plain, Subzone C. Photos
W2. Wetlands in Subzone D
- W2.2. Wet nonacidic coastal complex (N. Alaska). Wet sedge, moss communities (comm. 29) on wet nonacidic sites, with moist communities (G3.1, comm. 27) on higher microsites. Northern Arctic Coastal Plain and northern coast of Seward Peninsula, Subzone D. Photos
- W2.1. Wet acidic complex (N. Alaska, Seward, P.). Wet sedge, moss communities (comm. 20) on wet acidic sites, with moist tussock-sedge, dwarf-shrub communities (comm. 16) on higher microsites. Northern Arctic Coastal Plain, northern Seward Peninsula and St. Lawrence Island, Subzone D.
W3. Wetlands in Subzone E
- W3.6. Wet nonacidic complex (warmer parts of NW Alaska). Wet sedge, moss communities (comm. 77) on nonacidic sites, with moist communities (G3.3, comm. 75) on higher microsites. NW Alaska and Seward Peninsula, Subzone E.
- W3.1. Wet acidic complex with tussock tundra (W. Alaska). Wet sedge, moss communities (comm. 54) on wet acidic sites, with moist communities (G4.1, comm. 41) on higher microsites. Seward Peninsula and Selawik Basin, Subzone E.
- W3.2. Wet acidic complex with dwarf-shrub tundra (lower parts of Y-K Delta). Wet sedge, moss communities (comm. 56) in complex with ponds, and drier lichen, ericaceous dwarf-shrub vegetation (S1.2, comm. 48). Central portions of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Subzone E.
- W3.3. Wet acidic complex with low-shrub tundra (Y-K Delta). Wet sedge communities (comm. 57) in complex with shrub thickets (comm. 70) along rivers. Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Subzone E.
- W3.4. Wet acidic complex with dwarf shrub tundra (inland parts of Y-K Delta). Wet sedge, moss communities (comm. 59) in complex with lakes and drier tussock-graminoid, shrub communities (G4.1, comm. 41). Interior portions of the Yukon- Kuskokwim Delta, Subzone E.
- W3.5. Wet acidic complex (Nunivak I.). Wet sedge, prostrate dwarf-shrub communities (comm. 61) on wet acidic sites. Nunivak Island, Subzone E. Photos
- W3.7. Wet coastal saline tundra (Y-K delta). Wet sedge communities (comm. 55) in slightly saline coastal areas. Areas of theYukon-Kuskokwim Delta periodically inundated by storm surges, Subzone E.