Carex breweri Herbaceous Alliance
Brewer sedge mats
Brewer sedge mats
USDA Ecological Section Map
Summary Information
- Primary Life FormHerb
- Elevation2700-3700 m
- State RarityS3
- Global RarityG4
- DistributionUSA: CA, OR, WA (NatureServe)
- Endemic to CaliforniaNo
- Endemic to California Floristic Province and DesertsNo
- Date Added2009/09/01
Characteristic Species
Carex breweri is dominant or co-dominant in the herbaceous layer with Antennaria corymbosa, Antennaria media, Arabis platysperma, Calamagrostis muiriana, Carex subnigricans, Carex vernacula, Danthonia intermedia, Gentiana newberryi, Juncus parryi, Lupinus lepidus, Oreostemma alpigenum, Poa fendleriana, Poa stebbinsii, Selaginella watsonii, Silene sargentii and Trisetum spicatum. Shrubs may be present at low cover, including Salix petrophila or Vaccinium cespitosum.
Vegetation Layers
Herbs < 30 cm; cover is intermittent to continuous.
Membership Rules
- Carex breweri > 50% relative cover in the herbaceous layer (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2003b).
Habitats
Snowbeds on concave sites to middle to upper slopes with late snowmelt. Soils are skeletal, stony, well-drained sandy loams derived from granitic rock.
Other Habitat, Alliance and Community Groupings
MCV (1995) | Alpine habitat, Sedge series |
NVCS (2009) | Carex breweri herbaceous alliance |
Calveg | Alpine grasses and forbs, Wet grasses and forbs |
Holland | Sierra Nevada fell-field, Alpine snowbank margin |
Munz | Alpine fell-fields |
WHR | Alpine dwarf-shrub, Wet meadow |
CDFW CA Code | 45.150.00 |
National Vegetation Classification Hierarchy
Formation Class | Cryomorphic Shrub and Herb Vegetation (Polar and High Montane Vegetation) |
Formation Subclass | Temperate and Boreal Alpine Vegetation |
Formation | Alpine Scrub, Forb Meadow, and Grassland |
Division | Western North America Alpine Scrub, Forb Meadow, and Grassland |
Macro Group | Vancouverian Alpine Scrub, Forb Meadow, and Grassland |
Group | Californian alpine-subalpine turf |
Remarks
Carex breweri is a long-lived, caespitose sedge species, which has culms arising singly or together from creeping rhizomes. Leaves are stiff, wiry, and crowded toward the base. Flower spikes are solitary, androgynous, and dark brown with the staminate portion small and not easily distinguished from the pistillate flowers (Hurd et al. 1998).
Carex breweri grows at alpine to subalpine elevations where it forms short-statured clonal mats from a few to several hundred square meters in size in mesic meadows. Stands are strongly associated with latemelting snow banks on well-drained mesic sites that become dry in late summer. The clonal mats may intermix with other species such as Salix petrophila on lower slopes where soil development is greater, but typically, the mats are monospecific. Compared to other high-elevation snowmelt sedges, such as C. spectabilis, stands of C. breweri tend to occur in gravelly substrate, without large rocks and boulders (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 2007). Klyver (1931) recognized C. breweri as a distinct vegetation type in the Sierra Nevada, and Douglas and Bliss (1977) described stands in the high Cascades of Oregon and Washington.
Carex breweri grows at alpine to subalpine elevations where it forms short-statured clonal mats from a few to several hundred square meters in size in mesic meadows. Stands are strongly associated with latemelting snow banks on well-drained mesic sites that become dry in late summer. The clonal mats may intermix with other species such as Salix petrophila on lower slopes where soil development is greater, but typically, the mats are monospecific. Compared to other high-elevation snowmelt sedges, such as C. spectabilis, stands of C. breweri tend to occur in gravelly substrate, without large rocks and boulders (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 2007). Klyver (1931) recognized C. breweri as a distinct vegetation type in the Sierra Nevada, and Douglas and Bliss (1977) described stands in the high Cascades of Oregon and Washington.
Life History Traits of the Principal Species
Carex breweri | |
---|---|
Life forms | Polycarpic perennial; herb; rhizomatous |
Seed storage | Transient |
Seed longevity | Short |
Mode of dispersal | Gravity; wind |
Germination agents | Stratification—winter |
Mode of sprouting | Underground structures (rhizomes) |
Survivability after fire/disturbance | Unknown |
Disturbance-stimulated flowering | No |
Reproductive range | Unknown |
Recruitment | Low; episodic |
Regional variation | Unknown |
Fire Characteristics
Fire little affects this alliance. Influential natural disturbance processes include rockslides, flooding, and annual differences in snow accumulation.
Fire return interval | — |
Seasonality | — |
Size/extent | — |
Complexity | — |
Intensity | — |
Severity | — |
Type | — |
Regional knowledge | — |
Regional Status
The range of Carex breweri includes the Klamath Mountains (M261A), Southern Cascades (M261D), White Mountains (341Dj), and Inyo Mountains (324Fb).
- Sierra Nevada (M261Ek, Eo, Eq). Stands from Harvey Monroe Hall RNA (Taylor 1984, see Cheng 2004), Yosemite National Park (Keeler-Wolf et al. 2003b), several of the central subsections (Pemble 1970), and generally in the section (Klyver 1931) characterize the alliance in
Management Considerations
The high-elevation locations of this alliance generally keep stands from most human-mediated impacts. However, recreational pack stock grazing at moderate to high levels can reduce plant cover and productivity and alter species composition of stands. Cole et al. (2004) recommended low pack stock use (< 25% utilization) to maintain these meadows. Climate change and its impact on long-persisting snow banks likely will affect the distribution of the alliance.
Associations
- Carex breweri [1], [4]
- Carex breweri - Cistanthe umbellata [3]
- Carex breweri - Poa wheeleri [2]
References
- [1] Keeler-Wolf, T.;Schindel, M.;San, S.;Moore, P.;Hickson, D. 2003b
- [2] Major, J.;Taylor, D.W. 1977
- [3] Pemble, R.H. 1970
- [4] Taylor, D.W. 1984
- Cole, D.N.;van Wagtendonk, J.W.;McClaran, M.P.;Moore, P.E.;McDougald, N.K. 2004
- Douglas, G.W.;Bliss, L.C. 1977
- Klyver, F.D. 1931
- Sawyer, J.O.;Keeler-Wolf, T. 2007