Natural Communities of Michigan: Classification and Description
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Natural Communities of Michigan: Classification and Description Prepared by: Michael A. Kost, Dennis A. Albert, Joshua G. Cohen, Bradford S. Slaughter, Rebecca K. Schillo, Christopher R. Weber, and Kim A. Chapman Michigan Natural Features Inventory P.O. Box 13036 Lansing, MI 48901-3036 For: Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division and Forest, Mineral and Fire Management Division September 30, 2007 Report Number 2007-21 Version 1.2 Last Updated: July 9, 2010 Suggested Citation: Kost, M.A., D.A. Albert, J.G. Cohen, B.S. Slaughter, R.K. Schillo, C.R. Weber, and K.A. Chapman. 2007. Natural Communities of Michigan: Classification and Description. Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Report Number 2007-21, Lansing, MI. 314 pp. Copyright 2007 Michigan State University Board of Trustees. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status or family status. Cover photos: Top left, Dry Sand Prairie at Indian Lake, Newaygo County (M. Kost); top right, Limestone Bedrock Lakeshore, Summer Island, Delta County (J. Cohen); lower left, Muskeg, Luce County (J. Cohen); and lower right, Mesic Northern Forest as a matrix natural community, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Ontonagon County (M. Kost). Acknowledgements We thank the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division and Forest, Mineral, and Fire Management Division for funding this effort to classify and describe the natural communities of Michigan. This work relied heavily on data collected by many present and former Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI) field scientists and collaborators, including members of the Michigan Natural Areas Council. The names of some of these contributors appear below, and we apologize to those who have been inadvertently omitted, for their contributions are certainly valued. This work builds upon the efforts of many others who have worked to identify, describe, and classify natural habitats. In particular, this classification is strongly influenced by the work of John T. Curtis and Burton V. Barnes. This classification is an update of several earlier versions and benefits greatly from the contributions of current and former MNFI ecologists including William Rose, Gary Reese, Lawrence Brewer, Patrick Comer, William MacKinnon, Richard Corner, Jodi Spieles, Glenn Palmgren, Alan Tepley, Adrienne Bozic, Jacqueline Courteau, and Jeffrey Lee. We express our sincere gratitude to Michael Penskar, MNFI Lead Botanist, for supporting this effort over many years by providing mentoring, encouragement, and valuable input. The lists of rare plants and rare animals contained in the community descriptions were derived from several sources over many years, but mostly from the collected knowledge of our much appreciated current and former MNFI colleagues and collaborators, some of whom include Michael Penskar, Phyllis Higman, Ryan O’Connor, Erica Choberka, Beverly Walters, Dave Cuthrell, Yu Man Lee, Michael Monfils, Bradford Yocum, Jeffrey Cooper, Mary Rabe, John Legge, James Bess, Peter Badra, Amy Derosier, David Stagliano, Reuben Goforth, Patrick Comer, William MacKinnon, Adrienne Bozic, Lyn Scrimger, Judith Soule, Leni Wilsmann, Kim Herman, Lawrence Masters, Susan Crispin, Mary Klein, Herbert Wagner, Edward Voss, Anton Reznicek, and many others to whom we owe our thanks. This rare species habitat information is now available on the MNFI Web site via the Rare Species Explorer. We thank Kraig Korroch, MNFI, for developing the Web pages to display this information, along with photographs and related links, on the MNFI Web site. Helpful editorial support was provided by Martha Gove, Jacqueline Courteau, Kaysie Cox, Adrienne Bozic, and Jeffrey Lee. Much appreciated administrative support was provided by Sue Ridge, Connie Brinson, Lyn Scrimger, Nancy Toben, and Patrick Brown. Several publications proved invaluable in developing the community descriptions. In particular, we wish to acknowledge the following resources: “Michigan Flora” by Edward G. Voss; “Floristic Quality Assessment Program for Michigan” by Kim Herman, Linda Masters, Michael Penskar, Anton Reznicek, Gerould Wilhelm, William Brodowicz, and Kevin Gardiner; “Vegetation of Michigan circa 1800” map by Patrick Comer, Dennis Albert, Heather Wells, Barbara Hart, Jodi Spieles, David Price, Daniel Kashian, Richard Corner, and David Schuen; and “Terrestrial Vegetation of the United States” by NatureServe. In addition to the authors, contributors of Michigan natural community element occurrence data include: Heidi Appel Gerard Donnelly Barbara Madsen Anton Reznicek Harvey Ballard David Ewert David Mahan William Rose Tyler Bassett Roy Gereau Janet Marr Darcy Rutkowski James Bess Steve Grund Laura Mattei Leon Schaddelee Adrienne Bozic Donald Henson Michael Mayfield Michael Scott Lawrence Brewer Kim Herman Kimberly Medley Gary Snyder William Brodowicz Phyllis Higman Daniel Nepstad Jodi Spieles Marie Bruegmann Daria Hyde Ryan O’Connor Sylvia Taylor Frederick Case Emmet Judziewicz Wendy O’Neil Alan Tepley Roberta Case Margaret Kohring Stuart Ouwinga Hannah Dunevitz Texler Elaine Chittenden Kathleen Kron Glenn Palmgren Paul Thompson Patrick Comer Helen Kuhn John Paskus Lucinda Thomson Richard Corner William Larsen Douglas Pearsall Mark Tomboulian Jacqueline Courteau Jeffrey Lee Michael Penskar Steve Voice Erica Choberka YuMan Lee Ursula Petersen Edward Voss Christopher Clampitt John Legge Robert Pleznac Beverly Walters Susan Crispin Donald Les Gary Reese Guerin Wilkinson David Cuthrell William MacKinnon Carol Reschke Leni Wilsmann ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... ii Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Natural Community Global and State Ranks .................................................................................. 2 Global and State Element Ranking Criteria .................................................................................... 3 Natural Communities by Ecological Groups................................................................................... 4 Key to the Natural Communities of Michigan ................................................................................ 5 Soil pH Ranges.............................................................................................................................. 16 Community Descriptions............................................................................................................... 17 PALUSTRINE COMMUNITIES ................................................................................................. 18 MARSH COMMUNITIES........................................................................................................ 18 Submergent Marsh ........................................................................................................... 18 Emergent Marsh ............................................................................................................... 21 Great Lakes Marsh ........................................................................................................... 25 Northern Wet Meadow..................................................................................................... 29 Southern Wet Meadow..................................................................................................... 33 Inland Salt Marsh ............................................................................................................. 37 Intermittent Wetland......................................................................................................... 39 Coastal Plain Marsh.......................................................................................................... 43 Interdunal Wetland........................................................................................................... 47 WET PRAIRIE COMMUNITIES............................................................................................. 51 Wet Prairie........................................................................................................................ 51 Wet-mesic Prairie............................................................................................................. 54 Wet-mesic Sand Prairie.................................................................................................... 57 Lakeplain Wet Prairie....................................................................................................... 61 Lakeplain Wet-mesic Prairie ............................................................................................ 65 FEN COMMUNITIES .............................................................................................................. 69 Prairie Fen ........................................................................................................................ 69 Northern Fen .................................................................................................................... 75 Coastal Fen....................................................................................................................... 81 Patterned Fen...................................................................................................................