Component Projects-Alaska Arctic Tundra Vegetation Map

Alaska Arctic Tundra Vegetation Map

Barren complex

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Barren complex on lava. Community No. 74 near Imuruk Lake, Seward Peninsula, Alaska. (Photo: D.A. Walker.)

Barren complex (aerial photograph)

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Aerial photo of lava complex near Imuruk Lake, Seward Peninsula, Alaska. (Photo: D.A. Walker.)

Vegetation Units

B2.1 Lichens on lava (Seward Peninsula)

Lichen communities (comm. 74) on recent lava flows, complexed with unvegetated lava; in mosaic with areas not covered by lava (G3.3, comm. 75). Seward Peninsula, Subzone E.

(See G3.3)

Plant Communities:

Community 74:

Rock desert, Lava A,B,C (Raynolds et al. 2002) (Seward Peninsula).


Lichen: Umbilicaria spp., Rhizocarpon geographicum, Cladonia stellaris;
Dwarf shrub: Loiseluria procumbens

Community 75:

Northern Beringian Islands: Dryado integrifoliae-Caricetum bigelowii, moist calcareous tundra (Walker et al. 1994) (Toolik Lake).

Beringian Alaska: Vegetation type Bigelow's sedge tussock dwarf-shrub tundra (Racine and Anderson 1979); Releves R6,7a,33,37,57,58 (Raynolds et al. 2002) (Seward Peninsula).

Vegetation type Bigelow's sedge tussock dwarf-shrub tundra (Racine and Anderson 1979); Releves R6,7a,33,37,57,58 (Raynolds et al. 2002) (Seward Peninsula).


Sedges: Carex bigelowii, Eriophorum angustifolium ssp. triste, Carex membranacea, E. vaginatum;
Prostrate dwarf shrub: Dryas integrifolia, Salix reticulata, Arctous rubra;
Erect dwarf shrub: Salix richardsonii, S. glauca, Vaccinium uliginosum, Rhododendrum lapponicum;
Forb: Lupinus arcticus, Oxytropis maydelliana, Pedicularis capitata, Lagotis glauca, Eutrema edwardsii, Tephroseris frigida, Bistorta vivipara, Packera cymbalaria, Pedicularis lanata, Tofieldia pusilla;
Horsetail: Equisetum arvense, Equisetum variegatum;
Moss: Tomentypnum nitens, Hylocomium splendens, Aulacomnium turgidum;
Lichen: Thamnolia subuliformis, Flavocetraria spp., Dactylina arctica