Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Unit S1
- CAVM
- Vegetation
- About the Vegetation Map Units
- Bioclimate Subzones
- Floristic Provinces
- AVHRR
- Elevation
- Lake Cover
- Physiography
- NDVI and Phytomass
- Substrate Chemistry
- Coastline
- Literature
Barrens:
B1B1. Cryptogam, herb barren -
B2B2. Cryptogam barren complex (bedrock) -
B3B3. Noncarbonate mountain complex -
B4B4. Carbonate mountain complex ||
Graminoid Tundras:
G1G1. Rush/grass, forb, cryptogam tundra -
G2G2. Graminoid, prostrate dwarf-shrub, forb tundra -
G3G3. Non-tussock sedge, dwarf-shrub, moss tundra -
G4G4. Tussock-sedge, dwarf-shrub, moss tundra ||
Prostrate-shrub Tundras:
P1P1. Prostrate dwarf-shrub, herb tundra -
P2P2. Prostrate/hemiprostrate dwarf-shrub tundra ||
Erect-shrub Tundras:
S1S1. Erect dwarf-shrub tundra -
S2S2. Low-shrub tundra ||
Wetlands:
W1W1. Sedge/grass, moss wetland -
W2W2. Sedge, moss, dwarf-shrub wetland -
W3W3. Sedge, moss, low-shrub wetland
Hierarchy of Geobotanical Vegetation Map Units (Walker DA 2002)
S1. Erect dwarf-shrub tundra
Tundra dominated by erect dwarf-shrubs, mostly <40 cm tall. Subzone D.
Detailed Description
Moist to dry tundra in Subzone D on acidic soils, dominated by hemiprostrate and erect dwarf shrubs <40 cm tall. This is the zonal vegetation in acidic and oceanic areas of Subzone D in Greenland and the Canadian Shield. Drier, lichen-rich dwarf-shrub tundras are common in many areas, e.g., the sandy soils of the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas in Russia, and in a matrix with lichen-covered bedrock on the Canadian mainland and Baffin Island. Plant cover is continuous (80-100%) on zonal sites to sparse (5-50%) on dry ridges.
Area: 689 x 1000 km2.
Representative Syntaxa
Communities of the class Loiseleurio-Vaccinietea, Phyllodoco-Vaccinionmyrtilli Nordh. 1936, e.g., Phyllodoco-Salicetum callicarpaeae (Böch. 1933) Dan. 1982 and Empetrum-Vaccinium community Dan. 1982 (Greenland).
Dominant Plants
Dwarf-shrubs, mosses, and lichens are common.
-
- Dwarf shrub: Betula nana s.l. ; Betula middendorfii/glandulosa ; Vaccinium uliginosum ssp. microphyllum ; Vaccinium vitis-idaea ; Ledum palustre spp. decumbens ; Empetrum ; Salix glauca ; Salix callicarpaea ; Arctous ; Cassiope tetragona ;
- Moss: Hylocomium splendens ; Aulacomnium turgidum ; Dicranum ; Racomitrium lanuginosum ;
- Lichen: Stereocaulon ; Cladonia ; Flavocetraria ; Alectoria ochroleuca ; Masonhalea richardsonii ; Bryocaulon divergens ;
a=acidic, n=non-acidic