NPS: Nature & Science » Networks: Central Alaska Network

Vital Signs: Plants

Ground Vegetation, Yukon-Charley

Plants are a critical component of a healthy ecosystem. Plants form the energetic foundation of marine, terrestrial (land), and aquatic ecosystems, and provide habitat for other forms of life. Vegetation will change as the environment changes. Temperature and precipitation, in addition to disturbance patterns (fires, landslides, etc.), are the most important factors affecting vegetation. Animals, past climates, and site histories also affect plant communities.

Vegetation monitoring in the Central Alaska Network is focused on the importance of environmental gradients. At the broadest scales, these gradients relate to topography, soil conditions, and climate. These gradients result in "habitat" for plants. Monitoring how these gradient relationships change is more informative than just monitoring changes in the standing crop of vegetation.

CAKN Vital Signs:

Plants

Exotic Species
Forage Quantity/Quality
Insect Damage
Plant Phenology
Subarctic Steppe
Veg. Structure/Composition*

Vital Sign	Where	Details
Exotic Species	Network wide	Track presence & absence
Forage Quantity & Quality	Network wide	Measure Nitrogen content of Salix (willow) species
Insect Damage	Network wide	Track presence of insect damage on foliage
Plant Phenology	Network wide	Snow-cover & snow-free data; dates of onset of greenness, maximum greenness, and senescence of greenness
Subarctic Steppe	YUCH	Areal extent
Vegetation Structure & Composition	Network wide	Absolute & relative abundance of growth-form classes, abundance & composition of dominant species, distribution & abundance of discrete vegetation types, species richness, species composition, basal area of tree species, depth of active layer

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Vital Signs: Plants

Vital Sign

Where

Details